How long does it take to learn estimating software for builders?
Tuesday, September 28th, 2021
Want to learn estimating software but think it will take too long or be too complex? Then think again! It takes just hours not weeks to learn and is a lot more straightforward than you might realise – that’s if you’re using EstimatorXpress of course! In a nutshell:
- Simply identify from the huge choice of project templates the closest match for your garage, renovation, extension or new build. Each template is pre-loaded with the hours of labour, plant and materials required to complete each phase.
- Enter your job details and your dimensions. The software will do the calculations.
- Then tweak your specification and resources, scrolling down the screen, build phase by build phase. As you select specific products from the huge (regularly price checked) library of materials it will revise the costs in seconds.
- That’s it. You’re done. The final estimate automatically becomes a customer-friendly quotation. Add your logo. Show images of the phases or turn that function off.
Ok there’s a bit more to it. There are more functions you can personalise. We suggest labour rates, a wastage percentage, inflation percentage (REALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW!!), a profit margin percentage and so on. You can edit those.
And if you want to build up your jobs from scratch rather than from a template, you can do that as well in EstimatorXpress. Why not And if you want to take-off a plan to arrive at the cost, you just need our Take-off & Estimate kit. Watch the short video here.
Find you way round the dashboard – there’s not much to learn!
The EstimatorXpress dashboard automatically analyses your projects for an insight into your business. As each estimate is produced, it automatically gets loaded into the dashboard.
- See at a glance what quotes need finishing or chasing up, what jobs are starting soon, your win rate…
- Dig deeper into each job, viewing the reports either as bar charts, pie charts or spreadsheet style data (which you can export to MS Excel if you need).
- Keep on top of profit, cost and price to the client by types of material, plant, resource, trade, sub-contractor and more. Never guess at the profitability of a job again.
And that’s really all there is to it. Possibly the best way to learn estimating software is to practice on a completed job. You’re familiar with the project. You know the full spec. It’ll be an interesting exercise to see how close the software comes to the amount you paid out in materials, plant, labour and so on. Having said that, with inflation going up and up at the moment you’d need to adjust the inflation percentage to get a like-for-like comparison!
EARLY DAYS SUPPORT FOR NEW ESTIMATING SOFTWARE USERS
You will be properly supported as you familiarise yourself with the software. And that help includes:
- Complimentary online software skills courses for EstimatorXpress and our Take-off & Estimate Kit
- Uncapped, unlimited help at the end of the phone 9.00am-5.30pm (Mon-Fri)*
- Uncapped, unlimited email and chat support*
- How-to videos, Getting started guides and FAQs
- Training webinars.
The great thing about HBXL Support is that you’ll be assigned an Account Manager who will check in to see how things are going and encourage you to use the Tech Team each and every time there’s a problem or query. A little and often we always say! They’re friendly and well-liked!
LONG-TERM SUPPORT FOR ESTIMATING SOFTWARE USERS
HBXL customers who use our software on a daily basis are absolute ninjas. It stands to reason the more you play a computer game, practice your swing, rehearse your treble 20, the better you’re going to be.
So for the customers who don’t get as many ‘flying hours’ we provide refreshers and more intense training.
- Online training
- Face-to-face training
- Group training
When you buy the software outright, your first 12 months includes Support & Updates. After that there’s a small fee to pay each year to access full support on a continued basis. This includes software updates which are crucial if you want bug-free, legislatively up-to-date, enhanced software. Note – subscriptions automatically include ongoing Support & Updates.
WANT TO LEARN HOW TO USE ESTIMATING SOFTWARE?
If you want to learn then start by giving us a call on 0117 916 7898. Or book yourself in for a short 1-2-1 online demonstration here.
Want to know more about EstimatorXpress and why it’s the best estimating software out there? Have a quick read of my colleague Marc’s article here >>
*Support & Updates package is included in first 12 months of an outright purchase. After that there’s a small fee to pay each year to access full support on a continued basis. Note – subscriptions automatically include ongoing Support & Updates.