A conversation with Casey Powers, vice president of marketing, ExakTime
Casey Powers knows the value of time, and in a recent interview he shared about ExakTime’s position in the industry and its innovative approach to help contractors carve out more time by streamlining the jobsite attendance and time card process.
How’s business for ExakTime? Is that indicative of the construction market overall?
POWERS: We’ve seen a steady increase in business over the past couple of years—with last year breaking a few all-time sales records. We continue to add new customers while our existing customer base is purchasing new products and services from us—which tells us that the market has finally turned a corner. Many of our customers have reinforced that notion with conversations we’ve had with them, and industry stats show that 2012 was a big step in the right direction for residential construction. We expect that 2013 will be a rebound year for commercial construction as well.
What has influenced ExakTime and its software/hardware  product offerings?
POWERS: ExakTime was founded more than 13 years ago by a contractor who was tired of getting ripped off by paper time cards. We’ve been at the forefront of the construction time and attendance market since then, and we have an extensive network of customers and contractors who help contribute to the list of features we’ve added to our hardware and software over the years. We’ll often create surveys that help us guide the decision-making process and the development of new, innovative products, like our JobClock® Hornet, the first-ever wireless, rugged time clock for construction. Hornet won the 2012 Most Innovative Product award and quickly became the industry leader in wireless time clock sales. Hornet utilizes cellular technology to wirelessly send time records automatically from remote jobsites back to the contractor’s office—benefitting contractors in fuel and cost savings.
hornet-clockin
What is one facet of business that can make a positive difference in a contractor’s operations?
POWERS: Getting rid of paper time cards and automating labor tracking and payroll is probably the single most cost-saving step a contractor can make. It will save them from paying employees for hours not worked, help them control overtime costs, save their bookkeepers time, and save fuel costs spent driving out to jobsites to pick up time sheets. Having these digital time records import directly into their own payroll software can literally save tens of thousands of dollars every year in payroll collection.
How have the advances of technology impacted the construction industry? How does ExakTime add benefit for the contractor?
POWERS: Technology has touched just about every area of construction—power tools are more durable and run off of high-capacity batteries, heavy equipment operation is more versatile and fuel efficient, and so forth. Communication using mobile phones and GPS technology allows contractors to easily stay in touch with crews and jobsites. We’ve done a great job developing our own technology for our products or utilizing the fantastic technology that is available in our customers’ mobile phones. ExakTime Mobile’s Field Notes tool, which allows users to record audio, video, and text notes in the field, and GPS time tracking features all utilize the most powerful technology people already carry with them: their smartphones.
What is your forward outlook for the construction industry? For ExakTime?
POWERS: The construction industry has weathered the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression. I think businesses are much wiser than they have been in the past—watching their bottom line is more important than ever. We’ve seen some big and small contractors’ business cut in half during this troubling period. But the worst should be behind us. There has definitely been a positive turnaround in the construction industry. We’re happy to see recurring sales with existing customers and new customers coming onboard every day—good times are ahead. ExakTime never stopped developing innovative time and attendance solutions for the construction market during this time. In fact, we launched a couple of our most innovative products within the last few years, JobClock Hornet and FaceFront Biometrics for ExakTime Mobile. The turnaround has begun, and ExakTime is contributing by helping contractors be more productive and more profitable. ■
For More Information:
Casey Powers is vice president of marketing with ExakTime. For more information about Exaktime, visit www.exaktime.com.
_________________________________________________________________________
Modern Contractor Solutions, April 2013
Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to the FREE Digital Edition of Modern Contractor Solutions magazine.
BUTTON_ClickHere