3 Ways Technology Helps Combat Material and Labor Shortages

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter. 

Save on manpower by obtaining powerful tech that helps you work smarter. 

Roofing contractors are still adapting to the challenges of 2020 as they enter 2022, facing material shortages, price increases and lack of labor (not to mention an ongoing pandemic). Luckily, the roofing industry is always striving towards improving the efficiency of jobs and increasing sustainability. Here are three ways to leverage technology to combat material and labor shortages.  

1 - Drone-based aerial intelligence technology 

Aerial view and imaging have already started to revolutionize the roofing industry, providing measurable models and maps and making estimates for contractors easy. Drone technology is an incredibly innovative and easy-to-use application that commercial and residential roofers alike should take advantage of. From documenting damage to making aerial measurement updates, drone-based aerial intelligence is a fantastic way to significantly reduce inspection cost and time. 

Drones with 4K UHD cameras allow roofing inspectors and your team to capture detailed images and videos of roofing damage, as well as identify any kind of hazards or unique structural features that production crews should be aware of. Companies like Imagine Technologies Group are using Photogrammetry to give better views of projects for better insights and decisions, to make jobsites safer and more efficient.

Your roofing teams are also able to share your roofing drone footage with customers and provide them with visual examples of the work that is needed.  

2 - Going mobile 

Because roofing contractors are always on the go, staying flexible and increasing their profitability means they need 24/7 access to the functionality and information that enables them to work smarter and faster in today's competitive environment. Mobile payment processing and automated order workflows allow contractors to maximize productivity, order materials with confidence and stay ahead of the competition. Mobile billing and ordering solutions can help you skip a trip to the post office and pay for materials on the go.  

Mobile roofing CRMs, like Jobba, allow you to handle all aspects of your business without having to switch between platforms. Your roofing team can easily manage customers and leads, access aerial measurements, handle billing details and more — all in one location. 

Obviously, correct labor and material costs are important, but a huge factor that will determine prices is obtaining correct measurements. With long lead times, the last thing you want is to redo an estimate or reorder materials because you didn’t have the most current pricing information or measured incorrectly.  

Ordering or downloading recent aerial measurements makes the process of scaling the roof much easier and less chance of containing errors. Jobba works with applications like Google Maps so you can locate the commercial site or residential project you are working on and obtain measurements. 

3 - Streamline your processes 

An RCS article reports that “as the material shortages continue, it becomes increasingly clear that communication with a team, across departments and with the customer, is paramount to managing these historic shortages.” Weathering these material shortages and cost increases is all about communicating, that’s why you need a platform in your business toolkit that streamlines communication across the board. 

Jobba is designed to be an innovative, easy-to-use solution, to help meet the unique and ever-changing needs of the roofing world, even if it means material shortages and price increases. You and your team members can see job statuses, outstanding items and more – from anywhere, on any device, at any time. From step-by-step inspections to centralized job scheduling, Jobba integrates processes across departments, keeping everyone connected during every stage of a project.  

Conclusion 

Building a digital foundation is the key to having a profitable business in 2022 and beyond. A strong digital foundation helps you combat speedbumps to projects like material and labor shortages, helping you deliver a customer experience that is composed of technology to help you connect data, people, processes, fill unseen gaps, reduce project errors, and seamlessly flow data from one means to the next. Put extra power behind your business by working smarter and leveraging the available technology.  

Learn more about the Imagine Technologies Group in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directories or visit https://www.imaginetechnologiesgroup.com/.