Krueger Brothers Construction: Boosting efficiency by 25% with online payments

Their goal: Improve job site communication with better access to data

When signing on to use Buildertrend, they wanted to ensure that every step in the client lifecycle was available and documented in one place.

“Our end goal is to have one system for all our data and communication, so our team can find information easily and communicate effectively,” Michael said. “We want to ensure happy clients with the ability to scale.”

Buildertrend is a one-stop construction project management solution for streamlining cashflow with online payments, ensuring effective communication with clients and documenting job information in one place.

Their solution: Online payment processing and real-time communication

One of the first successes the Krueger brothers saw when first signing up was the ability to offer online payments options through Buildertrend Payment Processing.

“Using credit card and ACH payments inside Buildertrend is super powerful,” Michael said. “Clients are able to pay directly from the Customer Portal. So, seeing the payments reflected in Buildertrend has been super helpful. And having a credit card option is great for clients who aren’t quite ready to write a full check.”

Offering online payments has not only been helpful for their clients, but they’re also seeing the value in being able to track contracts and invoices digitally. Now, nothing gets missed.

“With a click of a button, you’re able to see what the remaining balance is,” Michael said. “When we’re done with a project, we can look at the project summary, turn it into an invoice and bill the client for the remaining amount.”

Being able to offer clients different online options for making payments has also helped the Krueger Brothers team streamline their financial processes.

“Online payments helped with cash flow and getting paid faster,” Michael said. “You’re able to view project summaries for each job and see the original contract price, change orders that have been applied and payments the client has made toward the contract.”

Michael recalls one particular instance where having the option of online payments proved to be the saving grace. Before finishing the project, their clients were relocated overseas. And what would have been a challenge for a company only using paper checks was no problem for Krueger Brothers because of Buildertrend budgeting software.

“The client didn’t want to use a credit card, so instead of mailing a check, they were able to log in to the Customer Portal and make a payment through the ACH feature,” Michael said. “And it was a fast process. I remember that because it was a lifesaver allowing them to pay their invoice quickly.”

In addition to online payments, Michael and his team have seen the benefits of using change orders and the Daily Log feature within Buildertrend.

“Being able to create change orders on site in a very simple way and having the client sign off has been great,” Michael said. “It’s nice not having to go back to the office to print something off and go back and forth.”

As for Daily Logs, Michael calls them a game changer.

“Being able to log what’s happened on site on a daily basis – progress, conversations with a client, updates from the project manager – in a thread has been a game changer for us,” Michael said. “Anyone on our team can access Daily Logs and see where the conversation left off at.”

And with these key features, it’s no secret that Buildertrend has helped the Krueger Brothers team save both time and money.

“I don’t have a specific number, but the number of hours saved has been tremendous,” Michael said. “If I had to make a conservative guess, I’d say we’re at least 25% more efficient with Buildertrend.”

Their success: Unlocked how to improve communication with clients

So, would they recommend Buildertrend to other contractors? Without a doubt.

“I’d recommend Buildertrend because of the ability to communicate in real time with the client regardless of their location,” Michael said. “In our city, we have multiple military bases, so sometimes our customers aren’t home while we’re doing the work. Customers being able to see real time updates and ask questions has just been spot on.”