Beyond construction: How Buildertrend helped manage a summer camp
Construction project management software is just for construction, right?
Think again! The best homebuilder apps, like Buildertrend, have tools that could take could any organization from laggard to leader. After all, streamlined communication, increased efficiency and next-level organization is something everybody wants more of.
So, one of Buildertrend’s very own team members put it to the test.
Kate Vazquez is an onboarding specialist I who started with the company just 10 months ago but is already a team lead. She spends her days interacting with our customers, training and helping them find success with Buildertrend during their first 90 days after signing up.
“I really love working with my teammates to find creative ways to use the program for our customers,” Vazquez said.
Given that this is her favorite part of the job, it’s no surprise she found another creative way to put Buildertrend to good use – running a Vacation Bible School. Sure, managing a crew of campers isn’t the same as a crew of construction pros, but Vazquez knew she could make the system work for her.
We asked her how she did and if she thinks the same could be done for other businesses beyond construction.
Q: Tell us more this summer camp.
Vazquez: The Vacation Bible School has been running for about 20 years. I have worked with the program as the main leader for about three years and have been involved for 15 years.
Our camp is unique. We typically have between 550-600 youth participants, ranging from 3-year-olds to 5th graders. However, our entire program is run by youth leaders … we typically have between 75-150 volunteers whom we manage.
Q: Wow, sounds like a lot of people. How did Buildertrend help manage all that?
Vazquez: Due to COVID-19, our large-scale camp couldn’t meet in person. We wanted to host our engaging activities at home with a video series and still have the ability to interact with families at home. One of our young adult advisors started looking for a platform and we were discussing how this would be organized. I realized everything we needed was available in Buildertrend.
I went through my demo account and started to think about how I could go through a workflow to present content to families but also how families could experience the platform. After some tests, we realized Buildertrend was a perfect solution for delivering content and experience. Buildertrend allowed us to share information directly with families and interact with them in real time.
Q: What features did you use?
Vazquez: Using Buildertrend for a youth camp, To-Do’s and the Messages features have been huge for this program. Each day, we share a schedule of activities through To-Do’s. Additionally, within To-Do’s, we’ve been able to assign out tasks to the families, make a checklist of steps and questions with attached media. Then use the comments and messaging to interact with the families, sharing thoughts on the activities or answering questions.
To-Do’s made everything possible though! Thanks to templating, we were able to set up the camp structure and apply the day’s activity template to each family, so they were able to access information in a user-friendly way.
Q: How was the Buildertrend experience perceived by others involved in the camp?
Vazquez: It honestly surpassed expectations of how easy it was to use, set up and deliver a fully functional camp through a video and activity series. As people are hearing how awesome the camp was within Buildertrend, more are signing up for the series throughout the summer.
Q: Do you think our software is helpful for managing more than just construction?
Vazquez: If someone wants to be organized, communicate clearly between various parties and easily share content, it’s a no brainer. Buildertrend is the answer. It just takes a little creativity to mold this platform to fit what you need it to do. There are so many options and possibilities!
I definitely think other camps or courses can use Buildertrend and be successful. I’ve worked for different types of companies, and I could easily see this program being adopted for marketing/branding contractors, event coordinators and program development.
Q: What makes the Buildertrend platform unique to other software?
Vazquez: Buildertrend is unique because this program was built for construction, but it can also be customizable to fit each unique person or company’s workflow. The tool can work for you!
The premier project platform
Straight from Vazquez to you – Buildertrend’s features are the right fit for jobs of any kind. To see if our software can benefit your business, schedule a demo now.
Today, it’s construction and a camp … tomorrow, who knows what Buildertrend will make better?
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