SkyMail® Case Study

SkyMail in the Residential Building Industry

Case Summary

Challenge
How to streamline the reporting and documentation of daily on-site issues encountered by a homebuilder’s field managers during the course of a major construction project.

Solution

SkyMail helped “close the loop” between the builder’s office staff and field managers, providing a convenient, trackable means for sharing and documenting information to cut response time and increase productivity.

The Background
Construction field managers encounter many events during the workday that affect
schedules, budgets, and overall productivity. These issues must be accurately documented and shared with in-office coordinators for follow up. Typically, field managers must leave the site and travel to the office or job trailer, where reports are prepared and submitted to the coordinators for input into a project database.

The Challenge
With an average of 40 open job tickets at any given time, the sheer volume of detail handled by the project managers often led to miscommunication and lost information. The back-and forth method of documenting and reporting used by the builder was time consuming and ineffective, but viewed as a necessary evil. Communication via cell phone was often disruptive and did not generate the detailed documentation necessary for accurate recordkeeping.

The Solution
SkyMail’s “no typing” email messaging capability proved to be a productivity booster on
several levels for this home builder:

• Allowing office coordinators to prioritize issues by email subject line or on a first-in, first-out basis.
• Eliminating lost messages by removing the time lag between recognizing an issue
  and traveling from the job site to the office to record it.
• Building confidence among the field managers by confirming that their messages were received.

SkyMail provided an easy-to-use way to send detailed reports and work requests in real time.

Customer Benefits

• Less lost time spent traveling between job sites and the office.
• Reduction in gas, toll and mileage expenses.
• More time spent at the build site or with customers.
• Increased accountability for subcontractors by virtually eliminating issues of lost messages and miscommunication.
• Documentation for resolution of conflicts thanks to SkyMail’s time and date stamp feature.
  

Applications for Customer Service Teams

• Service Request
• Additional Note to Work Order
• 48 Hour Notice
• Update to Homeowner Profile
• Back Charges Note

Applications for Construction Teams

• Lot Update
• Material Order
• Update to Schedule
• Service Request
• Walk-Through Notes