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Technology pays, and keeps on paying — if you do it right. As such, if you haven't considered upgrading your technology — and I mean all of your technology — you could wind up with excess expense, more time on a job than necessary and, in the end, less profits.

A lot of you made the trek to CONEXPO-CON/AGG in March to explore the equipment offerings. I pounded the pavement for two days and, in addition to talking to equipment vendors, I spent some time in the "soft" area of the show where the latest in information technology was exhibited. In short, I was quite impressed with what is available to just about every contractor in the business. Both equipment and software vendors had new or planned technology additions or services on display.

Technology saves time and costs
JLG, for example, has a new "gizmo" it is adding to its bigger units that will inform the owner about machine status and display maintenance codes that need attention. Not only will it inform you about what needs fixing, it will provide the maintenance steps required, including what parts need work or replacement. There is even some thought about adding a flat rate time requirement to complete the repair — you would know what it will cost you when equipment breaks down. Overall, using this technological advance helps you to spot problems before they get worse, and thus add to your bottom line.

On the software side, there are very cost-effective systems available that can prepare cost estimates and bids, with the ability to make adjustments on the fly. Most also have a billing component that will use the cost data that has been entered to generate invoices based on the billing parameters you set up. Getting cost estimates off of a set of plans is also readily available.

Using computers in the field is now standard operating procedure. They allow you to:

• order or call off rental equipment
• get the home office to send materials
• keep current time records
• look up maintenance records
• review plans and changes
• check the status of customer and/or subcontractor billing
• check delivery schedules

In conclusion, just about any data you need is available on the laptop you take with you into the field. Heck, you can even get pictures if you need them. When you think of the time and effort that goes into finding the same data using phones and pieces of paper vs. using electronic means, it's easy to see how your efficiency improves by using technology.