Item: CoConstruct
Rating: 8
Author: Alison McLennan

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

CoConstruct is being used by our Design, Estimating, and Production teams. We use to build preliminary budgets and consult with clients in the design phase and then for project management and client communication during production.

Pros and Cons

Client Communication - CoConstruct allows our entire team to communicate with clients in topic-specific areas. The ability to see everyone's communication in one place is beneficial.
Estimating - CoConstruct's cost catalog and templates allow us to estimate quickly. They have streamlined our process to the point that team members aren't always dependent on the estimator to make pricing updates.
Scheduling - The ability to communicate with subs directly from the tasks they've been assigned to in CoConstruct's schedule makes our Project Coordinator's job much more efficient.

Internal Communication - CoConstruct lacks the ability to tag-team members for internal communication using @mentions or any other means. This has been crippling for us and forced us to use alternative software for communicating among our team members.
Pipeline Management - CoConstruct's lead-tracking system feels clunky and hard to navigate and doesn't provide a pipeline view that's easy to navigate. We have moved our Pipeline Management outside of CoConstruct to make it easier for our sales team to track leads.
CRM - CoConstruct doesn't offer anything for customer follow-up after projects are completed. This, in addition to the lack of an effective pipeline system, has led to our decision to use HubSpot as our CRM. Moving projects into CoConstruct for Design and back our after Production.

Return on Investment

CoConstruct has reduced our time spent estimating.
CoConstruct has increased profitability by capturing communication details and preventing important items from being overlooked.
CoConstruct has led to more referrals, as customers are pleased with the software and the way it helps them stay informed about their project.

Alternatives Considered

Basecamp

We used Basecamp for two years in conjunction with CoConstruct, to make up for the team communication CoConstruct lacks. Basecamp was excellent for that purpose. We also used it to get quick, simple approvals for change orders, because CoConstruct did not have a simple method for that at the time. Where Basecamp did not stack up was scheduling, estimating, and time clock. CoConstruct's features in these areas were far superior and better suited to remodeling.

Support Rating

CoConstruct's customer support is phenomenal. I know that any email I send will be answered within 5-10 minutes. Sometimes they'll even send me custom screenshot video tutorials made on the spot to answer a technical question. It's also easy to get them on the phone in a pinch.

Key Insights

Do you think CoConstruct delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with CoConstruct's feature set?

Did CoConstruct live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of CoConstruct go as expected?

Would you buy CoConstruct again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Trello, HubSpot CRM

Likelihood to Recommend

CoConstruct is well-suited to remodeling and construction companies that run enough jobs to validate the expense. It's estimating, and scheduling features are uniquely designed to the needs of the trades.
CoConstruct's greatest weakness is its lack of internal communication features. Businesses with large teams, where support staff is assisting department heads, will need to use another system like Basecamp, Trello, Slack, etc. in conjunction with CoConstruct. Likewise, companies that wish to manage sales leads and build ongoing relationships with customers will want to look at a system like HubSpot, Trello, or Salesforce.

Well worth the investment, but not a catch-all solution

Overall Satisfaction with CoConstruct