With almost any of these, you can create drawings that can be easily manipulated and printed and prepare 3-D images to present to your clients. By keeping the drawing files you create in a central location, accessible to anyone in the company, all your employees can have the information they need at their fingertips at all times. In our office, our estimators can open AutoCAD at their desks, view the drawings for the estimates they are preparing, and prepare their takeoffs on screen without ever having the printed drawings in front of them. Our designers often incorporate photos showing specific details right into the drawings for reference in the field. Effective use of technology can improve the productivity and accuracy of your estimates and create a strong link between the estimates and the designs.
Available software can produce both the design and the estimate in the same program.
Estimating programs can create finish schedules, window and door schedules, and other contract documents, reducing the chance of mistakes and eliminating duplicate efforts. Project management may have the most to gain from new and emerging technology. These sites allow everyone involved with a project to have 24-hour, worldwide access to all the relevant project information. Salespeople need to be comfortable with e-mail for communicating with clients. Additionally, they can send contracts, plans and specs for their client's review.