5 Features To Look For When Choosing Roofing Contractor Software Solutions

If you are a roofing contractor, you need to know all about the best roofing materials and how to find the hardest working crews, but you also need the right software in place to help with the financial aspects of your business. Looking for roofing contractor software solutions? Ideally, you should search for the following features.

1. Easy to Use

Whether you're buying roofing contractor software or any other type of program, you want it to be as intuitive and user-friendly as possible. To get a sense of how the software works, see if you can start with a free trial period where you can test out features without taking a financial risk.

If that's not possible, look for demos. See if you can find videos showing you exactly how the software's key functions work. Alternatively, read reviews from other roofing contractors and see what they have to say about the software's user interface.

2. Handles Estimates

In any business, you need to track incoming revenue and expenses, but if you're a roofer, you need software that goes a step further and helps you create estimates. Ideally, you want to be able to generate estimates based on the materials you're using, number of hours you plan to spend on the project, target profit margin, and other inputs. Then, you should be able to format the estimate in a way that makes sense for prospective clients.

3. Remote Capabilities

As a roofing contractor, you spend a lot of time out in the field and on job sites. To ensure that you can handle the numbers wherever you are, you should look for roofing contractor software with remote capabilities. Then, if you need to add in an extra expense while you are buying singles or nails at the hardware store, you can do that easily. Similarly, if your administrative assistant or bookkeeper needs to access the software, cloud-based software makes it easy to do that from the office or from their laptop when working at home.

4. Syncs With Other Apps

You're probably using a variety of different types of apps and software already, and for best results, you should choose roofing contractor software that syncs with your existing software. For instance, if your workers are using a certain time tracking app, you want those numbers to automatically transfer to your main software. Similarly, you want your software to be able to sync with your online bank account records, your invoicing software, and your tax prep software.

5. Updates Automatically

There are constantly new accounting rules and taxation laws coming into play, and to ensure that you are always on the right page, you want software that updates automatically. Then, whether you're calculating sales tax on your labor or determining when to account for certain revenue, you know that the software has the latest elements in place.