Daniel DeVol Custom Builder has one main goal in mind - to provide the very best homebuilding experience for their clients. Dan DeVol, along with his wife Erika and a part-time bookkeeper, make up the lean operation that has become one of the premiere custom home builders in the Dayton, Ohio area.
In late 2009, Dan began using CoConstruct to manage everything from client communications, selections, daily job logs, schedules and project budgets.
Simplified day-to-day project management
Running 3 to 5 open book projects at a time with a small team is no easy task, and Dan realized early on they needed a platform to help streamline everything. After running into some roadblocks with a few other systems, Dan was on the hunt for something new.
“It was so complex, it just did not work for us,” said Devol of a previous construction management software. “They actually ended up giving me my money back.”
After an exchange of messages on an online forum with our CEO Donny Wyatt and a quick overview of CoConstruct, he immediately knew it was the right platform for their business. Devol then began the process of switching and moving over data for two active projects they were working on. With the client experience being of utmost importance, initial meetings with the two clients whose projects had been moved over reinforced the fact that he made the right decision in switching platforms.
“I called both clients and went over and sat down with them. I told them I’ve got a new system and immediately they were able to use it and better interact with the platform,” stated Devol.
The improved client experience was able to be seen in a number of different areas. From detailed selections sheets, providing full transparency on their budget page, and all email and text communications being logged, the amount of data they were now able to show clients was a game changer. Internally, integrating with Quickbooks provides real-time, accurate job costing, while tying in sub-contractors with schedules keeps everybody on the same page about where they need to be. Additionally, daily job logs help them stay organized and up-to-date on everything happening in the field - and for Dan eliminates the need to carry around a notebook.
“I can walk the job and put in my notes directly into the job log. And then I don’t have to worry about it,” explained Devol. “It’s not written on a piece of paper or in a notebook - I don’t like carrying around a notebook. Then I can go back to my office, search the logs and choose how to act on that data - create a to-do, change a selection.”
Peace of mind
Accurate job costing, coordinating schedules and keeping clients informed are some of the many daily tasks that CoConstruct will help facilitate. But it’s not only going to affect you positively in a professional manner. The positive effects on your personal life are often overlooked, but the impact is truly profound.
“It’s my matrix (referring to the movie). At the end of the day, I can shut things down,” stated Devol. “Everything is handled within CoConstruct - every comment, every selection, every text message. If I get a comment at night, I can just swipe it away and worry about it in the morning with my green updates. It separates me and gives me some peace of mind.”
We look forward to another decade of working with Daniel Devol Custom Builder.
