Remember when fax machines roamed the earth and revolutionized the way we did business? We no longer had to drive to the general contractor’s office to pick up the bid documents, or have them messengered, or wait for them to arrive in the (snail) mail.
Instead, we were able to receive documents over the phone lines. All you needed was an extra line (gladly provided by the phone company), a fax machine and a case of thermal fax paper. And then, as if by magic …
Or as Joe Koenig, president of Trim-Tex in Illinois, puts it, “We were amazed to see a roll of fax paper cascading onto the floor. But that is where all this started.”
At that time, the Internet was but a gleam in U.S. Department of Defense’s eye—a.k.a. the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). Soon enough, however, it arrived, replete with dial-up modems and things called browsers. And then dial-up gave way to broadband, and Google and Facebook and such became household names.
And here we are, a profession sometimes dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, wondering how we ever managed without the ever-present Internet.
Internet Uses
It is here to stay, and we have finally embraced it. But to what uses, specifically, are we putting the Internet?
Says John Rapaport, general manger and general counsel at Component Assembly Systems, Inc. in New York, “The Internet touches virtually everything we do these days.
“We’ve brought the field into the office and vice versa. Each PM now has full connectivity from the field to the office. Also, as a company we now have an Intranet, which ties together all our locations and operations behind the firewall. This network spans our seven offices and provides vastly improved communication: Voice over IP, video conferences, etc.
“This afternoon, for example, I’ll be on a video call with our Philadelphia office and all of our foremen. There is no longer a need to travel there for every meeting, which saves us both time and money.”
Reports John Nesse, Esq. of the Minnesota Drywall and Plaster Association, “The Internet is ubiquitous in my work as a labor relations attorney. Like most firms, we use email and have a website. But we also use a virtual file server in ‘the cloud,’ which is especially valuable when I travel since I now can access most of my files from my cell phone or tablet at any moment, from any location.”
Neil O’Connor at Western Partitions, Inc. in Oregon says that “the Internet can be a great resource. This morning I set up a discussion group on LinkedIn that will save me and several other busy colleagues not only the cost of traveling to meetings but a significant amount of time as well.
“Also, the Internet is like having a complete library on hand when you need to do research.
“Email, of course, is a huge time-saver. It does, however, often reveal the reactive side of people we deal with. Many business people need to learn that email carries much the same weight as any written document and is discoverable when pertinent to any legal case.”
Jeff Burley, president of B & B Interior Systems, Inc. in Florida, “I don’t know how we got along without it. We use it every time we bid, for all our proposals, drawings and specs.”
Greg Smith at Mowery-Thomason, Inc. reports from California, says, “We use the Internet primarily for downloading plans for estimating purposes, for receiving submittals from manufacturers, and for researching new product lines.
“Also, the Google Earth feature has become very beneficial in letting us view the grounds of a project we are bidding without having to drive out. It doesn’t replace walking the job, but it does help us understand the laydown areas, parking issues, etc.”
Levi Patterson, an architect at DLR Group in Oregon, says, “I use the Internet to research building products, for continued education and inspiration, and to communicate with clients about projects.”
Taylor, business development director at Englewood Construction, an Illinois general contractor, says, “We are online every single day, more or less throughout the day. We research potential clients, potential subs, as well as lead services, industry news and locations. We also use Skype, especially with our international clients.”
Rob Little, vice president at Little Construction, Inc., checks in from Indiana: “We realize perhaps 30 percent of our job leads from some form of Internet site. We also use it for submittals, for product research and for looking up product and installation details.”
Charles Antone, consultant at R.J. Kenney and Associates in Massachusetts, says, “Email and other electronic communication are slowly reducing the number of telephone calls we receive. We are still talking on the phone, and we still have face-to-face meetings, but the amount of information we now circulate on the Web is amazing.”
Walter Scarborough, an architect in Texas, uses it for research. “The Internet of today is the library of yesterday,” he says.
Craig Daley, president of Daley’s Drywall & Taping in California, finds that using the Internet is especially helpful when bidding. “We use the Internet every day, especially in the bid process,” he says. “All bid invites come by email, we download plans and specs from client FTP sites, material quotes all arrive by email, and our proposals are sent by email directly to the right person.”
Frank Wickert, Ohio consultant, also stresses research, “I use the Internet to find material, technical, and equipment information needed to do my job; also to communicate with colleagues via email.”
Nancy Brinkerhoff, CEO/president of Ironwood Commercial Builders, Inc. in California, says she uses the Internet “for all billing, invoicing, change orders, contract documents, as well as to research bidding projects. Almost everything is paperless now.”
Lee Zaretzky, president at Ronsco, Inc. in New York, says, “Obviously, email is the main mode of communication these days. Also, we obtain plans and specs from FTP sites, or—if smaller—over email.
“We share information between the office and the field in real time, and we use the cloud to store data. We use iPhones to communicate and send pictures as needed.”
Mike Heering, president of F.L. Crane & Sons, Inc., weighs in from Mississippi: “We use it to research companies we plan to work with, for submittals, as well as to catch up on new products and their installation procedures.
“We also track our trucks by GPS to see when they arrive at the job site and when they leave.
“Really, the distance between office and field has been reduced to almost nothing.”
Dick Mettler, executive director at Northwest Wall & Ceiling Contractors’ Association in Seattle, says, “We use it to research technical information, product needs, install instructions. Also for bidding and for basic communications.
“I have to say, though, that these days it provides almost too much information. Of course, it has increased productivity—I am certainly able to do more in the same amount of time—but now I am connected all the time, if not via computer, then by iPhone or iPad. You receive so much information that you don’t have the time to go study it at depth.”
Michael Chambers, president at J & B Acoustical, Inc. in Ohio, says, “We email quotations and receive time cards from field staff. We access drawings and specs online, and we Google for product data, MSD sheets and installation specs.
“We also use it to transmit photos of a job condition that might not match the plans—the field sends them back to the office attached to an email. This may then serve as a basis for an RFI.”
Rounding out the survey, Kevin G. Biddle, president of Mader Construction Co., Inc. reports from New York: “We use it to check on products and to download submittals. Some of our general contractors also use it manage their project documentation.”
The consensus among us seems to be that the Internet touches most, if not all, aspects of our business, and that it has virtually merged the field and the office.
New Business
Whereas 20 or so years ago contractors acquired almost all new business by print advertising, referrals and person-to-person contact, with the Internet now firmly in place, this dynamic has changed.
Says Rapaport, “These days, we find that McGraw Hill Dodge Network Services provide us most of the information we require for leads. Additionally, we find leads through Twitter feeds with news about projects that we follow up.”
Nesse’s approach blends the old with the new: “Acquiring new clients is still a very personal, hands-on process for us, but we believe the Internet allows potential clients to research us much more efficiently, and we welcome that.”
Burley agrees, saying that “the Internet works both ways: you research others, and others research you. We have developed a good site that represents our business and that now generates invitations to bid from general contractor bringing projects to our area. They find our site and study it to see what we have to offer. You have to keep the site current, though, so that it does reflect precisely what you bring to the table.”
Adds Taylor, “Business acquisition is our main use of the Internet. We use services like bidclerk (http://bidclerk.com), which adds about a thousand nationwide construction projects daily and which is a good source for leads. We also follow blogs and trade publications online, which is another source of new opportunities.”
Little also stresses the use of a good website: “There seem to be a lot of traveling general contractors who need to find new subs in different areas. A good site allows them to find out about us both quickly and inexpensively.”
Daley agrees: “Unlike the old days when you gave someone your brochure, today’s clients can see your brochure—your website—without ever meeting you. We check out new client sites all the time, so I suppose clients are checking us out, too.”
Heering echoes this sentiment: “You have GC project managers come into a new area with the task to locate suitable subcontractors for their project. Of course, they’ll do a search to see who can do the work. Yes, you still have to price the project for them, but at least you do receive calls that might not have happened had you not popped up on their search.”
Mettler underscores the need for a good website: “My contractors are investing a lot of time and money on their sites. It is often their main marketing tool. If someone is looking for information on a contractor, he or she will first of all go online to search for data; so, they want the site to be as good and representative as possible as it is the first impression the GCs receive when they look for a sub.”
Call it your business card, or your brochure, or your initial phone call, the company website increasingly is becoming the main point of introduction and entry.
It is well worth keeping in mind that these days the Yellow Pages spell: G-o-o-g-l-e.
Social Apps
Everybody’s talking about Facebook, that wonder of social networking whose IPO hit the street stumbling. How does it and its cousins, Twitter and LinkedIn, fare in our Internet day?
“We don’t use Facebook as a business,” says Rapaport. “It is really a personal platform in my view. We do, however, have a Component Assembly Systems Twitter account (@CAS_Drywall), with some users following us. Of course, we don’t tweet sensitive data or suggestions to our competitors, so we’re still trying to establish the right fit for Twitter in our business right now. It’s really a quiet presence but I also have a personal Twitter account (@johnrapaport), which I think everyone will also have one day. Twitter is the hottest technology and will be ubiquitous soon like email became in the mid- to late 1990s.
“As for LinkedIn, we have an unofficial group there—about a third of our employees are members. Also, we use it to examine candidates for employment.”
“I use LinkedInfor business but not Facebook,” says O’Connor. “Facebook appears to take the place of interpersonal contact for many who use it. They spend hours posting what they have done, are accomplishing and/or intend to do. It seems very self-focused. ‘Look at ME’ it screams, whereas old-fashioned conversation required at least some indication that you cared for the other person.
“LinkedIn, on the other hand, is a resource with many potential benefits. The groups provide opportunities to learn what others are thinking and are concerned about, and the connections provide a host of resources. I use this at least three times a week to do research or contact others.”
“I really don’t use Facebook at all,” says Burley. “I don’t need another screen to bury my face in. But I use LinkedIn to stay in touch with colleagues and business associates, tracking them as they move around. LinkedIn provides more conduits for information about the business.”
“I use LinkedIn every day,” says Brinkerhoff. “I find it very useful.”
“I’ve never used Twitter,” says Biddle. “And to be honest, I don’t really care where people are eating lunch or dinner and what they are doing 24/7.”
The consensus is that Facebook and Twitter, though both enormously popular, do not have a good fit for our industry. LinkedIn, on the other hand, receives thumbs-up from most, who see it as a business application of great use.
The Wish List
With the virtual sea of Internet applications available today, are there any missing ones? What applications would make our job easier, and our time more efficient?
Rapaport believes that Building Information Modeling (BIM) will eventually be huge. “As bandwidth increases we’ll be able to move these large 3D files around and synchronize them between host servers, or in the cloud, and our local machines or devices,” he says. “Add to that 4D of scheduling and the 5D of cost, and we would have an amazing tool to work with from the inception of a project all the way through to completion.”
Antone agrees: “For consulting, it would be great to have cloud access to BIM, so you can have a conversation with the BIM model available for all to view.”
Says Nesse: “My favorite Internet applications organize things—my files, my professional relationships, etc.—and I would welcome any new applications that automate the daily tasks we all must undertake.”
“We are looking into developing our own application to make it easier for our clients to do business with us,” says Taylor. “Our aim is to tie all of our services together in one application that clients will use to interface with us.”
Adds Daley: “I believe it won’t be long before we will download plans that include all the quantities of material already taken off. Today’s CAD and BIM programs are just starting to include ways to extract material quantities. This will have an interesting effect on bids.”
For Heering, his wish is not so much for additional applications as for a more efficient network. “We like to transmit project and time-sheet data from the field to the office, wherever the field is,” he says. “Too often, however, we find that we don’t have a signal, or that it is so weak that the transmission drops. Until the access is uniform and stable, we cannot wholly depend on the Internet. I believe that when satellite Internet becomes as affordable as GPS, we’ll see another huge surge in usage and applications, especially in our business.”
It seems that if one wish could come true sooner rather than later, it would be for a functional, accessible BIM in the cloud, accessible to all concerned.
The Good and The Bad
Can there be too much of a good thing?
“While the Internet has value in great information and saved time,” suggests O’Connor, “I fear that the more technical we become, the further we find ourselves from the skills of interpersonal communication and the use of our language.
“Also, even though we can now store data and documents electronically, they also become easier to lose due to the potential for corruption.”
Burley agrees: “The downside of too much technology might be that we risk losing personal communication skills, especially the skill to listen. We also tend to lose the art of writing, the skill to pen a good letter.”
Smith has also given this some thought: “The good of new technology is the instantaneous transfer and sharing of information among many. This allows a running conversation among those concerned to resolve shared issues.
“The down side, as I see it, is the loss of human interaction. It is easier to reply to an email than to make a call, leading to less customer contact. Also, you can easily be offended by email if the author isn’t careful how he or she words things, whereas on the phone or in person you can hear the tone of voice and better understand what the speaker intends to say.”
For Taylor, technology is indeed a double-edge sword. “Of course it is good that things move faster,” he says. “In the past we used to print three or four copies of all specs and plans for each sub and distribute them through mail or messenger. Going digital has saved us $250,000 a year.
“We have to be careful, though, not to lose the personal touch between people, by not meeting in person, by not seeing another face. Email is sometimes too reactive, it can sound nasty at times. We must not lose the humanity of our interchange. That’s the danger.”
(When it comes to email, keep in mind the Ambrose Bierce quote: “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”)
Tumey offers this view, “We work harder today than 10 years ago. We no longer have a reason—like waiting for a reply—not to work. While we do work smarter, we do work more.”
Says Mettler, “We cannot process everything that is out there, and a lot of people are becoming really stressed out. Today, you get everything in three minutes, scanned and emailed rather than faxed. It all happens almost too quickly. I think it adds to stress. We don’t have time to decompress. Too often, I work at home as well these days, when I should be out cycling, recharging.”
“The good news,” says Biddle, “is that things are more readily available. The bad news is that things are more readily available. Many of the advances in technology are very good things. BIM, if coordinated from the owner down, is by far the greatest technological advancement in our field in years. But jobs are no longer allowed to progress at a normal pace. The instant need for answers can sometimes be ridiculous. I sometimes feel like an evil person if I don’t respond to an email or a phone call within the hour.”
“The Internet is great up to a point,” offers Heering. “But I think we are getting so many ways to send information or make contact with someone that perhaps our productivity is reduced by the time it takes to answer the different ways we have to communicate with someone.
“Between phones and email we are already using up a good portion of the day, and if you start adding Twitter accounts, Facebook and other means of communication to the mix we will spend all of our time talking instead of doing what we need to do to run our business.
“Also, you need that face-to-face or that voice to maintain the human relationship. We must not be reduced to just a [email protected].”
Like all innovation, like all technology, the Internet can be a blessing or a curse. It really is up to the driver. The key is to drive the car—not to let the car drive you.
Los Angeles–based Ulf Wolf writes for the construction industry as Words & Images.
