Choosing a Contractor CRM – A Buyer’s Guide

Abhishek A Agrawal
December 25, 2020

If you’re on this article, it’s safe to assume that you are thinking about a CRM tool for your business.
You have been thinking a lot!
You want to know what to look for, where to look for, and above all, should you even look for a CRM?
The construction industry isn’t so new to software and technology. Some of your friends in the business would have suggested using ‘ERP’ tools instead.
So, do you find yourself in a dilemma?
ERP or CRM? Which one to choose?
We’ll get there but let us first tell you about this really passionate ambitious contractor who once lived in Germany.
He hailed from a small German village, and he only had one dream: Build the perfect house.
He started out just like any other builder. He soon realized he didn’t have all the skill sets needed. So, he hired a bunch of people. In the beginning, they didn’t like each other much. Those who got the bricks didn’t like those who got the wood. Our contractor decided he would manage them well, and he believed that a sense of deep internal harmony was a must to successfully finish the project. He focused on internal harmony and together they made something so beautiful. SO beautiful!
He was motivated and he enjoyed making something this “concrete”. (Yeah, we’re gonna do these wordplays more)
He told himself, “We could make a house, then why not a whole castle?”
He got even better guys for this job and paid them regularly, bought material regularly, and today that castle is…nowhere. He ran out of money, he didn’t have external funds, he never reached out to any landlords or kings to buy this castle from him. He ran out of money. And that’s the end of our story.
Not a great ending! But, did you know a lot of construction projects end up like that?
To be precise, a whopping 52% of projects are just left midway because of no money!
Well, you may feel bad for the poor German contractor but realistically you know that’s not how contractors would go!
Sure, you want to make something beautiful, you get your internal processes aligned, but you need some fuel to keep the engine going.
This fuel is “SALES”.
That’s what makes the biggest difference between your ERP tools and your CRM tools. Let us define the concepts now.
ERP or an Enterprise Resource Planning Tool helps you plan your business from its very core. All the internal processes like accounting, product development, logistics, admin, etc can effectively be organized, managed, and harmonized using a good ERP tool.
So, let us put an ERP tool in the construction business now.

You need a tool, which brings harmony and order to your business. You want to perfect each department of your company.

Every business needs something that will help it use its resources to the fullest. ERPs do that!
However, is the inward focus enough?

In the construction business, clients are resources too. They are the ultimate deal makers or breakers. You need something that helps you manage and nurture your clients, in fact, why just clients, every lead and inquiry you get can be a client too. You need only treat it right!

Unfortunately, ERP tools don’t let you do that. This is why you need a CRM tool.

 

Why Do Contractors Need CRM?

The simple answer will be: Because construction people want to be more “constructive”. (True!)
A CRM or a Customer Relationship Management tool believes your consumers are a part of your corporate family too.
So, if you want the family to prosper, you’ll pay attention to your clients as well.
A CRM will help you nurture your leads as well as grow your relationship with clients.
You already know how that helps your business.
Let’s say you have this mega-construction project going on. You are in charge of constructing the best mall anyone has ever seen. It’s ambitious and expensive. So, you need to close your deals before the work finishes. If no one buys the shops inside that mall, you bear the cost.
You need the mall booked way before you even reach midway. How can that be done?

  • By telling people about your upcoming projects
  • By keeping in touch with them
  • By answering their queries
  • By setting up a system that helps you track how the queries are being solved
  • Actually, make that “a system that lets you track everything”. You need to know about your payments, clients, sales reps, and more.
  • Doing all this and not wasting too much time because you have so much work to do!

You need a system that lets you do it all, and so you need a contractor CRM.
What to look for when choosing a Contractor CRM?
You don’t want to settle for just another CRM, trust us! You want something made for you, a contractor CRM tool!
Why?
Because here’s what you get when you go for something that’s tailor-made for you!

  • Ease Of Use
    While some of your people may come from places that have used an ERP before, it doesn’t hurt to invest in easily comprehensible tools.You want something that works and gives results but also does not need a lot of work.
    So, while looking for a CRM tool, you want to give your people something that is easy, so they can use their efforts and time on constructive jobs.
  • Budget-Friendly
    Naturally, there is a lot of expenditure involved in your business. The last thing you need is your CRM burning a hole in your pocket.
  • Flexibility And Customizability
    We’ll tell you why you need flexible machinery.A lot of your customers would choose to go for the installment model. A lot of them would give you some amount but not the whole of it, and all this is understandable but it will complicate your revenue collection.So, you don’t want to tell your customer “No boss, do it my way”, you want to help them.

    So, a flexible CRM will let you do that with the option of customizability. With customization, you will be able to cater to each of your clients’ unique needs.

    You will be able to navigate and track everything from the EMIs to home loan requests. Just the kind of bandwidth you personally give to your clients, and so you CRM should too!

  • Mobility
    They say a construction worker never puts their helmet down. You know why!Because they do not have a desk office, the muddy ground surrounded by trucks and drills is their office. That is naturally a bad environment for heavy computers, but luckily, you can get your business management tools over the phone if you choose a CRM meant for the construction industry.
  • Project Management Features
    Okay, everything above is not THIS IMPORTANT, we are just going to say it out front!You need project management like a desert needs rain.Each one of your projects is, well, a new “project” with unique requirements, new clients, new fundings, new deadlines, new workers, and new EVERYTHING!

    So, how do you go around treating everything like the last project? You don’t! You need something that will let you treat everything you do ambitiously with the utmost detail. So, you need a CRM tool, which can give you at least multiple pipelines so that you diversify each project.

  • Customer Support
    CRM tools may have a lot of things for you, but is that any good if they don’t offer you some extra benefits with a little more help!You need someone to fall back upon, to make sense of your data when you can’t. For that, you need a reliable customer support team at your vendor’s.They should be able to train your reps, to technically sort you out, and help you throughout your journey with the CRM, because that’s what good CRM vendors do.

So, if you have got your eyes on something like this, it’s a decent CRM system. However, excellent tools don’t just offer you 5 things, right?
Something made for the construction business would be multi-purpose.
It would sort your sales and your marketing as well. It would give your projects the right management and your leads as well.
Keeping in mind every brick of a detail that goes into the construction business, we made CompanyHub’s Contractor CRM.

 

Here’s why it may be the right choice for your business.

  • Centralized Database
    What would you say is your real strength? Would say your real strength as a business owner, your strength lies in all the people you have earned over the years.Don’t let them slip!Keep all your leads and clients on a central dashboard with 360° view.

    A design so effortless you will only need to hover your cursor over the screen and more details over the selected contact pops up.

  • Lead Management And Filters
    Just having a centralized database isn’t enough, you should be able to use it to your advantage. That can happen if you classify your leads appropriately.For instance, you could make a separate filter on “loan status”. Those who have bought the property with a loan fall in one category and those who have bought it without the help of a loan fall in another.Now, the kind of content you market to both the categories would differ significantly.

    You could send “EMI date” reminders and tips on how clear off your debts faster. These will be highly appreciated by your readers who have a loan on them.

    Had you not made sections within your leads, you would give everyone the same help, regardless of what they really need.

    That’s not a great help or method to keep people happy. You need happy leads and happier clients to make your conversion rates soaring high.

  • Project Management
    If your sales reps change, where does that leave your project? Ground zero? No!With smart contractor CRMs, the whole department stays on the same page.CompanyHub gives you the option of adding tasks and notes to every lead based on your calls and mails with them.

    So, even if someone leaves in the middle, the next person who takes over would understand where to pick up from.

    Moreover, you get multiple pipelines to give each project a unique representation. These pipelines are heavily customizable and smooth to operate.

    Just drag and drop, and CompanyHub will take care of the rest.

  • Reminders And Notifications
    Of course, you need a schedule planner. If a day goes by when you have no client meetings, you probably feel weird. You are daily running between multiple sites and multiple clients.Missing a single opportunity would become a huge loss.Keep reps and clients on schedule with reminders.

    Why just that?

    People have fleeting memories, they forget a lot more than meetings.

    So, help them be on time with payments, EMIs, and more. Send out automated smart reminders.

    Also, the people who have invested in your projects much before you even started, they need to know real-time updates. Set reminders for yourself too.

  • In-Built Calendar
    How do your customers usually book appointments?Leads call your reception, where the front desk opens a heavy register, looks up the free slots, and discusses your availability. What if the slot you gave them is preoccupied!You wouldn’t know that because you have been doing manual scheduling.

    Let our Contractor CRM system help you avoid errors.

    When you send them a mail via CompanyHub, they can make single-click bookings and see available slots right in the mail. Every time someone books a slot, we’ll send you a notification too.

    Everything automated, no hassles!

  • Integration
    Have you been using certain payment tools? Great!We can accommodate all sorts of integrations. Of course, a contractor would need a Contract Management Software. Every tool in your arsenal has a home now.With CompanyHub, they will all be united with seamless processes made to boost your revenues.
  • Email Automation
    You could use an email marketing strategy for a whole lot of things. Send bulk yet creative personalized mails using CompanyHub and let your people know you remember them.You could also use automated mails for every time a lead moves further down your sales funnel. From payment receipts to new project related brochures, “cement” your authenticity via mails.
  • Text Messages
    We know some people just delete a mail even before they read it, but what if you have an exciting property round the block!So, don’t wait. Send bulk SMS too.
  • Reporting
    You want to keep the funds coming in so you will need a plan. That’s a job, right!But, with CompanyHub, you’ll know where to start. Our sharp reports will help you view your sales, team members’ performances, monthly revenue, bounce points of the funnel, and much more.Plus, you also get to see how your existing marketing ideas have been doing.

    You can track how many people open your mail, click on your link, inquire about your projects.
    All this data can either appropriate your pre-existing marketing strategies or help you make a better plan.

  • Quotes And Invoices
    This is pretty crucial, you should be able to send invoices, generate quotes, track their status, and send confirmation using a single tool.Luckily, CompanyHub’s contractor CRM helps you do that.

Just a click and out beautiful personalized templates will help you save a lot of time.
That’s not all. We are 24×7 just a call away, shall you encounter any problem while exploring these features.
You don’t have to decide right now. Why not try for two weeks?
Free Trial.
Try Now.

Summary

The right Contractor CRM will not just help you manage your business functions like ERP tools do, but it will also drive in more sales.
While looking for a contractor CRM, you should look for something that is highly flexible, simple, and sharp.

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