Distractions at job sites—such as meetings, bad schedules and extra time handling repetitive administrative work—can cost your company hours of productivity each day. It is important to improve job efficiency on job sites, which can include better communication, leveraging technology and automation, and matching tasks to employee skill sets.
For Construction Pros offers the following strategies you can use to improve your crew’s efficiency at the job site.
- Delegate work appropriately. Assigning most of the work to yourself or one person wastes valuable time. Instead, assign qualified employees appropriate responsibilities to ensure everyone contributes equally to the available tasks.
- Match tasks to employee skills. Carefully consider employees’ skill sets and experience when you assign responsibilities; placing the wrong person in a role can contribute to inefficiency, and choosing the right person can lead to better customer satisfaction.
- Promote effective communication. To improve crew efficiency, provide various communication channels between the crew, in-office team and customers, including phone calls, in-person meetings, emails, texts, messaging apps and field service software.
- Create an ideal work environment. A positive work environment can boost morale and motivate your team, increasing productivity. Consider a brightly lit, spacious office with minimal distractions, as well as bonus packages and insurance policies for crew members.
- Have goals and expectations. Develop goals that break down what each crew member should achieve—with measurable objectives and a realistic timeline—and communicate your expectations clearly.
- Automate and use technology where possible. Field service management software and other automation tools help handle tasks such as scheduling, invoice payments and processing, and work order management. There also are tools to help gather and analyze important customer and employee data that can help your business.
