How To Choose the Best Construction CRM for Your Subcontractor Business

At first, it seems like something you can manage yourself. Taking a few minutes to do some paperwork or data entry doesn’t seem like a big deal. But over time, it adds up. Sales professionals can spend up to 65% of their time on non-revenue-generating activities like administrative tasks and data entry, leading to missed opportunities and inefficiencies. A robust customer relationship management (CRM) software helps address these challenges by streamlining operations, enhancing customer relationships, and boosting overall productivity.

With numerous CRM options available, it is essential to select one that caters specifically to the unique needs of the construction industry. In this guide, we will explore the different types of CRMs, the benefits of using a construction-specific CRM, key features to look for, and how to evaluate your options to find the best construction CRM software for your subcontractor business.

Understanding Sales CRM Software

CRM software manages a company’s interactions with current and potential customers. For subcontractor businesses within the construction industry, a CRM system can significantly streamline business development and sales processes, enhance project tracking and facilitate better communication and visibility. By centralizing customer data, automating routine tasks, and providing valuable insights, a CRM helps businesses operate more efficiently and effectively. Customer relationship management is a complicated process with numerous factors at play—so it stands to reason that there are numerous types of CRM management software available.

Types of Sales CRM Software

It’s helpful to understand the four basic types of CRM software before getting into the specifics of CRM for construction. Each of these reflects a facet of customer relationship management that is important in the sales process. Additionally, integrating CRM with construction management software can significantly improve business operations and sales in the construction industry.

Operational CRM

Focuses on automating sales, marketing, and service processes to improve efficiency and consistency in sales management. Designed primarily for a sales team, operational CRM software helps you generate quotes and manage leads and contacts to give you information on potential clients. For example, when you’re talking to a general contractor, an operational CRM puts all the data you need at your fingertips to give them an accurate quote through a mobile device. This allows you to map out your workload for the job, should they be interested. An operational CRM allows you to give accurate and prompt responses to potential customers. Examples include Agile CRM, Accelo, and HubSpot.

Analytical CRM

Concentrates on analyzing customer data to enhance decision-making and strategy development for business development. Analytical CRM software comes in a few forms, from descriptive to predictive to prescriptive. This type of software takes large data sets and helps you make the best decisions for your business. It’s especially helpful for analyzing sales traffic, sales activities, and performance when working with contractors and project owners. Examples of analytical CRM software tools include HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, Zoho Analytics, and Freshwork Neo.

Collaborative CRM

Emphasizes improving communication and collaboration with customers and within the company. Key characteristics include centralized data, workflow automation, and real-time visibility. Collaborative CRM software, along with project management tools, can seamlessly communicate with customers and co-workers, making it an integral tool for large projects. It integrates with mobile apps, messaging tools, file sharing, calendar task management, and to-do lists. Everything talks to everything else—so you don’t miss anything. Examples include Salesforce, SAP Business One, and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Construction-Specific CRM

Designed to address the unique needs of construction companies, including subcontractors. While you can use any general CRM in the construction industry, you’ll spend a lot of time sorting through features and data that you don’t need as a subcontractor. Software solutions like TopBuilder combine analytical, collaborative, and construction-specific CRM tools for the best functionality in the industry.

Why Choose CRM Software Built Specifically for the Construction Industry?

Subcontractor businesses have unique requirements that general CRMs often cannot fully address. There are three primary reasons why a construction-specific CRM is typically a better choice for managing construction projects.

First, general CRM solutions lack bid management features. The bidding process in the construction industry is distinct; you need tools designed for managing and tracking these bids, ensuring you can efficiently handle multiple projects and clients.

Second, construction professionals need a way to accurately document and track regulatory compliance. Unless you want to program in regulations and codes yourself, you need a CRM equipped to handle industry-specific data and compliance requirements. Mistakes here can cost you in the future.

Finally, construction is one of the few industries where clients, other contractors, and crews need seamless and frequent communication on a long-term, but not permanent basis. You don’t work with the same client for 20 years, but building an apartment complex is much more involved than selling a car. CRMs facilitate better communication between teams and clients, ensuring everyone stays informed and aligned.

Key Features in Construction CRM Software for Project Management

Subcontracting is a unique blend of highly skilled work, project management, and customer relations. While general CRM software options cover some of these aspects, software designed specifically for the construction industry contains essential features like:

• Bid management: Tools for efficiently creating, managing, and tracking project bids.Document management: Intuitive storage and retrieval of important documents, ensuring quick access to critical information.
• Integration: Compatibility with other tools and systems commonly used in the construction industry, such as project management software and accounting systems.
• Mobile accessibility: Field workers can access CRM data and features on the go, enabling them to stay connected and informed.
• Custom reporting and dashboards: Tailored insights and performance metrics to help you make informed decisions and track progress.
• Robust project management features: Ideal for overseeing full construction or remodeling projects, with unique finance tools for job costing and expense tracking to ensure profitability and maintain up-to-date accounting records.

Steps To Evaluate Your CRM Options

Choosing the right CRM can be tricky. You need to balance cost, usability, and reliability. Let’s walk through some steps to help you evaluate different CRM solutions:

1. Identify Needs: Assess your specific business needs and challenges to determine what features are most important.
2. Research Options: Look into various CRM providers, focusing on those that specialize in construction and offer robust sales pipeline management.
3. Demo and Trial: Request demonstrations and take advantage of free trials to test usability and features.
4. Consider Scalability: Ensure the CRM can grow with your business, accommodating more users and additional features as needed.
5. Check Support and Training: Evaluate the support and training provided by the CRM vendor to ensure you can maximize the software’s potential.

Why TopBuilder’s Construction CRM Is the Best Fit

TopBuilder is a CRM designed specifically for the construction industry, offering a suite of tools tailored to subcontractors’ needs. TopBuilder’s comprehensive bid management tools allow you to efficiently manage and track bids, ensuring you can handle multiple projects and clients with ease. TopBuilder also integrates with other major construction tools, providing a unified system for your business. This means that you can have access to project management features found in Procore, the ability to capture leads from Zillow, and use atlasRTX to improve your customer experience.

TopBuilder’s easy-to-use interface and mobile accessibility ensure your team can stay connected and productive, whether in the office or the field. The analytical tools provide tailored insights and performance metrics to help you make informed decisions and track your business’ progress. These features are important, but TopBuilder’s track record of success shows how much tools like this impact a business.

John Leggett, president of On-Point Custom Homes, avoids wasted investments and missed sales opportunities with TopBuilder. Before TopBuilder, Drew Robbins, VP of Operations for Jayhawk Fire Sprinklers, struggled with bid tracking and didn’t know where his team should focus their attention. Now, they both can see which bids they’re most likely to win, which customers pay on time, and which types of projects they’ve worked on before, increasing their chances of winning the most profitable jobs.

Choosing the best sales CRM for your subcontractor business is a crucial decision that can significantly impact efficiency and success. You can ensure your business operates smoothly and effectively by carefully evaluating your options and selecting a construction-specific CRM. 

Ready to explore how TopBuilder can benefit your subcontractor business?

Request a demo or trial today to see our powerful features in action.