New Year, New Technology

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor. 

Be strategic about implementing new technologies into your business. 

A new year is the time when we plan for all of the things we want to do differently in our businesses. That might be new processes, new people or even new technology solutions. For roofing companies who want to turn bids around faster with greater accuracy and set a repeatable estimating process, now is the perfect time to plan for implementing a new solution. 

Why now? 

January is traditionally a slower month for the roofing industry, especially if you’re serving a part of the country that experiences snowy winters. Tami Zimmel, vice president for Estimating Edge, shared, “Evaluating solutions now is the perfect time to ramp up your team before the bid season hits hard in spring.”  

Doing your research in January is perfect timing because the software providers will be exhibiting at the International Roofing Expo, February 1 – 3, 2022 in New Orleans. This is the perfect opportunity to see the solution in action, demonstrated by the experts. They can answer your questions, show you how the solution could work for your business and give you an understanding of what the onboarding and training experience will be like for your team. 

What questions to ask 

If you are taking time this month to evaluate solutions, it’s important to know what questions you should be asking as you look at the different solutions. Tami shared the following list with us:  

• How efficient is your estimating process today? 

• Can you scale your process as you onboard new estimators? 

• Can you control what everyone sees and does? 

• Is your estimating process repeatable? 

• Can you centralize your entire estimating process in one place, e.g., takeoff and estimate, pricing (vendor quotes), ordering, field project management/time management? 

• Is your estimating software working for you?  

• Does your current provider continue to improve? 

• Are you happy with your support? 

• Does your provider help you improve (consultative)? 

Getting the team on board 

As with any new technology, it’s important to have your team members on board with the decision to make a change. Be sure to involve them in the process and the evaluation. Being part of the process typically results in a much smoother implementation and adoption of the technology. 

If you can’t make it to the IRE this year, you can always learn more about Estimating Edge in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory.