When he founded Pacific Foundation Inc. in January 2012, Michael Zeman knew he had to have the right team and tools in place for the new business to be successful. In addition, with the rapid growth experienced by the geotechnical construction company in its first year, as it became a $5 million business with approximately 20 employees, Zeman realized the firm needed a complete management solution to streamline all of its construction operations in the office and in the field.
MOVING TO COMPLETE
Pacific Foundation, based in Vancouver, Washington, turned to Maxwell Systems ProContractorMX, an all-in-one construction business management software solution that provides contractors with end-to-end control and seamless workflow across all areas of their businesses from takeoff and estimating through job cost accounting and project management, and ultimately critical reporting and analysis—not to mention the requisite mobile capabilities.
“We wanted to integrate mobile devices for timecards and project management,” explains Zeman. “We had experience with other software systems, but none offered full integration of mobile devices, accounting, estimating, and project management.”
Zeman adds: “What has sold us on the platform is the similarity of functions throughout ProContractorMX. Once you learn one aspect of the program, it is easy to transition into others. We started with the accounting module and found it very easy to learn and much more efficient than other accounting programs. After the accounting software was understood, utilizing the estimating and project management features was a natural next step that was relatively painless.”
GOING MOBILE
Zeman explained that while the user interface is probably the most appreciated aspect of ProContractorMX, he sees Mobile Connect as the most impressive feature. By providing supervisors with real-time access to project information, no matter if they are in the office or in the field, Mobile Connect eliminates the need to lug around bulky, out-of-date, and incomplete job folders. Pacific Foundation’s supervisors can easily access timely project information, track progress of projects, and directly input employee timecards and daily reports while at the jobsite.
“Equally important is that the flow of data is not just from the field to the office,” he adds. “ProContractorMX is equally adept at allowing project managers to place items into a virtual binder that flows to users in the field. This can include project safety documents, plans and specifications, and any critical document for the project. It is also very useful for managers who can easily access project billings, account payable, and other critical cost controls for projects, in real time, regardless of whether or not they are in the office.”
EXPEDITING ACCOUNTING PROCESSES
“Without question, the single biggest benefit has been in the accounting department,” says Zeman. “Every task is faster using ProContractorMX. We have reduced the time required to process payroll by a minimum of 25 percent when compared to other systems.”
ProContractorMX helps Pacific Foundation manage the payroll process by meeting the ever-changing government and construction regulations, while automatically updating all costing and financial records for complete accuracy.
Zeman adds, “Processing invoices and payments is equally efficient and is simple enough to teach within a few minutes to a new employee. We have also saved a great deal of time in the preparation of invoices. The unit price breakdown and billing reports are very easy to use.”
Previous challenges involved processing billings on a separate schedule of values and billing forms, and then enter information into the accounting software. Now using ProContractorMX, the company appreciates that the solution performs all of these functions without the need for separate software and the billing forms can be easily modified to meet professional taste or project-specific requirements.
The robust cost management and complete line of financial reports in ProContractorMX enable Pacific Foundation to have strict control and flexible processing of their financial obligations, giving Zeman and his team peace of mind for making important business decisions.
FORMING A PARTNERSHIP
To support its customers, Maxwell Systems is a dedicated technology partner that offers comprehensive support, maintenance, training, and consulting services.
Zeman shares his thoughts on Maxwell Systems beyond the software: “The service from Maxwell Systems has been second to none for the product. From the professionalism and knowledge of our sales agent to the speed with which the support staff resolves issues, we have been extremely impressed.”
He continues, “In addition to the helpful staff, the built-in help system is very useful for answering most questions during setup or initial use. We found that the platform was designed to be user friendly, and expect all of our training to be outstanding and consistent with the other aspects of Maxwell’s support system.” ■
About The Author:
Dan Lehman, vice president, product management at Maxwell Systems, headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. He can be reached at dlehman@maxwellsystems.com, or at 800.688.8226. For more information on Maxwell Systems, visit www.maxwellsystems.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, March 2013
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