Supple Homes: Increasing productivity by 30% with Buildertrend Onsite Consulting

Seeing the benefits: Using Onsite Consulting to get started with Buildertrend

Sean first discovered Buildertrend at the International Builders’ Show seven years ago, and after signing up, they faced a bit of a learning curve.

“We were a little overwhelmed, I think,” Sean admitted.

But with the help of Buildertrend’s Onsite Consulting, the Supple team got started on the right track.

Onsite Consulting is a hands-on, personalized training experience designed to help builders maximize their use of Buildertrend. It goes beyond basic implementation by providing tailored guidance to refine workflows, improve efficiency and solve specific business challenges.

The process begins with preparation, including one-on-one virtual training sessions to assess company needs and set clear objectives. Then, during the two-day onsite visit, Buildertrend experts work directly with teams to offer real-time solutions and best practices for using the platform effectively. Once the onsite training is complete, follow-up training ensures lasting success, with additional one-on-one coaching to fine-tune processes.

For Supple Homes, this structured approach made a significant impact – transforming their manual processes into a streamlined system that enhances transparency, reduces errors and improves overall efficiency.

“The first things we latched onto were Daily Logs and the Schedule – those were the easiest to do consistently,” Sean said.

Since then, Supple Homes has gradually expanded their use of Buildertrend, making an effort to integrate more features into their workflow.

“About two years ago, we really made a big push,” Sean said. “I started using the Estimate feature, bid packages and templates. We also began using Tasks lists for our team, which has been a big help in standardizing our processes and keeping everyone on task.”

“We’re always learning new ways to use it better.”

Seeing the value: A second Onsite Consulting visit leads to financial transparency with clients

Now, with a few years under their belt and a much deeper understanding of the platform, Sean decided it was time to level up their use of the software with a second Onsite Consultation.

“The first time around, we were just trying to absorb everything,” Sean said. “This time, we could ask specific questions and really drill into the nitty-gritty of how we wanted to use it.”

One of the biggest changes was invoicing clients through Buildertrend.

“That was a big one,” Sean says. “It’s been a game-changer for financial tracking. Learning how to better template the bid packages, customizing it how we want. Same thing with the estimate. We learned a lot about estimate details.”

One of the biggest takeaways was how to make allowances within Selections feature to streamline their estimating process. Previously, their team handled allowances as lump sums, leading to frequent change orders when clients exceeded their budgets.

“We’re always refining, always learning. And having these onsite visits – especially at the right time in our adoption process – has been a huge help.”

Sean Supple

Owner of Supple Homes

“It’s a simple shift, but it makes a big difference in perception,” Sean said. “Clients aren’t seeing it as a change order – they’re just making a selection. It helps keep things more transparent and reduces friction.”

Other changes they’ve made include making small but impactful updates to templates like adding more detailed scheduling elements. Adjustments such as setting times rather than just dates to ensure accurate notification sending has positively affected their financial processes to minimize errors and inefficiencies.

“We’ve made a bunch of small but impactful changes,” Sean says. “It’s been a great experience overall.”

In addition to the in-person training, Sean has found the pre- and post-onsite follow-ups invaluable.

“The one-on-one Zoom meetings before and after were just as valuable as the two-day onsite visit,” Sean said. “I had multiple sessions, and some of my key team members had their own follow-ups. That’s where we really fine-tuned how we’re using Buildertrend.”

Sean highly recommends builders take advantage of Onsite Consulting not just for understanding the basics after onboarding, but also later on when they’re implementing more complicated processes. With the help of personalized training, the Supple Homes team has increased productivity by 30%.

“We’re always refining, always learning,” Sean said. “And having these onsite visits – especially at the right time in our adoption process – has been a huge help.”