3 Tips for Using Tech Solutions to Hire & Retain Top Notch Estimators

A staggering 91% of contractors had trouble hiring enough skilled workers in 2022. You know this all too well - you’ve felt the crunch in your own contracting business. Be it fencing, concrete, synthetic turf, or any of a hundred specialties, it’s becoming increasingly harder to find, attract, and retain a high-performing workforce. 

Fortunately, there are clever strategies for helping you build your team, and primary among them is technology. That’s right, adopting technology solutions can help you beat the system, especially when it comes to hiring sales reps - one of your most crucial positions.

The Tech Boom - Contractor Edition

How does tech help? Technology can make a rep’s everyday work easier, faster, and more reliable, allowing a rep or estimator the ability to move faster, bid more jobs with greater accuracy, and earn more commission. Not to mention the fact that tech makes their job easier (by far, in many cases). 

It also simplifies the hiring process. By leveraging technology solutions, your contracting business can post open jobs on major job boards, spreading the love and allowing you to gather as many strong candidates as possible in one place.

But first, let’s not forget the basics - mobile technology they can take into the field.

How to Enhance Sales Rep Efficiency through Technology

Equipping your reps/estimators with mobile devices is something we’ve been talking about for years, and we’re not alone. The push for efficient mobility is not new, but the case for employing it to make a sales rep’s life easier is powerful. 

Technology solutions exist that allow a rep to take a tablet into the field and sketch the job while producing accurate estimates, onsite quotes, and detailed materials lists. A platform like ArcSite, for instance, will allow them to draw a site with their finger on a tablet, turn that into an instant quote, and support your business every step of the way. 

In addition, mobile apps and hardware allow your representatives to be more professional in the field and provide the capability to go over estimates and proposals in the field. Equally useful is the ability to accept payments right there in real time. 

But don’t overlook the power of the hardware itself. Whether you choose Apple, Android, or Windows devices, make sure they have enough juice to run the programs and apps you need. Otherwise, the frustration will be all a rep remembers after using the software.

Changing employment dynamics lead to the need for a new hiring strategy

There’s no way around this one - hiring is hard. Not only do you need bodies in the field, you have to hire quality talent, and you need to do it at scale to keep the plates spinning. You’ll be glad to know that the right tech can make hiring much easier and faster.

But how to attract talent? First, you need an employer brand. No matter how small your business, you have to have a personality - make it sound like a job description is a conversation between you and your future employees. Is your business casual? Then make your listings friendly and approachable. Talk to soon-to-be team members like they are already on your team. Be engaging and personable. Act like you’re excited to get started with them on the next stage of their careers!

To hire, you have to get your posting out there. Job boards are critical, but you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. There are many job boards out there, and uploading, filtering and just generally keeping up with all those listings can be incredibly difficult and time consuming.  

Hiring systems such as HIRECLICK (www.hireclick.com) can autopost jobs to all the job boards and allow you to manage applications from one account. If you’re hiring just two installers and an estimator/sales rep, a hiring solution like this can save you an enormous amount of time and is surprisingly affordable.

Without even touching on the complexity, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd to attract your new talent. Competition is ferocious for good workers, and that makes hiring that much harder. Always make sure that applying is a simple, intuitive and streamlined process for candidates (and for you!). 

Enhance Collaboration and Communication

Few frustrations are as great as a lack of collaboration. It may not sound like it, but you’ve doubtless faced this challenge repeatedly. How many times have you lost a paper copy of a takeoff list, or a proposal, or a work order? Eliminating paper processes in favor of a clean, modern cloud storage and collaboration platform can uncover worlds of efficiency that you and your sales reps will love. 

Stop worrying about where that piece of paper might be, and start leveraging the power of the cloud for collaboration and communication. Remember, it’s all about reducing frustration while improving your bottom line. 

About HIRECLICK

HIRECLICK is a simple, affordable hiring solution that empowers small businesses to instantly improve their hiring results. HIRECLICK simplifies the hiring process for over 3000 clients through an easy to use, all-in-one hiring platform. Simple flat rate pricing, no set up fees, and flexible account options make HIRECLICK the leading option for small businesses looking to hire.

About ArcSite

ArcSite is the leading mobile CAD app for the contracting industry - and a lot more. Not only can reps draw the job on a tablet easily, the drawing prices itself with your materials and margins. Then your reps can create a shareable proposal right there in the field, and generate an accurate takeoff list. And all of this functionality is saved to secure cloud storage so you never have to lose a vital piece of paper again.

Don't forget to visit HIRECLICK for a special discount for ArcSite users!

Hiring is perhaps your biggest challenge. Attracting and retaining top talent is critical for your business, so put technology on your side.