4 ways for roofers to facilitate better communication between sales and office teams

By Kate Foster, Acculynx.

Using technology tools to communicate between sales and office avoids mistakes and increases productivity.

Communication is the key to making any business run smoothly. It is the glue that holds all the different people in an office together, ensuring that they all understand one another and that the company can work as a cohesive whole.

For roofers, a huge component of running a successful business is having both your sales teams and office staff on the same page. When one team doesn’t have the latest version of contracts, or schedules a crew without checking availability, these mistakes can hurt the efficiency and profitability of your business.

To make certain that communication is clear and that your business is running as smoothly as possible, be sure everyone is on the same page.

1. Using software to communicate

Software programs and database like, business CRM’s, give your team’s a customizable, centralized point to access all of the most up to date information they need in order to do their jobs.

Unlike computer servers, which can only be accessed from the office, cloud based platforms are secure, and accessible from the field, ensuring that the information for a job - including updated contracts, material orders and crew schedules - are available to everyone.

These platforms also allow your teams to look at past information, making it possible for them to refresh their memory on particular jobs or look at specific components of a project. This means that even if a job occurred years ago they can still be on the same page when they revisit or home or reference previous work contracts. This can be especially helpful for recent hires, whose communication can be faulty simply because they are new. A good CRM allows them to catch up on the content they missed or look up a particular job a co-worker has brought up.

Another feature of a good CRM is the ability to make notes on specific projects. Even communication as simple as “be careful of the bushes in the front” written directly into the job order can help salesmen or a crew prevent mistakes and help a job run more smoothly.

2. Activity feed keeps you up to date

An activity feed can be very useful in facilitating communication between teams, different crews and managers. Activity feeds that operate in real time let employees know exactly what is happening as soon as it happens. By tagging teams or individuals within the feed, or setting tasks for Project Managers based on a phone call or material order status change, there is no delay across information channels, as there might be with other forms of communication, such as email.

When people can keep track of what’s happening in their department or in the entire office, you can be sure everyone knows what is going on. With this type of communication you can align your projects with others to maximize efficiency and eliminate doubling up on tasks by accident.

3. Sharing and signing documents more efficiently

Roofers deal with a lot of paperwork. From estimates and contracts, to warranties, lien waivers and change orders, your file on every job can be massive. Making all of the latest documents available to your employees working on the job means everyone has the same knowledge, cutting down on potential miscommunication.

There are several programs that allow you to share and sign paperwork, but features that are integrated with your software platform like SmartDocs can further improve your company’s communication. By integrating document creation with data already in your system, salesmen save time in the field entering information, and can convert estimates to contracts with the click of a button.

SmartDocs eSign feature also allows roofers to get contracts signed on the doorstep or from email, saving even more time between follow-up calls, meetings and the start of a project.

When any SmartDoc is returned or updated, your office staff will be notified and immediately have access to the latest document, which means they can get started processing orders and sending out invoices right away. Making information available both in the office and on a site allows for clear communication between sales and the office, reducing mistakes and increasing the efficiency of a job.

4. Setting clear goals for everyone

Providing goals, and following up on the progress of your teams is the best way to ensure efficiency and accuracy. Clearly communicating your goals, whether it be posting them for each particular job or setting overarching goals of the company will ensure your employees know what is expected of them and can work as quickly and accurately as possible to get it done. A clear set of goals also means that your sales team and your office team both have the same objectives and can work together productively and smoothly.

Both your sales team and your office team are essential to your roofing business. But when one isn’t on the same page as the other, mistakes and miscommunication can arise. Using technology can help to keep your teams in sync, maximizing efficiency and productivity for your business.

To learn more about AccuLynx visit here.

Editor’s note: This article was first published on AccuLynx’s blog and can be viewed here.