Some 100,000 roofing companies in the United States employ over a half million people who work directly on installing roofs. So, there is never a lack of interest from those companies in how they can increase their employees’ productivity. And higher productivity means higher profitability.
In seeking out ways to improve productivity per roof and at the best cost, identify and evaluate industry factors. One factor is efficient scheduling. Using software to schedule your crews helps keep jobs moving more seamlessly and keeps you, the contractor, in the loop on what each crew is doing.
Morale, motivation, a worker’s capacity and site conditions all play vital roles in improving roofing productivity as well. Efforts in this realm typically focus on three areas:
There is little readily available data on productivity in the roofing industry specifically. But one survey conducted for roofing showed that 20 percent of companies believe planning is most essential to improve productivity and 13 percent chose communication, followed by 15 percent for scheduling and 11 percent for meeting schedule goals. Another 8 percent chose estimating. Weather and poor communication proved the most significant impediments to roofing productivity.
The survey concluded that roofing productivity is estimated by taking the number of work hours per day or week and dividing that number into the square footage completed.
While planning, scheduling and communication ranked high as ways to increase productivity, contractors also put a premium on good employer-employee relationships and crew camaraderie. Interestingly, most did not consider safety a high priority. That is a mistake. You should always emphasize precautions and safety measures to ensure the crew takes no shortcuts to meet schedule pressures if they could result in injury, which leads to lost productivity.
Keeping a safe working atmosphere goes hand-in-hand with high productivity. Injuries play a significant role in productivity because an increase in injuries or illness means an increase in both direct and indirect costs. Injuries lead to a reduction in productivity because the entire team typically comes to a stop when one occurs. Injuries can also lead to a loss of team members. Hiring and training a new worker further reduces productivity, so a good safety plan is a must.
Instead of working to increase productivity because you “should,” do it because it will help you build a healthier bottom line. How would it help you if you could save eight hours each day on labor or institute training to help your crew synchronize?
Retaining quality workers improves productivity. Happy workers are productive, especially in a trade like roofing, which requires hard labor and long hours. Talk to your crew about working conditions and whether they are happy with their responsibilities.
Respond to employees who have questions or concerns to keep your crew’s engine humming. Here are four other methods that can help increase productivity:
■ Grow an Efficient Workforce
Give your crew the most efficient tools possible to help them complete jobs faster and more efficiently while maintaining quality. Investing in high-quality tools pays off over time. Purchase dump containers that can be located close to the job for easy material disposal. These save time because employees do not have to throw materials off the roof and retrieve them later for removal.
■ Establish Clear Communication
You can improve your company’s efficiency by establishing clear communications between project managers, the crew and other key personnel. Establish a specific communication tool everyone can access, like texting, email or a Slack-style app to problem solve on the go and to create real-time team collaboration.
■ Adapt to Changes in the Profession
Technology solutions in the market today are designed to help you and your company increase productivity. These include mobile
apps, smartphones and the use of big data, allowing you to work smarter.
The technology you decide to use depends on your individual business needs. For example, consider customer relationship management software to help keep your billing more efficient.
For more bid accuracy, consider an app that delivers measurements and data. Choosing software that is accepted by insurance carriers is a good value for the results and allows you fast turnaround times and uninterrupted workflow integration.
■ Hire Someone to Answer the Phone
If you do not like the idea of taking calls on your smartphone during the day, remember this: roofers who do not answer the phone
when customers call is the number one consumer complaint and can lead to lost revenue.
There are companies available for hire to answer your business phone calls. That way, when someone calls to inquire about hiring
your company to fit it with a new roof, you do not miss the call and the opportunity to increase your workload. This single item can improve your company’s reputation and reviews and it gives you more freedom and flexibility. Next month we will cover how
to remain productive amid all the changes in our current economic and work environment.
John Kenney has over 45 years of experience in the roofing industry. He started his career by working as a roofing apprentice
at a family business in the Northeast and worked his way up to operating multiple Top 100 Roofing Contractors. As Chief
Operating Officer, John is intimately familiar with all aspects of roofing production, estimating and operations. During his
tenure in the industry, John ran business units associated with delivering excellent workmanship and unparalleled customer service while ensuring his company’s strong net profits before joining Cotney Consulting Group. If you would like any further information on this or another subject, you can contact John at jkenney@cotneyconsulting.com.
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