How Contractors Reduce Paperwork

Start by listing every piece of paper in your business process. Estimates, contracts, work orders, purchase orders, daily logs, inspection reports, invoices, and receipts. Which ones consume the most time? Which ones cause the most problems?

Focus your digitization efforts on the biggest pain points first. Usually, estimates and invoices deliver the highest return on going digital.

Digital estimates and invoices are faster to create, easier to send, and simpler to track. Templates pre-fill common information, and digital delivery means customers receive documents instantly.

The time savings are dramatic. What used to take an hour with paper can take ten minutes digitally. Multiply that by twenty estimates a month and you have saved an entire workday.

Instead of writing notes on paper and then entering them into a system later, capture information digitally from the start. Use your phone for daily logs, time tracking, and photo documentation.

Capturing data at the source eliminates double entry, reduces errors, and saves significant time.

If you create the same type of document regularly, it should be a template. Estimate templates, contract templates, work order templates, and email templates save time and ensure consistency.

Templates also reduce errors because the standard information is already correct. You only need to fill in the job-specific details.

Cloud storage means your documents are accessible from anywhere - the office, the job site, or your kitchen table at 9 PM. No more driving to the office to look up a contract or calling the office to have someone find an estimate.

Cloud storage also provides automatic backup, search capability, and the ability to share documents with your team instantly.