When Audino Construction, in Austin, Texas, worked on large projects where the homeowners weren't living in the home, project managers would set up an office in an empty room. “We soon thought, ‘Man, this is the way to go,'” says owner Mark Audino. Now they try to create an office at every jobsite.
Before each job, the crew does a logistical walk-through to determine locations for the Dumpster, jobsite commode, and office. “We designate one area of the home [as the jobsite office] where we can put a collapsible table and a chair. We have laptops, and we try to have a fax machine on every job. This way, for example, we don't have to have someone describe a cabinet change over the phone; we can send drawings.”
But clients' favorite feature is the corkboard or white board with a job schedule calendar. “We keep the clients informed so they're not calling the [company] office and asking the project manager 30 questions a day,” Audino says. Having the jobsite office and calendar gives the client confidence that the company is organized and professional. “It relieves a lot of anxiety. It's like giving clients a big, fat Valium. They just relax, knowing everything is under control.”
