The Power of Precision: ArcSite’s Electrical Takeoff Software for Contractors

[fs-toc-omit]Revolutionizing Electrical Contracting

Getting an electrical takeoff right the first time is always a challenge. There’s time pressure and the knowledge that strong competition exists in the marketplace. You need to get a great piece of estimating done and in front of your client as soon as possible.

With an array of electrical takeoff software available, you need one that not only does everything you require but also a product that will help you stay on top of the innovations and developments that are coming down the line.

If you need to draft detailed site plans directly from tablets or smartphones with on-the-go drawing precision, layer management, and cloud syncing, read on to discover how ArcSite can deliver this and more.

ArcSite’s Electrical Takeoff Software for Contractors

They say that you can have a thing done right, or have it done now. It tells us that being fast is not good and that mistakes will likely be made. But what if you could guarantee precision from the get-go?

ArcSite’s electrical takeoff software is designed with precision and profitability in mind, minimizing the chances of error as it takes and processes the information required directly from the drawing.

How many times have you looked at a client’s drawing and said to yourself, ‘Well, that’s not gonna fly,’ and had to spend time redrafting something that is both local code compliant and acceptable to the client?

[fs-toc-omit]Tailor-Made Changes With Tech

With the right electrical takeoff software in your toolbox changes, can be made in a jiffy.

It’s easy to set your own design scope, inputting assemblies that are used daily while leaving scope for detailed add-ons. The software can dynamically calculate the necessary materials no matter how complex the project.

In a business where the margin is everything, underpricing can cause a contractor no end of headaches, so having a reliable means of tracing and costing change is incredibly important.

[fs-toc-omit]Getting Into the Standard Details

Electrical estimating software, as a minimum benchmark, must be able to automate calculations for materials, labor, overhead and margin, and respond automatically to changes in measurement or specification.

The ability to upload PDF images is a minimum standard to expect in order to deliver takeoffs, and when on-site, seamless compatibility with the Bosch laser tape or equivalent device should be a requirement.

As experienced contractors will tell you, there can be discrepancies between a drawing and actual site conditions, sometimes due to the client using historical data rather than current surveys. Arcsite can integrate information from a Moasure Area measuring device, or equivalent tool, instantly informing you of any problems with the details provided.

[fs-toc-omit]Technology Advancements in the Electrical Service Industry

The construction industry, especially the electrical services side, is an increasingly innovative and forward-looking discipline. The business is getting leaner, faster and better at delivering on an almost daily basis.

Technological advancements in electrical takeoff software have reduced the time taken to produce accurate estimates, giving contractors, companies and electricians confidence to proceed with negotiations faster.

Saving time is increasing profitability, and agile use of new tech makes more opportunities accessible for your business.

What is Electrical Takeoff Software?

Electrical takeoff software is an essential new piece of kit in your toolbox that can save time and deliver accurate estimates for all kinds of electrical work, from remodels to new construction projects.

Use it to collaborate with others via a company network or the internet, and rapidly deliver accurate costs, overhead and profit margins, when developing proposals for new work.

[fs-toc-omit]Aligning Key Features

It’s no use designing features in a software product that no one wants or needs. It all takes up space and can slow things down. We all need our tools to pay rent, so what are the key features that unlock your future profitability?

On-site Drawings

This is probably one of the most impressive features of the ArcSite platform, the fact that you can create drawings on-site, in the moment, during the site survey or meeting, so that you can demonstrate an instant engagement with the project.

These drawings are so much better than notebook sketches, they are professional two-dimensional renderings that can be shared and synced with cloud-based systems instantly across delivery teams. Try it yourself today without obligation.

Drawing Accuracy and Automation

If a drawing isn’t accurate, problems will follow–as will extra time to get it right. As long as the correct measurements have been saved then any changes can be automatically updated across all impacted areas such as material lists and costs. If you start with a solid base of information, then any future changes will be accounted for.

Using ArcSite, you can add overlays to floor plans, coordinate with client drawings and compare with third-party disciplines and suppliers. The benefit is reduced chance of error, improved time-savings, and excellent precision when generating takeoffs.

Assemblies and Estimation

No matter how fancy the fittings are, a good deal of the work done by electrical contractors is very similar, from cable trays to containment, cable runs and other basic requirements. Putting in assemblies with ArcSite means that cable and all its required components can be measured and priced to the inch.

In actual fact, ArcSite has a facility that lets you measure to 1/64^th of an inch, which is perfect if you are running a lot of copper. Check it out for free, here!

This feature will help to simplify setting up a project and deliver confidence in the accuracy of your electrical estimate in what remains a very competitive market.

Collaboration and 3rd Party Integrations

But you can’t keep all the good stuff to yourself. If you have a brilliant set of estimating documents, drawings, lists, takeoffs, it’s important that everyone on your team can get into them and deliver their own expertise.

Whether they are in the office, in the field, or at a client’s office, it doesn’t matter. Distance is no object for integrated teamwork.

While innovations like Facetime video calls on cellphones have helped communication with team members out on site, instant updates and collaboration on drawings and specifications take it to the next level.

Clever integrations such as ArcSite and Moasure allows you to walk around with a device to capture an area or linear path so your initial walkthrough can double as a measurement for your estimate. Although it's illustrated here for landscape projects, you can use the same principle to measure runs to overlay a floor plan, or plan exterior trenched lines.

Proposals and Payments

Streamlining in construction, working to minimize waste and improve value for clients, is a key aim of the LEAN principles, a project delivery process that ArcSite embodies. Electrical takeoff software can make the delivery of proposals faster, more efficient, and more accurate.

The integration of the app with payment platforms makes for a seamless purchasing experience for clients, enabling financing options, and budgeting milestones. The ArcSite proposal features even adds Good-Better-Best options to make it easy to present a variety of quotes to compare.

Transforming Benefits into Business Growth

With a project-based business model such as electrical contracting, there is no room for those who expect to stand still and wait for work to come to them. That’s not to say that a good contractor won’t be inundated with calls, but the proper management of inbound requests can be managed efficiently to make your team productive.

By using a tool that is designed to produce reliable results that you and your clients can depend upon, efficiency and productivity will be enhanced. See the benefits with a 15 min demo.

[fs-toc-omit]Speed and Efficiency

They say that time is money. ArcSite’s interface can save a company time in the development of plans, making regulatory or client changes, sending out estimates or invoices and tracking project progress against milestones.

Increasing efficiency with electrical takeoff software means that contractors will have time to increase the number of bids you get out the door, growing a business and scaling up to more lucrative projects.

[fs-toc-omit]Enhanced Productivity

They say that teamwork makes the dream work. ArcSite’s collaborative platform is made for stakeholders and teams working in real-time across all areas, opening up communication between teams.

When all the players can see plans develop, comment and contribute as necessary, it minimizes the chances of errors being missed.

Managing change is a constant requirement of project management, with pressures on budget and programming, an all too common issue. Using the collaborative software provided by ArcSite can improve productivity by reducing the time required to consult and direct modifications.

Whether a team member is in the office, out on site, or visiting a potential or current client, let us show you how the shareability of the ArcSite platform ensures everyone remains up-to-date.

[fs-toc-omit]Increasing Reliability

When you can demonstrate to your clients that you are in control of the information and design on a project you deliver that most important quality, confidence. When a client sees that their contractor can competently handle change, manage design and retain cost-effectiveness, you can be sure of a call-back.

Building trust through reliability is one of those business essentials that is so often hard to quantify, time-consuming to grow, and impossible to win back once lost.

Using dependable, consistent, software with tailor-made assemblies to back up your contracting takeoffs should help to develop those solid long-term client relationships every business needs.

[fs-toc-omit]Closing the Deal

Sometimes the process of winning jobs can feel like a full-time mission, but crossing the finish line and signing up to a project makes the effort worth it. Arcsite can develop forms and questionnaires to help refine scope, so you both know exactly what you are signing up to do.

Integration with apps like Quickbooks, Jobber, or Salesforce to service your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) portals will help close the deal. If your new tech can work seamlessly with the platforms your client is already familiar with then it is a win for them too.

[fs-toc-omit]Managing Change

They say that the best-laid plans can sometimes turn out differently than first imagined. This seems to be especially true in the world of electrical contracting where a product may suddenly become unavailable or discontinued.

Managing change during a contract can be complicated, and sometimes difficult to quantify. By engaging with an effective takeoff app, you can deliver options to a client from site, from the warehouse, or during a face-to-face meeting at their office.

Being responsive to change in a prompt and positive manner will always enhance a contractor’s position with a client. If you are confident with your figures, with the detail to back it up, the bottom line says competence every time, and you can’t put a price on that.

Real-world Applications

But you shouldn’t simply take our word for it. As every contractor knows, nothing beats a great recommendation or referral from a satisfied customer.

Mister Sparky’s tagline describes their business as America’s On-Time Electrician, counting reliability and timely delivery as key deliverables of the brand. Paul Hauk works with over 150 franchisees across multiple local regulatory areas. There’s a lot of pressure to get things right, and on time, every time.

This means permits that need to be put in place often vary, sometimes only in small ways, other times quite significantly. Hauk credits ArcSite with cutting the time taken to deliver any changes, expediting permits and getting work started quickly.

"If one of my permit coordinators says, 'Hey I need this revision,' they can grab it, find it, download it, make the revisions, upload it, and it's done in two minutes."

Check out the case study here.

Conclusion

There will always be a need for reliable, competent contractors with the skill and site expertise to deliver safe, high-quality installations, and the tech is there to support such activity. The trick is not to get left behind and to be able to keep up with regulatory changes and design and product innovation.

ArcSite can take on the future, interpret and takeoff complex drawings, add, make changes and help with collaboration, but you won’t know how good it could be for your business until you give it a try.

Modern digital takeoffs are game-changer for the industry and ArcSite is a leader in getting you from drawing to takeoffs faster, so your team can see sustained success out on the field. Schedule a demo today. In fifteen minutes, we can show you how to optimize your business. Let’s get into it!

Also check out The Ultimate Guide to Evaluating Electrical Estimating Software to help evaluate electrical estimating software for contractors.

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