Joanna Mulgrew, Managing Director of HBXL Building Software, shares her advice on finding the best estimating software solution for your building firm with ten top tips.
At HBXL Building Software HQ we talk to hundreds of builders every week so we understand that the idea of adopting digital estimating can be a big decision. So, when a builder recognises the benefits of the software for their business, the last thing you want is for them to invest in a product that isn’t right for them. This top ten doesn’t include accuracy or being bug free – software should meet those basic criteria out of the box. I’d like to focus on some of the subtler differences.
1. Suitability
Are you a plumbing contractor, for example? Or do you undertake residential building works? Make sure the software can handle the projects you do – different software firms specialise in different works. HBXL’s EstimatorXpress, for example, focuses on small to medium sized building firms undertaking extensions, loft conversions, new homes and renovations.
That said you need the software to be able to grow with you. Perhaps you are a joinery firm wanting to get into home extensions over time. You therefore need a solution that will go on that journey with you. Or maybe you’re a home extender wanting to go into new builds. So have a think where you want to be in twelve months or two years’ time to avoid having to go through the whole process again!
2. Outputs
What do you need from your software on top of the accurate estimate? A simple quote letter? A detailed business winning quotation that will set you apart from the competition? Do you need SMM7 outputs (BOQ), now known as NRM for tendering? Do you want profit forecasts? Cashflow? Schedules of materials and labour?
3. UK Market
Most people will begin their search on the web, that’s the world wide web…so you’re going to get a set of search results including products from the States, Canada, Australia…
It’s important to choose a product that uses familiar terminology but more importantly meets UK Building Regs… Does the software run in dollars, Euros or £ sterling? Is it working in feet and inches not metric? And so on.
4. Material prices
You need a package that, as well as working in £s, updates material prices monthly or certainly quarterly. Can you update the material prices in the software easily yourself for any special discounts you might have agreed? Is the software limited to a single builders’ merchant? Is that what you want?
5. User-friendliness
Let’s be clear, business software will always need a little bit of time investment but it shouldn’t be a marathon effort. Put the software through a trial job to see how. It ought to be free of charge. I advise you do this when you’re not under pressure to get a ‘real quote’ out. EstimatorXpress is designed for relative software novices. Knowledge of construction is more important than IT skills, but even then we give plenty of construction prompts.
And when you’re putting the software through its paces during a trial, don’t be surprised if the job comes out more expensive than you’d expected. This could be for a variety of reasons. Often, it’s because builders don’t always cost for wastage and theft or damage on site. Then there are overheads and inflation… all these things add up – as do material prices which have seen a huge spike in recent months. So don’t be put off if the price comes in more expensive – the software is doing its job (certainly that’s the case with EstimatorXpress). It’s more likely an accurate reflection of the project – and how much money you should be charging in order to return a decent profit…
6. Time-saving
Once you’re in the swing of things, your estimating software should start delivering you some significant time savings. And with automation built in, such as whole pre-loaded project templates like in EstimatorXpress, you’ll start estimating much more quickly.
And don’t forget the downstream benefits. The estimate is the start. Does it also produce the quote automatically for your client? Do you get automatic schedules of materials, plant and subcontract for free? Does it calculate a Gantt chart (build program) for you? Do you get profit forecasts?
What if your estimating software integrated with other software tools for automatic outputs? I’m thinking of health and safety documents automatically produced from your estimate. Or legal
contracts for customers automatically produced from your estimate. Or accounting software. EstimatorXpress links with our other software tools to do just that. And in the case of our PlansXpress software, you draw first, then drop the building plans into EstimatorXpress for an automatic costing. So, look at the bigger time-saving picture.
7. Reputation
Software firms and apps come and go. It takes time and hard graft to run a software company – I know! HBXL has been helping building firms for well over 20 years, so do your research. Has your supplier been around for a while or are they a relative newbie without a UK client base? What do their customers say on Trust Pilot? On Facebook? Any industry accolades or partnerships which cement their position? What’s their status in the market? Do they offer advice and assistance to builders generally, keeping you in touch with the market and changes that will impact your business?
8. Future-proofing
A good software house will have an active development team, devoted to keeping on top of the technology and changes in construction techniques. Are they thinking about the future? Are they thinking about YOUR future? Ways to help you? Do they bug fix? Are there regular updates?
9. Cost of software
Is it value for money? And by value I don’t mean cheap. Buying cheap tools or cheap paint often equals a substandard job. And the same can be said for software. On the other hand it doesn’t have to be super expensive…but as so often in this life, you get what you pay for. Value also means does it save me time and money? Is it making my life easier?
Today you generally have the choice of having the software on subscription or paying outright to own the software, alongside maintenance contracts. HBXL offer both, recognising that different companies have different purchase requirements.
10. Software support
Do they offer phone support? Or is it email only? How quickly will your technical queries be dealt with? Are you limited to a certain number of enquiries a month? Can they remotely log into your computer to solve an issue? Check their support policy on their website. Do they even have one? Many software companies don’t. What other forms of support do they offer – videos, webinars, workshops, software training courses?
You can put the EstimatorXpress to the test during a free 14- day trial – download it instantly from the HBXL website here.
