Things to consider when implementing new estimating software

5 Tips for Training New Users on Estimating Software

Investing in new estimating software is a big step for your construction company. Getting your employees on board with the change means implementing, training, and adopting a new way of working. Big process changes bring new challenges when learning estimating software. Create an organizational plan and get to know your end users with the help of these five tips.

1. Create a Plan when Teaching New Software
Before you start training your team on how to use the new software, develop a plan to efficiently onboard your employees. Determine what your end goal is when implementing the system. When you are following a plan, you spend less time fixing mistakes and answering questions from your estimators. Many estimating software companies offer onboarding seminars when you purchase their products. Look over each software’s training options to see which one best fits your company’s needs.

2. Understand Your Employees’ Skillsets
Each of your employees has a different level of understanding when learning estimating software. You must assess their technical knowledge before you begin the training process. Some individuals may need more time to understand certain aspects of the software. Technology stress is real and should be acknowledged. Build in more training time for the challenging areas where employees may need it.

3. Explain Why You are Upgrading Your System
Your estimators may not understand the reason for the change and be hesitant toward using new software. To have an easy and successful training process, talk with your team about why you are implementing a better system for your construction company. Address the issues your construction company faces and how the software fixes these problems. Make sure your estimators recognize why you are upgrading the system. This decreases their resistance during training and positively affects their outlook on the new estimating software upgrade.

4. Ask for Feedback When Training New Estimators
When you are teaching new software, ask your team for their opinions. Do not wait until the end of training to have your employees ask questions or share their feedback. It is important to modify your plan based on the feedback you receive from your team. Adjust your plan to give more time for intermediate sections of training based on the responses. If your software users do not feel like they are trained properly, it increases the risk of implementation failure.

5. Stay Within Your Budget and Timeframe
When you are teaching new software to your estimators, it is going to take time. However, stay on task, implementation needs to be seamless. Utilizing the previous steps keeps you within your budget and schedule. Build enough extra time in your training and implementation stages to avoid having more “downtime” than necessary within your training plan.

If you have concerns about training new estimators for your software, TCLI is here every step of the way. Our construction estimating software comes with different options for training: virtual and online learning. Contact us today to see what option best suits your company when implementing our estimation software.