Construction companies are slow to embrace jobsite tech adoption & it’s not a good look
We hear about technology in construction all the damn time, and yet when it comes to jobsite tech adoption, the industry has totally dropped the ball on this one. Why? Because out of a number of surveyed construction companies via KPMG, the stats are dismal. 19% don’t use mobile tech for projects, out of the ones that do, 40% do not have them linked to an integrated system or broader project management system, and 70% can’t even be fussed to think about robotics or automated technology. 67% don’t even use data analytics for any aspect of project organization, and if this sounds like you, well, boy, are you in the right place. Up next, how you can improve jobsite tech adoption right now.
Keep It Easy
It’s not that the industry can’t handle hard tech, it’s that no one really wants to handle hard tech. So if results are what you’re after, you’re gonna want to start simple and easy. To get even the most skeptical employee on board with technology implementation, think bare basics with high impact. Translation? Pick a few tech tools you know will yield big changes with a minimal amount of work, like tools for streamlining daily logs or quality management software. Tools that improve jobsite drawings are also easy implementations, and tablets are always a favorite technology workers will respond to positively while also providing quality work on the field.
Implement the Right Tech With the Right IT People
Too many times, no one embraces jobsite tech adoption because the technology wasn’t configured or installed correctly in the first place. But how do you know what the right technology even is? First, ask yourself a few questions; does the tech improve at least one process in your business? Is the tech simple enough for your employees and subcontractors to use? If you are solving at least one problem on the jobsite and/or the technology you want to implement isn’t daunting, it’s the right tech for the right time. Then find the right tech team to actually implement it into your company. Correct installation is pretty much key to the success of your tech, so don’t cheap out when it comes to this otherwise all the tech in the world won’t matter.
Training, Baby
Yeah, it’s all about the training when it comes to most successful jobsite tech adoption stories. Without proper training, you’ll watch your subs and field workers sink faster than an anvil through water. But so many people get training wrong. So, what’s the right way to kick start your training to implement it into your company? Gauge your workers first and figure out what their individual skillsets are. Some workers you’ll find are whizzes at tech, others, not so much. It’s important you take everyone’s abilities into consideration before launching into an over-simplified or over-complicated training program, though, otherwise you’ll lose a lot of workers along the way. Survey your staff and find out what kind of training they are interested in. Are they hands on or visual? Or both? Training is all about connecting to the trainee and making sure they really get it. So don’t steamroll into a one-size fits all solution. Get hands on. Just remember that the less prepared an employee feels about new tech, the less likely they’ll use it, so aim to educate everyone.
Prepare for Feedback– & Lots of It
Not everyone is gonna love the new tech they’ll be tasked with learning, even if you make it super simple and have everything installed the right way and train to your heart’s content. And that’s ok. Roll with the punches. If someone doesn’t like the new technology, don’t just get frustrated, ask them why. Actually taking the time to open up a conversation about tech will demystify a lot of technology’s intimidation factor and give you insight into why some of your employees are tech-resistant. Embrace any and all type of feedback as a means to improve your processes, and follow-up with the people who don’t like technology to see if the changes you make are having an effect in the field. People are responsive when they feel like they are being heard, so listen to what your workers are saying and take it from there
Create Standardization
Once you start to iron out most of the kinks and really get the ball rolling on jobsite tech adoption, you can start to create standardization across the board. The first few technologies will always be a work-in-progress, but once you start to see a small level of success, don’t be scared to grow and get bigger. Getting into the world of more complicated tech will always be a challenge, but standardization allows you to tackle harder tech because it gives your company an implementation process and routine they can follow. Consistency is key for adoption to truly be successful and for you to get the most out of the technology you implement.
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