Are you wasting time, money and effort maintaining a dysfunctional computer networking system in your construction company? If so here are five ways to reduce your labor costs and your frustration level:
#1 If you have a computer server in your office get rid of it!
The primary purpose for having a computer server in your office it to keep your financial records, client information and estimates safe in the event of disaster. Yet in most cases it will not work properly unless you can invest thousands of dollars to set it up and hire qualified staff to maintain it.
Many contractors have learned the "Hard Way" that having a computer server in their office that was supposed to keep all their financial records and client information safe was a good idea until disaster strikes in the form of flood, fire, burglary or the worst disaster of all a bad bookkeeper who decided to take revenge on them by destroying all of the financial records.
Having met with and worked with hundreds of bookkeepers working for contractors I can say with full confidence most of them sincerely believe contractors are greedy no good people who rip off homeowners and need to be dealt with harshly!
And yes there are a few, in my experience, less than 20% who really understand, support and appreciate the opportunity to work alongside their contractor bosses in serving the construction company clients. If you have one of these hold on to them! If not perhaps we can help. Please feel free to contact Sharie 206-361-3950 or sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com
Having been involved with the construction trade since the mid 1960's I know first-hand the opposite is true! The majority of contractors are men and women with of the highest integrity who answered the calling to be a part of the oldest and most respected industry in the universe. Everything began with The Creator, the first builder who built everything in seven days and He had a Son who was a carpenter. If you are involved in construction, regardless of your personal beliefs, just know you have my sincere thanks and deep respect for what you do to advance civilization and the betterment of everyone!
Regarding catastrophes, fire, flood or other problems it is understood that insurance can help put your cars, trucks and offices back together but not the financial records you need to stay in business.
You may have insurance for catastrophes such as fire, flood or other problems but it will restore the financial records you need to stay in business.
Your customers and clients are busy with their own lives and most of them need to be reminded about how much they owe you in order for you to get paid and maintain your cash flow. If your financial records are gone, so is your construction company.
True story of one of our clients who experienced a devastating loss
Remodel Contractor - Edmonds Washington
"On July 27, 2008, Sunday evening around 6:30 pm my girlfriend and I just got home from an overnight hiking trip.
When we arrived home we had discovered that we had been robbed. We immediately called 911.
As we walked through the house we discovered that our computer was gone along with many other valuables. The computer had all the company business on it.
QuickBooks, invoices, all the subcontractors’ info, and everything to keep the company books.
We were at a loss for what to do. But as luck would have it, we had Randal DeHart as our accountant. He had all our info on a back-up system somewhere in a huge server.
So we called Randal to let him know that we would get a new computer as soon as the insurance company paid us.
Randal called us the next day, July 28th, 2008 and told us to come to his office. To our surprise he had gone to Office Depot and purchased a new computer and loaded it with QuickBooks and restored all our business information.
We are so appreciative that Randal had our backs, so to speak. We had told him that we would pay him for the computer as so as possible. But you know what he said……….
“No thanks are necessary and that if we just Pay-It-Forward, that’s all he asked.”
How’s that for a Good Accountant?"
The key point is we outsource our server needs to an Intuit approved Commercial Hosting service that has premium quality servers in a highly secure facility with the absolute best network technicians on earth so that when disaster strikes we have a process in place to get you back up and running quickly!
#2 Save money by not upgrading to newer computers
With our outsourced contractors bookkeeping services all you need is computers that can have basic office programs and can access the internet. We eliminate the need to waste time and money buying new computers, setting the up, downloading updates, and reinstalling your software. Everything you need is accessible online 24/7.
#3 Dual computer monitors for you and your office staff
One of the investments I do recommend is dual monitors. In every case where I have been able to convince a contractor to invest in dual computer monitors for themselves and their office staff the same thing always happens; they wonder why they waited so long! Having space to work on multiple programs at the same time without having to switch back and forth saves so much time and money that in most cases the investment is paid back within six months. For more on this please read What Ten Minutes Of Waste Is Costing Your Company. Where else can you get 200% return on investment in one year and continue earning dividends for years to come?
#4 High speed scanner that for storing documents digitally
If you have filing cabinets full of documents scan them into an offsite web based storage vault for fast easy retrieval and them empty the contents into file boxes like the ones shown below and move them into storage. 
The time and money saved from being able to access any of your documents 24/7 online and in most cases faster than you dig through a filing cabinet or collection of bags and boxes of paper can add another competitive advantage to your construction company and more dollars to your bottom line.
We have a contract with a premier online storage service that allows us to offer clients access to their own private online paperless vault in order to store, retrieve, print and email directly from their vault all kinds of documents and pictures of their projects.
In addition, we offer outsourced contractor bookkeeping services programs that link most of the transactions in your QuickBooks file to the exact document that was used to input it and you can access those documents 24/7 online.
#5 Wireless keyboards and mice
The little leaks sink the big ship because they are ignored until it is too late. The opposite is true as when you embrace the habit of Constant And Never Ending Improvement (CANEI) also known as Business Process Improvement (BPM).
Most keyboards and mice with wires that are attached to the computer do not have the time and money saving shortcuts built in called "Hot Keys" for opening email programs, Excel, Word documents with one-button that wireless keyboards and mice have.
For what it is worth we have found the Logitech Brand of keyboards and mice to be the most reliable and have help increased our efficiency more than 5%. That does not sound like much until you think about how much you spend in fully burdened payroll.
For example if your fully burdened payroll costs for a part time bookkeeper earning $15.00 an hour is actually costing your construction company $25.29 an hour multiplied by 10 hours a week that comes to $13,148.70 a year.
For example if your staff increased production by a mere 5% the savings would be $657.44 a year. Now let's say you paid full retail of $100.00 on a Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710, (this is the most popular model in our office) it would pay for itself in less than 60 days and your return on investment would be roughly 550% in the first year and 660% each following year.
You are in a highly competitive business where most contractors think the road to success is paved with hard work, high quality and satisfied customers and clients and that is the bottom half of the answer or as I like to say "The Tangible Part of Owning and Operating A Highly Profitable Construction Company.
The top half of the answer is changing your thought patterns and learning how to embrace the habit of Constant And Never Ending Improvement (CANEI) also known as Business Process Improvement (BPM).
I hope you will consider and begin to use some or all of these five ways our contractors bookkeeping services reduces your computer costs to increase your bottom line profits.
You are a contractor, you have the right to become wealthy because you bring value to other people's lives and I sincerely thank you for all you do!
QuickBooks Expert Specializing In Construction Bookkeeping Services
About The Author:
Randal DeHart, PMP, QPA is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood Washington. He is the leading expert in outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services for small construction companies across the USA. He is experienced as a Contractor, Project Management Professional, Construction Accountant, Intuit ProAdvisor and QuickBooks For Contractors Expert. This combination of experience and skillsets provides a unique perspective which allows him to see the world through the eyes of a contractor, Project Manager, Accountant and construction accountant. This quadruple understanding is what sets him apart from other Intuit ProAdvisors and accountants to the benefit of all of the construction contractors he serves across the USA. Visit http://www.fasteasyaccounting.com/randal-dehart/ to learn more.
