Autodesk Build vs. Followup CRM

PlanGrid performs really well in all aspects of construction from the general to the sub/trade. The platform distributes and communicates project documentation in an extremely user-friendly manner. As with most software, it is cheaper the larger the scale of the project. In situations where the project is relatively small, and the trade contracts are also of relatively low dollar value, the product can be cost-prohibitive.

Incentivized

One of the best things about FollowUp Power is that we can mark things for follow-up several months down the line, which we frequently have a need for since many of our clients are seasonal. For example, we'll get started working with them while they're here in Florida for the winter, then they'll head back north in the spring and not want to hear from us again until they return in the fall. With FollowUp Power, we can then mark them for follow up in the future rather than to have to somehow remember to contact them in the future.

Incentivized

• Plangrid is the best SaaS I have seen for ease of uploading construction plans and automated organization of those plans.
• For companies that are not using other products for mobile access, the Plangrid mobile apps are perfect to allow people on and off site to share and collaborate in many phases of construction project documentation.
• Plangrid has a very responsive technical support team (although it is pretty much email only).
• Plangrid's website layout is easy to use and understand and allows new users to jump right in and do basic to moderate tasks without little training.

Incentivized

• We love the dashboard feature. This is where we spend the majority of our time. The dashboard helps us avoid missing bid dates and deadlines.
• The system is very intuitive and a new user will be up to speed within one hour after they start using the system. There is only one place to enter all data. This allows for ease of use and minimizes data entry mistakes.
• Every task is date stamped to insure proper work flow and holds the team accountable to each other.

• The photo attachment process is a bit complicated. In ProCore (another similar software I've used), you can upload photos directly into RFIs for your reference, or into e-mails. For PlanGrid, you have to first upload the photo into the documents tab, then link them into the RFI. It's not intuitive and can add confusion to the documents tab.
• Photos can't be directly uploaded. Between different devices and colleagues, it's possible you'll get an important photo outside of the PlanGrid photo capture feature within its app. Again, it's complicated for users to use.
• In their new drawings viewer, the icons for actions do not have icons available. I had to use them all in order to understand what they meant, and I'm fairly tech savvy. I'm not sure if a new person to PlanGrid will pick up on each icon's abilities very easily.
• There's no all-in-one solution in CM, but PlanGrid is fairly barebones, and I don't believe it has any ability to connect to other software. There's no ability to take meeting munites; you can hack the field reports feature to accomplish this, but it's clear that was not the intent of the designers.

Incentivized

• It really needs to have the capability of listing numerous phone #s with a note beside each one ("his cell#", "her work#", "do not call before 9a.m.", etc.).
• It really needs to have the capability of listing numerous e-mail addresses ("hers", "his", "her email address at work", etc.).
• It would be nice to have a separate general information box where we could put comments in that would show every time we bring up the account (such as "her nickname is Bobbi", "their dogs name is Fido, "their son is currently stationed in France", "husband is going through chemotherapy", etc.), which would help us to remember personal details that are important to our clients.

Incentivized

We are at the point where we have shown our teams what is possible with this software. We cannot take it away and go back to the way we used to do things. I think that they would push back on us to give them access to something electronic. It is a good program that we will continue to use

Incentivized

Hard to get the hang of this software, but with time it become very repetitive and easier to navigate. I have used this software for over a year now and the constant updates by Autodesk have made the software better and better to use at work. This allows me to use this tool more effectively

Incentivized

Online chat during business hours is extremely helpful. The Plangrid staff has gone above and beyond many times to help us. One time they even offered to completely rebuild our 900+ sheet project so I could slip sheet a few old drawing revisions! This undoubtedly would have taken hours on Plangrid's end. They are always responsive and are continually improving, listening to user feedback.

Incentivized

Plangrid, while not serving the external document distribution function, is unrivaled for internal document distribution and sharing in the construction industry. The speed at which documents are navigatable, the ability to download your projects for viewing without an internet connection, and the document mark-up and photo tools place it head and shoulders above the competition.

Incentivized

My company had already implemented FollowUp Power CRM for Construction before I arrived. I have used other CRM programs in the past, and FollowUp Power is much more user friendly, and I have already seen a direct increase in my lead to customer conversion ratio as well as increased sales

• It helped us "wow" a joint commission survey in 2016 and have a successful survey because he loved how we could access plans on an iPad, check suite sizes, and didn't have to carry around huge, heavy sets of life safety plans.

Incentivized

• I have seen a lot better tracking on my jobs when it comes to scheduling and staying on top of my jobs.
• The dashboard is part of my daily routine it tells me exactly what I need to follow up on weather it is calling the customer or checking on the customer.
• Payments or what the current status of the job is.

Incentivized