When looking for new construction estimating software, what is at the top of your list? One unified platform that replaces multiple tools, comparison reporting, unlimited sorting..? Likely, you haven’t thought about what type of support the software vendor supplies…yet.
We offer a lot of advice when it comes to how you should evaluate new software; however, we’re a little biased, so we turned to Softwareadvice.com. According to the article, “The Ultimate Software Vendor Evaluation Guide,” the golden rules of software evaluation are:
Features and functionality
What does the software do and what problems does it solve?
Price
This includes the pricing structure—if the software is subscription-based or offers licenses and the pricing levels. Does the software offer a budget, limited features option to full-featured enterprise level?
Additional costs
Does the software include training and support, or will there be additional costs for these things? Softwareadvice.com writes, “In a perfect world, you’d be able to download a piece of software, hit the “install” button, and move on with your day—but the software gods are rarely so merciful.”
Training and support are two aspects of software evaluation we feel are just as important as the reasons why you’re looking for new software in the first place and should not be ignored.
Sure, in the Google age, it’s easy to forget that a great software support team is important. Many decide to search for a how-to video or guide on how to learn new software or try and figure out a solution themselves when an issue arises. Though these tactics can be helpful in certain situations, in the world of preconstruction, you may not always have the time to spend trying to understand why your reports are crashing.
That is why having a dedicated support team for our clients is imperative. Beck Technology is one of the few vendors that offer a real-live, in-house support team instead of a PDF guide or an outsourced agency.
Why does having an in-house support team (included in your cost of the software) make such a difference? Here are three reasons why it is
As mentioned above, one thing that estimators rarely have enough of is time. Hours can become precious when a project owner hits you with last-minute requests just as you’re trying to get the project out the door. Our support team knows this, and Our support team knows this, and they do their best to prioritize your deadline as their own. They know DESTINI Estimator like the back of their hand, so a problem that might have taken you hours to sort out will often only take them minutes.
Beck Technology maintains a client community, led by our support team, where clients can go and submit support requests, read answers to commonly asked questions and other how-to guides, and interact with their peers. Some of the answers to our most challenging estimating obstacles have come about from peer discussions on our community page.
Additionally, our support team is a way for clients to share not just a bug that they ran into, but also ideas about features to add to DESTINI Estimator in the next release, or how to make an already existing feature work even better.
Sounds a little silly, right? How does a dedicated support team help you stand out from other general contractors? Well, when that support team is helping you knock out bugs or implement new and exciting features, you’re going to be a pioneer of innovation. Not only that, but you’ll also have a lot more time on your hands to focus on the preconstruction work you want to be doing.