4 Ways to Benefit from Apps

With the tap of a finger, construction business managers use mobile applications to maintain their businesses. Mobile applications can play a large role in the construction and maintenance industries, eliminating time-consuming paper processes and improving workflow and efficiency. A mobile platform can smoothly integrate into a company’s technology infrastructure and adapt as processes evolve. The following are four ways construction business owners and managers can benefit from implementing mobile apps designed for the industrial space.

Improve Workforce and PM Efficiency

Using mobile delivery applications, construction managers can improve efficiency and transparency of the entire construction project, from authorization and accountability to scheduling and monitoring. Construction projects consist of multiple authorization controls in order to progress. For example, during a road maintenance project, supervisors are able to provide real-time approvals when one layer is cured, allowing the next layer to be placed. They are also able to flag any complications that arise during the project.

Mobile delivery apps also help with supplier scheduling and management. For example, a ready-mix concrete company can use a mobile app in which the supplier can share a map interface with the customers and offer active management of service-level agreements.

During these processes, mobile applications replace manual, paper-based data entries, which can be cumbersome and time consuming. Paperwork takes days to process and can get lost in the shuffle. For even more measurable results, mobile provides transparency of activities so deadlines can be managed better. Integrating mobile apps into every process improves accuracy of project sequences, enhances workforce accountability and provides hard metrics upon completion of each service, which helps to improve the relationship between all parties involved in the construction project.

Ensure Safety Compliance

No doubt, construction is often a high-hazard industry. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction jobsites across the nation on any given day. The injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average among all industries, which makes training a big priority. Mobile platforms make it easier for construction managers to track completion of regular job-training sessions, improving worker safety and ensuring regulatory compliance. They also facilitate immediate reporting of all safety concerns and injuries. This ensures timely and proper management of such issues, further strengthening regulatory compliance.

Minimize Project Delays

Delays and rework in commercial construction projects can cost millions of dollars in lost revenue and negatively affect a construction company’s reputation. While most companies cannot predict the weather conditions or plan accurately for permit and licensing red tape, at least managers can organize and sync their operational activities via mobile delivery apps to optimize the schedule.

For example, they can manage distribution and delivery of inventory and materials in real time. A construction manager in charge of two different jobsites can allocate additional materials to Jobsite A in real time and receive electronic proof of delivery, all while monitoring the progress on Jobsite B.

The distribution and monitoring functionality allows managers to see projects through to completion and even review work when it is finished, while real-time job-status tracking and data collection help reduce delays and provide greater awareness of project goals.

Implement Cost-Effective Mobile Options

The process of incorporating a mobile application model is efficient, partly thanks to the high adoption rate of smartphones. Relevant apps can then be installed and accessed across all types of smartphones, including Apple, Samsung and LG. Contractors can gain access to relevant apps for the duration of the project and then be removed upon completion. Many mobile applications also provide a software-as-a-service version, which allows for a cost-effective monthly fee.

Construction has many moving parts, and mobile delivery applications help place management information into one operational view. The rise of smartphone use and availability of comprehensive end-to-end mobile applications for the industrial space have opened up new possibilities for the industry. For managers, using mobile delivery apps makes their lives easier from the beginning of a project to job completion.