Communication is a critical element of many construction projects. Delays or challenges in communication can cause severe delays in project completion or even cause errors in the construction process that could prove incredibly costly to both construction companies and clients. With the right tools, including LinkedField, you can improve overall construction communication efforts and streamline your ability to share information with the members of your team.
1. Organize Communications
Currently, many of your communications may go straight to your inbox, often in a jumble of email threads that can prove difficult to keep up with. Even if you copy all of your subcontractors and suppliers in an initial email, the various threads associated with a project can quickly grow tangled and hard to follow. LinkedField, on the other hand, makes it easy. Instead of numerous threads discussing different elements of your construction projects, LinkedField keeps all the communications with your subcontractors in one place. It makes it easy to track and follow up on the documents you need, whether it's the answer to another question from a subcontractor or getting onboarding documents so crews can mobilize on-site.
2. Respond Promptly
Sometimes, communications--especially emails--can get lost in the shuffle. You may not respond to notifications immediately, especially if you haven't checked your email in a while. If you want to streamline your communication, however, it's important that you respond promptly to communications from everyone from clients to subcontractors. You don't want a vital message to get lost in the shuffle and go unanswered, which could lead to unnecessary delays. LinkedField makes it easy to keep up with your communications, whether you answer questions as soon as they come through or set them aside for later. Since your communications about the project are in one location, you can more easily keep up with whether you have sent off an answer to those questions--and make sure that you don't let too much time go by.
3. Create a Clear Chain of Communication
When you first start work on a new project, make sure you clearly designate how communication will be handled. You may need to answer questions like:
- What platform will the team be using? Using a single platform like LinkedField can make it easier to keep everyone on the same page and let them know how to communicate with one another. When you use multiple communication channels, it's easy for messages to get lost in the shuffle--and some of your subcontractors may not be able to get in touch with you effectively.
- Who should the team contact with specific concerns? You may, for example, want to connect them with a specific project manager. Since LinkedField keeps all of your communications in one location, it makes it easier for your team to figure out how to get in touch with you or any other member of the team they need to access.
- How should the team deal with unexpected challenges? Is there a specific way to contact you in an emergency? LinkedField can help keep that vital information at your team members' fingertips.
A chain of communication is essential for every construction project. You want to make sure that your team members know who has the authority to answer specific questions, who can schedule deliveries or sign for them, and who they need to contact for final clarification on any issues. With LinkedField, you can make that information--and connections to the right people--easily available to every worker and team member on the construction site, which can streamline communication from the first day of the project to the last.
4. Provide Effective, Ongoing Training
Training is critical for your current employees and future ones alike. You can't assume knowledge in any of your team members, particularly when it comes to industry-specific information. Offering needed training to your employees can helped expand their knowledge and make them better workers. Unfortunately, it's easy for training to get lost in the shuffle, especially in the middle of a big project. LinkedField can help create a knowledge hub of training information that puts that potential growth at employees' fingertips. You can build a comprehensive library that helps define jargon, provide information about safety policies and procedures, and guide construction workers through basic processes. While there are some things that can only be learned effectively through hands-on work and learning, LinkedField can offer a more effective way to ensure that all your employees have access to the same training and information, which can make them more effective construction workers.
5. Keep Communication Open
Many people think about construction site communication as a top-down strategy. You might, for example, be more worried about ensuring that workers know about the latest safety requirements or the latest client changes than you are about making it simple for workers to share their own concerns. However, an open communication strategy can offer a number of benefits to your construction projects. Often, it's the construction workers on the ground who are the first to spot a potential problem--and they could also be the first ones to spot a potential solution. With LinkedField, you have an open line of communication from the top to the bottom, and all workers have the ability to participate. This simple strategy can make your construction projects proceed much more efficiently. Are you ready to start using a communication platform designed specifically for the construction industry? Contact us today for more information about our platform.
