Transforming the Construction Industry with Cloud-Based, Integrated Software

Viewpoint
Written by fmgadmin

Viewpoint’s nearly 40 years of success can be attributed to its laser focus on the construction trade, unparalleled industry expertise, and reputation unequalled among technology companies. The company has always worked to help contractors improve productivity, decrease risk and maximize profits with a suite of construction technology solutions that integrate operations across financial and human resources systems as well as project and field teams.
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Viewpoint does more than just sell construction accounting and management software. The company is on a mission to transform the construction industry by connecting the office, team and field with integrated, cloud-based software designed to increase collaboration, productivity and profit margins.

For office workers, Viewpoint provides enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to automate central business functions like accounting, payroll, human resources (HR), estimating, project financial planning, equipment and materials, service management, and business intelligence.

For project teams, Viewpoint Team is an easy-to-use, collaborative project management platform that connects extended teams of subcontractors, suppliers, architects, owners, and other key stakeholders.

On the job site, contractors leverage Viewpoint Field View and Field Time mobile platforms to replace paper processes in the field for time capture, daily logs, punch lists, safety observations, inspections, defect management, commissioning and other factors important to the project.

“By connecting our clients’ office, team, and field operations and processes together with integrated software solutions that give them real-time answers and let them make real-time decisions, we’re doing what no other construction management software company can do right now,” says Abe Cohen, Viewpoint’s senior vice president of marketing. “We listen to our clients’ needs, involve them in development discussions and shape the software around real-world demands, while scaling the platform for future technology advancements.”

With nearly 8,000 customers in more than 20 countries, the company has a strong presence in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Viewpoint currently employs more than 700 hundred people globally and has around 50 vacant positions waiting to be filled – proof of its rapid expansion. The majority of these positions are in technical roles, implementation services and client success and support.

To support Viewpoint’s focus of helping its construction clients transform their businesses with technology, the team places a high value on research and development (R&D). The company’s ongoing reinvestment ensures fresh innovation and helps the company create the ‘next big thing’ to help reshape how construction companies make this happen. In the last 12 months alone, Viewpoint has increased construction-focused R&D investments by more than 30 percent.

Connecting the office, team and field operations
Viewpoint’s office, team and field approach begins with solutions for the back office – from robust accounting and financial management capabilities to job costing and project management to equipment and material tracking, service management and much more. Viewpoint’s Vista, Spectrum and ProContractor ERP platforms are designed to give contractors of all sizes the tools they need for complete financial and operational oversight.

In the field, intuitive mobile applications let on-site staff like project managers and superintendents easily access information in real time to keep projects moving, while allowing them to upload data to the back office in real time. Viewpoint’s Field View and Field Time are mobile solutions for field teams that increase productivity and effectiveness on the job site. They include digital time card capture, defects and safety management tracking, site diaries, daily reporting and more. The programs are available both online and off-line via any smart device while powerful mobile service management applications let technicians in the field process work orders, update job sites, and capture electronic signatures, turning them into their own managers.

Meanwhile, the Viewpoint Team platform delivers a collaborative environment that allows project managers, sub-contractors, architects, engineers and other stakeholders to have access to real-time data and powerful document management and sharing capabilities. This includes submission management, requests for information (RFI), document control, project status dashboards and more.

Viewpoint is the only technology company with the ability to integrate operations across the office, team and the field in real time – a huge differentiator for customers, which explains the software’s rapid adoption. Viewpoint Team, for example, is already being used by more than 100 clients despite its recent release, and this number is set to soar over the coming months.

While all Viewpoint solutions offer out-of-the-box value, Viewpoint frequently tailors solutions to clients’ specifications and implements systems accordingly for maximum adoption and long-term business value. Each package features a collection of modules that are carefully chosen and integrated to serve a client’s individual business structure and needs.

By understanding its clients’ needs, Viewpoint is able to partner with them to drive real success. Research firm Hobson & Company recently collaborated with Viewpoint on an independent study of client results from using Viewpoint software. A survey of more than 30 clients showed some incredible improvements including: a sharp increase in staff productivity, 50 percent reduction in the time it takes for billing processes, 50 percent reduction in tracking unapproved invoices, 40 percent reduction in managing change orders, 75 percent reduction in safety management and 50 percent reduction in field time in materials tracking. There was also a 30 percent reduction in project delays when using the software. Some clients even attributed increased revenue by over three percent to the software ROI.

Growth through leadership and commitment to serve customer needs
In recent years, Viewpoint has grown both organically and through acquisitions. The company has grown from a primarily office or ERP-focused software business to a fully integrated construction software company. Its modern solutions combine cloud technology, tools for big data analytics and business intelligence as well as tools like Xamirin, which enables development teams to publish software solutions simultaneously across all mobile platforms including iOS, Android and Windows. Incorporating next generation and cloud technology means that Viewpoint can offer onsite services while enabling contractors to focus on the business of construction rather than IT.

It is also part of an extensive ecosystem of more than 40 technology partners that build solution extensions that add further value to its products. A good example of this is its recent partnership with Nvoicepay, the leader in payment automation software. There is also its partnership with DroneDeploy which works together with Viewpoint Team, helping construction companies track job progress, save time and reduce risk with drone maps and 3D models.

As technology evolves, Viewpoint has attracted many new clients concerned about their existing software systems being limited in capability, having patched-together integration and unreliable data. With its commitment to continual investment and development into forward-thinking, scalable construction technologies to address contractors’ needs, Viewpoint has positioned itself as the leading supplier of trustworthy technology in the industry.

When clients join the Viewpoint family, they receive hands-on software implementation and training, as well as stellar maintenance and support. Clients also gain access to an extended peer and partner network. This includes user groups, of which there are roughly 40 around the United States and even more abroad, and online learning exchanges. There is also Viewpoint’s Collaborate User Conference, which attracts thousands of attendees each year, for several days of educational courses, training and networking. This means a massive network of connected people who freely exchange knowledge on thought leadership in the construction industry as well as Viewpoint product usage.

Growing industry construction software expertise
Adding to its growth and success is Viewpoint’s acquisition of Seattle-based Dexter + Chaney in July 2017. Viewpoint has had quite a few acquisitions over the years, but Cohen tells us that it was the smoothest, most successful acquisition of its kind he has seen in his career.

“We did a really strong job of integrating Dexter + Chaney and its flagship construction ERP product, Spectrum, which is one of our major products now,” Cohen says.

With the industry’s two leading construction software teams now working as one, Viewpoint can accelerate technology innovation and adoption throughout the construction industry. Proving demand for cutting-edge technology is setting the pace; Cohen notes there was none of the usual dip in sales that typically happens during these types of acquisitions. In fact, Spectrum’s record-breaking sales showed 80 percent growth over the previous year.

The company will continue to invest in Spectrum and is focusing on integrating some of its other Viewpoint solutions, like the team and field technologies into the Spectrum package to further its integrated construction technology stack.

Cohen attributes the merger’s success to the fact that the two companies had a very similar mission and mindset and were both well-versed in enabling customer success. This made it much easier to blend the two giants. Norbert Orth, the former chief executive officer of Dexter + Chaney who now serves as Viewpoint’s vice president of client services, is also a phenomenal leader, Cohen says. “He’s been wonderful in so many ways. He and his team integrated smoothly into Viewpoint, and he has played multiple roles throughout the organization.”

Cohen attributes one of the most significant reasons for the smooth transition to diligent operations. A rigorous, structured plan was created at the top level, and the integration leadership team systematically managed the integration.

Viewpoint’s goal is clear. It wants to partner with its clients in their success. Its vision for the future is an overall technology transformation of the construction industry, with a measurable, long-term impact on how contractors manage their operations. For its customers, this means increased efficiency and productivity, reduced risk and higher profits, and Viewpoint is already seeing significant progress in these areas.

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