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Is your AEC firm stuck in B.C. (Before Cloud) operations?
Eliminating inefficiencies and unlocking improved data insights in the AEC industry
What is your AEC firm missing without a proven cloud-based business software platform? Microsoft cloud-based solutions allow your team members to access a centralized, shared information hub and improve efficiency levels in every area of your business. Aligning your teams—across offices, departments, and project sites—can not only alleviate inefficient data collection but also pave the way for smarter decision-making, more agile operations in the field, and more profitable projects.
Shifting your business operations to a cloud-based platform is one of the most effective moves your firm can make to reduce administrative efforts, boost your bottom line, and future-proof your business. Here are just a few examples:
Data Access and Capture
Without the Microsoft cloud: Most AEC firms are equipped with modern business applications, but staff members across departments are still entering data on a desktop computer. Recent studies show that over 80% of firms depend entirely on manual data entry for accounting and firm management functions, and over 70% perform manual data entry for project operations.
With the Microsoft cloud: Data can be accessed and entered anytime, from anywhere—captured once, available everywhere. Best of all, this approach eliminates duplicate entries. The result? Your firm gets timely, accurate data, recorded and available in real-time.
Business Intelligence
Without the Microsoft cloud: Quick decision-making is key to seizing on the best opportunities for your firm. Without a cloud-based environment, most systems rarely have real-time information available. Important data is siloed, especially when ERP, CRM, and HR teams work within non-integrated software applications. Critical business insights are slow to emerge or are overlooked altogether. Because of the disconnected systems, data entry is often duplicated and inconsistent, with marketing, HR, accounting, and operations relying on different versions of the same information.
With the Microsoft cloud: Data can be collected in real time and made available immediately, with greater precision, so management can take swift action on important insights. Forget outdated Excel spreadsheets and reactive decision-making. Instead, aec360 helps you gain critical insights with real-time reporting on the operations, processes, and opportunities that matter most. The chart below shows the impact on the firm’s performance when business information is integrated and timely: firms have stronger pipelines and are more profitable.
Field Staff Support
Without the Microsoft cloud: Your teams go out into the field, record their observations, return to the office, and enter data by hand into your systems. Data is entered twice—in the field and again at the office. The work is tedious, wasteful, and error-prone.
With the Microsoft cloud: Microsoft’s Power Platform applications, powered by the Microsoft cloud, offer easy-to-create mobile apps to record data on-site, modernizing the process of data collection in the field. Your staff members can enter information once—while they are observing it. Accuracy increases dramatically and so does productivity.
Recording Time
Without the Microsoft cloud: When entering time well after services are performed, employees tend to “be kind” to the client and round down the number of hours spent, or they simply forget how much time they’ve invested. Underreporting billable hours has a direct impact on your firm’s profitability.
With the Microsoft cloud: Time is entered e via desktop or mobile device when the work is being done, so it’s timely and accurate. With aec360, there is no more underbilling and creating unknown revenue leakage.
Efficiencies That Evolve with Your Firm
Seamless connectivity in an increasingly mobile work environment—with “anywhere workers” and the “anywhere office”—will only become more critical in the years to come. With Microsoft cloud, the technology you implement can transform your operations today and grow with you into the future, as you discover new ways to put modern cloud technology to work for your firm.
A quick word of caution: Don’t be fooled by software providers whose solutions are only partially cloud-based or can’t offer you Microsoft technology. Working with a trusted provider like HSO’s aec360 team can help you implement the most effective tools for your teams.
See the Microsoft cloud and aec360 in action
When it comes to how your team members, and especially billable staff, perform their administrative duties, efficiency and accuracy are key: They can mean the difference between successful, profitable projects and results that fall short of your firm’s goals. Our aec360 team leverages proven Microsoft technology designed specifically for the AEC industry to help your firm win business, deliver excellent work, and optimize revenue.
Reach Out to Us
Contact us to discover how you can deploy a customized suite of software combined with a best-in-class cloud platform to manage your processes and tools more effectively.