Accurate estimates and contracts

Ensure accurate estimates with our updated construction estimating software

Laptop computer graphic with Estimate feature on screen

Here at Buildertrend, our customers’ feedback is behind everything we do, and we know that estimating is one of the most critical pieces of your construction business’s financial processes. That’s why one of our top priorities over the past few years has been updating our Estimate feature.

“As part of an initiative to improve first impressions of key areas of our product, we targeted estimating as a process that should be happening on every job,” said Scott Vonderharr, director of Product. “Our research had shown us that this area of Buildertrend was often considered overwhelming and unfamiliar to a lot of new users, so we knew this was a high-priority item to fix.”

Our Product team is always busy having conversations, collecting feedback and reviewing internal data in order to provide an exceptional Estimate feature experience. Recent updates provide a simplified, prioritized and organized estimating process that removes any guesswork.

Keep reading to learn more about the latest updates to Buildertrend’s Estimate feature and how they’ll positively change your financial processes.

How did customer feedback influence updates to the Estimate feature?

Customer input fuels everything we do to improve our product and make the overall experience the best it can be. So, when the product team started seeing the need for change, they went straight to the source.

“We wanted to start by just having some conversations with our customers,” said Sarah Biben, lead product designer. “We wanted a deeper understanding of how they were using the existing Estimate feature, their goals with estimating in Buildertrend and their current pain points. In addition to those conversations, we audited all existing feedback we had received from our customers and drew out the commonalities to help focus our goals.”

To go a step further, the team also conducted research with non-Buildertrend users to gauge their initial reactions to the existing construction estimating software.

The team used non-users to test the familiarity and first impressions by performing tasks. From there, they were able to make updates and compare the new functionality against the existing Estimate feature.

How will these updates make the Estimate feature easier to use?

“At its core, our updates will make the feature easier to interact with,” Sarah said. “Whether reviewing the original estimate or entering and editing cost information, the experience was optimized for both legibility of information and keyboard support for speed and efficiency.”

There were several changes made to the existing Estimate feature that make it easier to use.

The updates made will allow users to easily add and edit their costs during the estimating process with:

  • Organization by cost categories
  • Revised Costs
  • Better links between allowances and bids

These added functions will make it easier for customers to understand original versus updated costs. It’s also simpler to track ongoing costs as their jobs progress, and there’s less concern with duplicating costs during the selection process.

What key insights should customers know about?

There are several updated functions that make the Estimate feature a must-have tool. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Introduction of Buildertrend Takeoff: This was one of the most requested features added to our construction software in 2022. The addition of construction takeoff software makes it simple to start projects with quick material estimating. Builders can upload digital blueprints, record measurements and create accurate estimates faster than ever. They’ll add hours back to their day and feel confident when kicking off their jobs.
  • Implementation of Subgroups: The new Subgroup functionality for Estimates and Lead Proposals allows users to customize and organize the formatting of their proposals by grouping line items into subcategories. For example, users can create subcategories for stages in the building process like foundation, framing, electrical etc. Each custom group will then display a subtotal price, making it easier for builders and their clients to see a clear price breakdown.
  • Organized costs through categories: Using categories to structure project costs provides consistency within the budget and serves as a template when filling out estimates. Organizing the budget and the estimate in a similar way will better convey the relationship between the two and provide more consistency when it comes to financial information.
  • Updated line-item editing experiences: We made it easier to edit line items by adding more information to the cost and allowing quicker in-line edits with keyboard shortcuts. The most crucial cost information is prioritized in the worksheet while also making it possible to add more columns or drill into cost items for more detail.
  • Addition of a “Cost Type” field: Cost type will provide a more robust reporting by helping customers identify certain items in their estimate more quickly. Additionally, it will help them learn which types of costs they need to improve margins on for their budget going forward.
  • Automatic updating of costs tied to Bids, Allowances and Selections: Our customers will no longer have to manually adjust or exclude their estimated costs as they receive updated information through bids and selections. Our estimated costs will provide the most up-to-date information from any linked bids, allowances and selections as they work through the project in Buildertrend, requiring less manual effort and more confidence in estimating.
  • Enhanced client sharing experience: The updated Estimate feature provides more control and separation for how our customers want to view their estimated costs and how they want to present this information to their homeowners. We understand that in order to present professionally, they need to have more confidence in understanding what will be shared with their clients.

What improvements will customers see with the updated Estimate feature?

With the refined Estimate feature and addition of takeoff, the team is hoping to give customers a really solid base for starting their financial journey in Buildertrend.

“The estimate serves as a baseline for tracking job costs throughout the rest of the project,” Sarah said. “We hope that by making the Estimate feature easier to use, customers will be encouraged to get past this first step. This will help them build a foundation for our other financial tools. When used together, our financial features really unlock the most value for our customers.”

Create estimates with confidence

Creating estimates is an essential element to every construction project. With this feature overhaul, we hope to give you added confidence when using and implementing estimates in your financial process.

If you’d like to learn more about our Estimate feature or think Buildertrend could help with managing your construction business, schedule a demo today.

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About The Author

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Chelsea Cole Chelsea Cole is a senior content marketing specialist at Buildertrend

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