Over the years, Rick Westmoreland says, he has found that those in the building industry do not spend 90% of their time scheduling work. Instead, “they spend 90% of their time rescheduling their work and telling people what changed.” So Westmoreland, founder and president of Jobsite On Time (JOT), developed the software as a service known as JobsiteOnTime.com.
A scheduling engine, the service links all the players on a project. Users build a network of suppliers and trade partners who log in and view their own tasks. You can bid on work from other contractors on the network as well as send out RFPs. Can’t find a cabinet contractor? Invite someone to use the site. “Once you assign [someone a] job, [the service] automatically schedules them in. If there’s a change in their schedule and they haven’t logged in, an e-mail gets sent out letting them know,” Westmoreland says.
Easy Updates
David Lindsey, owner of H.E.R.O. — Home Exterior Remodeling Outlet — in Kansas City, Mo., started using JobsiteOnTime.com 18 months ago. Among other things, the service allows him to keep track of weather-related scheduling, which is important to his business. He says that he makes changes to the schedule with one click and then sends an e-mail alerting all the parties. “It’s been a valuable tool and it’s easy to use,” says Lindsey, who admits that he’s “not the most computer-literate guy in the world.”
The site has two special features. One is a link to Energy ARM (automated retrofit management) — “The place where we’re linking the audit industry with the contracting industry,” Westmoreland says. “It can lead to remodelers finding the money that’s out there for energy-related work.” The other is the ability to create individual Twitter accounts for a project — for alerts and schedule updates.
The JobsiteOnTime.com service costs $34.95 per month, but you can do the first job for free, and if you like the service, you can start paying monthly. You can stop anytime you want, and support service is available.
—Stacey Freed, senior editor, REMODELING.
