Roofing Road Trips with Heidi Welcome Estimating Edge’s Adam Oaks

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

Best of breed concept and open API’s are important considerations for contractors when choosing software.

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips with Heidi, she is joined by Roofing Technology Think Tank member Adam Oaks from Estimating Edge to talk technology and software. One of the most challenging things for a roofing company can be choosing the right software for your business. There are so many choices it can be overwhelming.

Adam shares with Heidi the idea of the ‘Best in Breed’ concept. “I think simply put, don't buy software that tries to be everything to everyone,” explains Adam. “You end up with tools for different parts of your business that are just okay or really don't provide the ROI you're looking for, so best in breed means and the best software for a specific need and make sure that software will fit with your software stack.”

When businesses were first utilizing technology, software companies tried to have their program do everything for the business but that’s not the case today says Heidi. “Now, you get on your phone, you get an app for this, you get a software for that, but you really want them to talk.”

Adam agrees saying that when you hear the term open platform it should also mean scalable, that the software can grow with your business. “An open API is a programming interface publicly available to software developers, and what that means, it provides a seamless flow of data between different software providers,” says Adam. “Being open allows those best in breed solutions to work together to benefit their mutual customers.”

“As your business scales and you're starting to look at things like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more, you have to be on that open scalable platform,” Adam shared.

The conversation continues with advice on how contractors can make the transition from paper to digital, tips on getting the team on board with the change and how the right training can make a world of difference.

Listen to the full podcast for more great information.