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Understanding contractors who are resistant to technology

Updated Tuesday February 22nd, 2022 by Peter Houk
Step away from '04 and embrace the change--your bottom line will thank you.
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About the Author: Peter Houk

Peter Houk
As one of the founders of Prelien Pro, Peter oversees all technology procurement and development and is an avid soccer fan, boxer, traveler, husband, and father.
 
 
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"If you are one of those folks who still uses an @aol.com email and runs everything on a special set of 2004 spreadsheets that get passed around the office on floppy disks, you may have no clue how to go about unchaining yourself from the past and stepping out toward the modern sunlight." - Peter Houk.
 
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Sometimes a construction industry stereotype can be both funny AND true. Example: all contractors drive white trucks. Completely true? No. True enough to be sort of funny when you pull up to an industry event? Absolutely!

Another example: Contractors are often resistant to technological change. Again, not completely true but we all know there are still contractors that exchange fax numbers with a wink as though it's cutting edge, Elon Musk-level stuff. If you are one of those folks who still uses an @aol.com email and runs everything on a special set of 2004 spreadsheets that get passed around the office on floppy disks, you may have no clue how to go about unchaining yourself from the past and stepping out toward the modern sunlight.

If you have colleagues in your office trying to help like this, PLEASE step away from the fax machine before anyone gets hurt!

Here are some "Technology in Construction" tidbits:

  • The construction industry is one of the least digitized industries. [McKinsey Global Institute]
  • Nearly 60% of construction companies are not investing in any new technologies. [JB Knowledge]
  • 52% consider the needs of field staff a top consideration for investing in technology. [PlanGrid + FMI]
  • But only 28% actually receive feedback from field staff before investing in technology. [PlanGrid + FMI]
  • 40% of construction firms say new technology has not been implemented due to lack of support, followed closely by budget concerns at 37% and employee hesitance at 32%. [JB Knowledge]
  • 36% of construction professionals cited the reason technology failed was because of poor fit with current processes and procedures. [PlanGrid + FMI]

So, here's my take: there are dozens of reasons to use good, modern software in your construction firm so step away from 2004 and embrace the change--your bottom line will thank you.