In recent years, remote work has exploded in popularity. The COVID-19 pandemic ignited the big push for remote work, but many companies still offer remote options.
While some companies have chosen to return to the office, remote work isn’t going anywhere. By 2025, it’s estimated that 32.6 million Americans—about 22% of the workforce—will work remotely.
So, how do you successfully run your roofing business remotely? Specifically, how can you manage roofing contractors remotely? In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits and drawbacks of remote work and show you how to effectively manage your roofing team from afar.
Running a Remote Roofing Company
In the roofing industry, you’ll still need contractors on-site to execute roofing jobs. But that doesn’t mean you must conduct your business operations out of an office.
Let’s take a closer look at what running a remote roofing company entails. First, we’ll examine the benefits before identifying key challenges you’ll need to overcome.
The Benefits
Here are some of the benefits of running your roofing business remotely:
- Lower operating costs
- More flexibility
- Higher job satisfaction
- Increased productivity
- Broader talent pool
The Challenges
Managing a remote team does come with its own challenges. For example, here are some key challenges remote companies face:
- Isolation
- Communication issues
- Disjointed technology
Tips for Managing Roofing Contractors Remotely
Here are some tips to help you navigate managing roofing contractors remotely.
Communicate Daily with Teams
Communication, especially clear and robust communication, is crucial to successfully managing remote teams. Managing your company is impossible if you don’t know what’s happening.
That’s why implementing daily check-ins can help you stay informed. They ensure everyone stays up to date on the latest projects and knows their priorities.
You can do these check-ins through a standing 15-minute call or an online tool.
It’s a good idea to invest in a communication tool like Slack or Microsoft Teams. Both tools offer messaging features and video calls. While email is great in some situations, it can be slow and clunky compared to business messaging apps.
Ultimately, choosing the communication tool is completely up to you. What’s important is that you stay in the loop on projects, and your teams know the best way to reach you.
Document Processes and Workflows
Document, document, document. Since the heart of your business exists online, documenting critical processes and workflows becomes extremely important.
Processes and workflows are there to help you manage your business and ensure your teams know what’s expected of them. Without proper documentation, how can you expect your team to understand what’s going on or how to handle certain issues?
Sticking to processes and workflows is crucial. It can be a slippery slope if you start to throw processes out the window. Consistency is key in any business setting, but it becomes especially crucial in a remote workplace.
In an office setting, it’s easy to run over to someone’s desk for a short conversation. However, these conversations can quickly become confusing in an online environment.
Prioritizing processes and staying consistent can help you successfully manage your teams remotely.
Use Roofing Software
Investing in the right technology is essential to successfully managing remote teams. Without the right tools, your company can quickly devolve into chaos.
That’s why you need to invest in a high-quality roofing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. Roofing software lets you manage all of your projects in one place.
Using a roofing software solution like JobNimbus can help you:
- Manage jobs
- Streamline billing
- Automate your workflow
- Organize leads
- Optimize sales
Set Clear Expectations and Promote Accountability
Creating clear guidelines and expectations for your team (and documenting them) is essential to setting everyone up for success.
Establishing expectations for your team helps build trust at your company and ensures you’re on track to meet business goals. When expectations aren’t met, enforcing accountability for yourself and your team is crucial.
The lack of accountability in the workplace can quickly lead to a toxic work culture of finger-pointing and unmotivated employees. Instead, promote a positive work environment rooted in accountability.
As a leader, you set the tone for your team. By taking accountability yourself, it shows your team that they can be accountable as well.
Enhance Your Business with Roofing Software
With the right tools and priorities in your corner, you can successfully manage a team of roofing contractors remotely. To make your job even easier, consider investing in a roofing CRM like JobNimbus.
JobNimbus has helped thousands of roofing professionals get control of their business, and its 5-star reputation speaks for itself.
Book a demo with JobNimbus and see how our software can revolutionize your roofing business!
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