Introduce digital solutions early and enjoy the benefits of streamlined processes and flexibility to scale at a sustainable rate

Investing in digital solutions can seem overwhelming at first. Common concerns include the cost of the technology, implementation timeframe, lack of time and resources to undertake such an endeavor, and much more. However, introducing digital tools into daily operations has many benefits, especially for small construction businesses. 

Whether you’re in the early stages of your construction business or have remained a small business for many years and are looking to expand, digital tools allow organizations to take on more work without adding additional personnel, gain visibility into daily operations, even from remote locations, streamline communication and collaboration, prioritize workplace safety, and much more.

As we observe construction safety week and small business month, check out these three ways you can streamline your small construction business with digital solutions to prioritize safety, collaboration, and much more!

Streamline Collaboration and Communication

It’s no secret that office and field teams encounter many challenges when it comes to providing information in a timely manner to one another. The most common reason for this hurdle is simply that teammates are in separate locations from one another. Construction teams have to collaborate, as there is a lot of information being captured on a daily basis – everything ranging from daily field reports to simple health checks on-site. The easiest way to overcome this challenge is by incorporating a digital form solution into your construction business that allows you to utilize your existing forms, which helps streamline adoption and implementation. 

Digitizing your construction forms not only removes the hassle of messy paperwork from your site but once a form is completed, it can be automatically routed to a corresponding teammate, eliminating the need for manual form delivery. That means subcontractor timesheets, hot work permits, OSHA-specific documentation, and any other construction documents you may have in your business, can be filled out and completed, regardless of the location, and be accessible in real-time for review – streamlining collaboration and communication within your business. 

Remote Visibility Through Digital Data Collection

Introducing digital data collection to your job sites means your construction business can have remote visibility to crucial information. Having visibility into job sites allows construction companies the opportunity to track and monitor how superintendents are running their job sites concurrently. This can be extremely beneficial for teams who are looking to prioritize workplace safety.

For example, suppose you’re a safety manager overseeing multiple site superintendents after launching a new safety program. You can use barcodes equipped with online forms on equipment to track how construction workers are utilizing the equipment across different sites. This capability removes the need to travel from site to site and in turn saves you and your team a considerable amount of time. 

A prime example of how a construction company overcame remote challenges by incorporating digital data collection is The Noel Company. By incorporating a digital tool, they achieved remote visibility, immense time savings, recovered lost revenue, and streamlined processes. 

Eradicate Safety Hazards Through Reporting

Workplace safety is one of the most pressing topics in the construction world, especially after the rise of OSHA fines in January 2023. In order to prioritize safety, digital reporting can significantly help garner actionable insights to help identify and prevent potential safety concerns. Rather than waiting for an injury or accident to take place, create a standard operating procedure to track how and when employees are using site equipment. Data collected can be the difference between preventing another injury down the road or identifying when injuries take place in your business.

Robert Henry Corporation takes pride in prioritizing the health and safety of their employees. They leverage powerful reporting tools to help them identify incidents at the workplace in real-time and how to address them as they come up. In turn, they also improved data quality, incident reporting, and saved time.

Invest in Technology

It’s never too late to start your digital transformation journey and it doesn’t have to be intimidating either. Even the smallest jump to using digital forms can significantly help your small construction company streamline processes and enhance workplace safety.

About GoFormz

GoFormz is a digital form and data collection platform that helps bring captured form data into a single, actionable place. We believe everyone should be able to fill out forms online and deliver products and services that redefine how people and businesses collect and process information. Whether it’s digitizing an employee evaluation template or OSHA-specific documentation, GoFormz is your one-stop shop to modernize data capture and enhance processes. Our no-code Template Editor makes it quick and easy to build your digital forms and start capturing secure, complete, and accurate data. Begin your digital transformation with customizable, accessible digital and mobile forms to help you collect data without the messy paperwork.