$hopping for a computeri,2Gd estirn,ati:h,g sVstem

I,trlITH THE increasing battle

V V for the, contractor's dollar, building,material dealers know that they must provide a higher level of service than,their,cornpetition. One way is to offer fast, accurate materials estimating.

Unfortunately, doing estimates manually is tedious, time consuming and, in the building:materials business, often necessary. ReeentIy, however, many dealerS have found a way to decrease the tediousness of estimating while improving its accuracy, The solu-' tion? A new computerized estimating system.

S'o what should you look for in an estimating system?

:: , One of the most impodant things a computerized system should do is reduce 11our estimating time signifi. Cantly; This allows sales people to Spend',:a: lot more time selling. It should also increase yotu accuracy.

Other things to check:

@ Dorr the system have the ability to adapt to the way you do business and allow you to customize take-offs by the,,builder?

@ Do"r it produce a materials list which includes related items such as rebar, mesh, drywall, insul lation, etc:, so you get a shot at the whole package?

@ Do"r the system produce estimateS in load list order?

,:

@ Can you customize the sys-

By,Debra Baker Enterprise Computer Systems, Inc. GreenviUe, S.C.

tem to meet your specifications? Are modifications easy to make?

@ e." reports easily customized?

@ Cun you convert cut lengths into stocking lengths automatically?

@ Do"r it give you the ability to do electronic take-offs for complex roof rafters and joists?

@ Is training and support provided?

@ Do", the estimating system interface witu' your point-of-sale system?

And don't foiget to get references. If the system does everything a vendor says it does, then you should have no trouble getting good references from users.

Remsmber,'by using a good computerized estimating system, you can make, your builders' jobs easier and more profitable, which will keep them coming back. All of which means more:profit on your bottom line.