Whilst the impact of COVID-19 has undoubtedly been challenging for the construction sector, it has also accelerated demand and willingness for digitalisation in the industry. With our recent research finding that profit margins for construction projects already averaged at just two percent, many companies are turning to digital solutions to help optimise processes and boost efficiency to prevent this figure from shrinking any further. But adoption is key – if newly purchased digital solutions are not widely used, construction firms will miss out on these benefits and won’t get a good return on their investment.

Rolling out a new digital tool company-wide can be difficult and may even be met with resistance, particularly where workers are used to paper-based, manual processes and communication channels. Moreover, adoption will always be limited if workers don’t have the digital skills to use it in the first place. So, to maximise the benefits of digitalisation, construction companies must work to onboard everyone successfully and give them the confidence to ‘go digital’.

The four steps to adoption

There are four key steps construction firms can take around worker onboarding to ensure users are confident with a new digital solution:

• For teams to work effectively through a new digital solution or platform, they must be able to immediately see the benefits it can bring to their work. As such, ease-of-use is crucial when choosing a new digital solution so workers can quickly see how the tool helps them. Finalcad, for instance, offers services like off-site training and kick-off sessions to help workers benefit from the platform from day one, and drive uptake. 
•  
• Prove the change is positive
• To lead change management, construction firms must show teams that the new solution will not make their lives harder. With Finalcad, for instance, users will simply find the ‘digital twin’ of their existing legacy business processes in the app. These existing workflows are then streamlined to become more efficient, which boosts employees’ productivity. 
•  
• Support customisation
• In Finalcad, users can customise their individual profile so it suits their preferred way of working. For instance, they can choose how they receive notifications, as well as customise the forms and checklists they use on a daily basis so it matches their specific job role or site.
•  
• Staying in touch
• Finally, checking in with teams to find out how they are using a new tool will be key. 62 percent of respondents in our recent research of construction leaders said a lack of collaboration was the biggest cause of project delays. Ensuring all teams are using the same communication platform – whether developer, architect, or contractor, is essential for driving adoption and return on investment. 
•  

Ensuring return on investment

Finalcad is built with ease-of-use in mind to ensure that workers feel confident using it regardless of their technical skill level – ensuring construction companies get a high return on their investment. For instance, the app offers the same user-friendly experience across a range of devices and operating systems, including mobile, tablet, Apple and Android. It is also designed to be intuitive – users can send pictures through the app, for instance, and it takes just three taps to flag a defect.

To find out more about how Finalcad can be used to support projects, contact us: