There are many ways technology is helping businesses in all industries be more productive and enhance their bottom lines. For builders looking to do more than just survive in more competitive markets, new and improved back-office construction management software might just be the solution to cutting costs and capturing more profit. With these new offerings, builders can now keep online schedules up-to-date on a daily basis, arrange for centralized communications so requests for information can be logged and organized providing accountability for who did what and when they did it, and the ability to seamlessly integrate, in real-time, their financial systems.

"Previously, builders were required to make multiple, and sometimes complicated, software purchases to have access to all of the information about their business," explained Daryl Shenner, President of HomeFront, whose company released what it calls the first legitimate, full "end-to-end," sales and construction management software product available to U.S. residential home builders.

HomeFront is capable of tracking, managing and reporting effectively on all areas of the business for builders who build between 25 and 2500 homes per year. Its HomeFront HomeBuilder Management Tool Kit is a comprehensive solution that includes ProfitBuilder, QualityBuilder and EBuilder software systems. A unique offering of the Tool Kit is its ability to integrate automatically with the Sage Timberline Office^TM providing homebuilders with anytime access to pricing and cost data before, during, and after construction. "HomeFront can now easily capture, analyze and report. We've listened closely and worked with builders to understand what they require to survive in this changing market," said Shenner.

K Hovnanian Homes, the eighth largest home builder in the United States who has been successfully using e-Builder Enterprises in its Northeast Region since 2003, is now going to use an update to the system to develop the specific capabilities to help improve internal processes nationwide. By doing so, K. Hovnanian Homes is hoping for significant strategic benefits including efficient development, reduced carrying costs, and unprecedented visibility and collaboration of projects across the entire company.

"With the start of the recent e-Builder implementation in our divisions, we look forward to improved associate communication and productivity," said Dawn Korbelak, Corporate Vice President of Product Development. "The biggest benefit is that we will now have clear visibility into potential issues that can impact our future profits -- critical information especially during the current industry adjustment. We believe that our process, facilitated by e-Builder software, represents a competitive advantage for us in this industry."

e-Builder Professional is distinct because it combines a low price point with the most complete feature set available to architects and engineers. It includes full document management capabilities, drawing management view and markup, and collaboration capabilities. Additionally, it includes low cost and unlimited storage options as well as the ability to add specific modules on a per project basis. This is designed to further lower the cost of providing the solution and thus make these capabilities available to a wider market.

"We continually hear that architects and engineers love the capabilities provided by these systems but simply cannot justify the cost," said Ron Antevy, President of e-Builder. "We're simply listening to our market. This new offering provides all of the capabilities at the lowest possible cost."

Construction management software can help builders do more than just survive in more competitive markets. The software can help cut costs and help builders capture more profit. In a competitive industry, this is just one proven way successful builders are thriving and others are not.

Published: March 6, 2007

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Peter L. Mosca is president and founder of BAK Communications, Inc. He has over 22 years of communications and media consulting experience, serving a variety of nonprofit organizations, including the CCIM Institute and the REALTOR Association on all three levels – national, state and local. He is the Spokesperson Trainer for the CCIM's Jay Levine Academy and trains hundreds of residential REALTORS nationwide to be effective industry spokespeople. He is consistently ranked as "excellent" by about 90% of those who attend his presentations. While his principal consulting focuses are public speaking and media relations development and content delivery and management, Peter is also the host of the Voice America Network's weekly radio program, "Income Property Investment Talk," a one-hour program that brings the powerhouses of commercial and residential real estate to property investors every Wednesday at 11 a.m. EST. Peter is married 17 years to his wife Barbara. They have two children: Ashley, 15 and Kelli, 12. Hence, the name BAK Communications, Inc.