Construction work is the kind of hands-on work that seems to be immune to tech intrusion. It is purely mechanical. It is drills and saws and wrenches and screws. It is where the rubber meets the road and where the hammer meets the nail. It is all down to the nuts and bolts of human ingenuity. And that ingenuity finds expression beneath hard hats and on the surface of callused hands. The greatest use of technology on the typical construction site is the electricity used to power the tools.
It doesn’t have to be that way. There is plenty of room for digital aids in the mechanical field. We’re not talking about replacing construction workers with robots. Although, one can imagine a scenario where robots are deployed for some of the most laborious work and greatly reduce lifelong injuries that plague laborers.
One deployment of technology could be as simple as using downtime to utilize architecture colleges online. That way, you can do what you love for as long as you can while advancing your education so that you can advance to the next career level. If you want to stay even closer to the work, you could get a degree in something like construction management. Since most construction workers stay on-site for their breaks, a well-equipped tablet with cellular service can be the key to advancement. Here are some other ways technology can make all the difference in your construction business:
Read Reviews
When you know the keys to how people choose a roofing contractor, you gain insight on improvements you need to make in your own business. By studying reviews of contractors from people all over the world, you will see a pattern of common mistakes others make, and that you can fix before they become problems for your business.
Technology has made this type of research trivially easy. You are not just limited to reviews in your local market. But if you want to keep tabs on your immediate competition, you can see exactly what it is they are doing wrong, or doing right. Additionally, you can see reviews from your own customers. This is crucial because reviews can have a huge impact on your business. If you don’t know about the negative reviews that are impacting your business, you can’t respond to them and make the necessary corrections. Review sites are among the most valuable detail aids for your analog business.
A Cellular Smartwatch
The Apple Watch is the #1 smartwatch in the world. One of the marketing messages for the watch that has been born out in the news is that it saves lives. It has a plethora of sensors and safety features that have a real impact. Every few days, there is a new story about how the Apple Watch saved someone’s life. The reason is that the watch is set up to call emergency services for you when it detects that you have fallen or are in medical distress.
Occasions of falling and medical distress are relatively common on construction sites. A construction site is one of the most dangerous workplaces in the world. You need some way to call for help when your other devices are safely tucked away. It doesn’t have to be an Apple Watch. It can be any smartwatch with the right sensors and network. On a construction site, it is not about tracking heart rate or steps. It is about getting a first responder to you quickly when the unthinkable occurs. The right smartwatch can do that for you.
Communication
It can be hard to reach your customers while you are at a construction site. You need a way to do that so you don’t have to leave the site to make a call. One of the best ways to do that is via text. That way, communication is not garbled or misinterpreted due to noise. When you do have to make a call, a smartphone makes it easy to do video calls using the front or rear camera. That means you can show as well as tell. Better communication is one of the keys to greater customer satisfaction.
The construction business will remain an analog business for the foreseeable future. But it can get a boost from digital devices that help with keeping up with reviews, dispatching first-responders, and facilitating better communication with clients.
