5 REASONS IT’S ESSENTIAL TO MAKE TIME FOR SOFTWARE-BASED ESTIMATING
Your time is valuable but investing time in getting to grips with building estimating software is time well used. Estimating with software brings massive benefits to your building business. It helps with accuracy, efficiency and profitability!
Or let’s look at it this way – without estimating digitally, you’re likely to lose customers to your competitors who…
are quoting more quickly
providing more detailed quotations
can quote a figure which looks high but wins the work
have a more professional appearance
can provide the client with lots of project detail from day one
In all likelihood those competitors are using software to produce their estimates – probably EstimatorXpress if they’re wanting a product designed specifically for the UK market. We’re the longest-standing software company for small to medium sized builders in the UK.
Take the plunge with HBXL and you’ll be whizzing through your estimating in no time, using intelligent estimate templates – or if you’d rather – the tracing tool for automatic take-offs.
1. QUICK TURNAROUND ON QUOTE REQUESTS
We admit you’ll need to give yourself a little time at the start to master our building estimating software. But it takes less time than you think to find your way around and you’ll soon be quoting for simple renovations in 30 minutes and small extensions in twice that time. Weigh the investment of time up against the consequences of returning quotes to the customer slowly. When you do that you risk a) a competitor beating you to it and b) giving a poor impression of your time management.
2. COMPREHENSIVE QUOTES WHICH WIN OVER THE CLIENT
The figures on the document are everything to the customer. They will scour the numbers time and again. The details are what wins you the work. One sheet of A4 says very little. The total means nothing in isolation. The more detail you give the customer, the more reassured they will be that the job costs are accurately estimated. You’ll show them that you’re open and that you do things properly. EstimatorXpress allows you to show as little or as much as you want on the quote.
3. CONFIDENCE TO QUOTE WHAT YOU’RE WORTH
The best customers will be happy to pay what the job is worth, if the costs are fully explained (see reason number two). It’s difficult for them to find fault with a comprehensive quote. Quote cheaply, in the hope of securing the work, and they’ll be concerned that you won’t do the job to a good standard or will up your costs later. To quote the FMB, “If the price is too nice, you’ll pay twice”. As an aside, if prospective clients keep telling you ‘you’re too expensive’, don’t take it on face value. Research has found that people often use this excuse this as an easy way to put you off. EstimatorXpress calculates every tub of screws and tube of sealant, plus your overheads, wastage, wear and tear… These are the true costs of the job. Why offer thousands of the price of the job, only to subsidise the work yourself? EstimatorXpress helps thousands of builders to be confident about their prices.
4. PROJECT PROFESSIONALISM
Homeowners are won over by professionalism as well as price. Clients who are looking for a quality finish – the clients whose projects are profitable for you – are looking for a professional firm. The quotation, produced automatically by EstimatorXpress, says it all. It provides you with a smart, customisable covering letter along with a breakdown of costs by build phases. In addition, it gives you a cost summary and assumptions and provisions, as required.
5. IMPRESS WITH DETAIL
When the prices quoted by two or more building firms are close, you need something extra to convince the client that you’re the best choice. Alongside the estimate and customer quotation, EstimatorXpress automatically produces a portfolio of reports, including a Gantt Chart build programme. Giving the client an idea of time frames for each stage of the build could be the determining factor. You don’t need to tell them that the build programme was automatically produced – let them imagine you spent hours putting the chart together!
NEXT STEPS
There are a hundred more reasons why you want EstimatorXpress in your toolkit. Get in touch on 0117 916 7898 and we can discuss which version is best for your business. Or download a free 14-day trial of EstimatorXpress (no credit card details required). Better still, let us give you a demonstration of the software first. Now’s the time to get ahead of your competitors and build your future with HBXL.