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Mechanical Contractor Uses Raken for Competitive Edge

Opus Mechanical logo.

Starting any kind of new business can be hard, but it's especially true in the case of construction companies. While there always seem to be plenty of projects around, a new construction company has to face labor shortages, contract disputes, and distinguishing yourself from the more established competition. These are the sorts of questions that faced Blair McDonnell, director of Ontario's Opus Mechanical. With so many questions on his mind, we asked him why he chose to invest in a daily reporting tool during the early stages of his company.

Construction Reports Looked Unprofessional and Unorganized

According to McDonnell, "We were doing the old, conventional method: our foreman had a daily diary and they were responsible for filling out the day's activities," he says, "some were excellent at keeping the daily diary, while some were poor and didn't really keep it at all." And that is where he saw the big problem with what they were doing. "It was hard to enforce consistency because the foremen are supposed to be filling it out at the end of every day on the jobsite, but you never know if it's going to get done," says McDonnell. That inconsistency makes any organization look unprofessional and disorganized, which is why he chose a daily reporting solution early.

Raken elevates our company to a better level over our competitors that aren't using it.
Blair McDonnell, Director of Opus Mechanical
aerial view of residential road.

A Professional, Fast Report

After a month of research and trials, McDonnell settled on Raken at his previous company and brought it into Opus Mechanical. "Raken is fantastic. First of all, pictures can be attached to worklogs, which I consider to be a huge advantage when it comes to great reporting" he says, "you can also get notified if someone misses a daily so you can have consistency." By augmenting their daily reports with photos and receiving notifications for missed reports, the team at Opus Mechanical have ensured that their information is accurate and their customers are informed.

Raken is just so much better than the way we used to do reporting, that when I started my own business I decided to use Raken here as well.
Blair McDonnell, Director of Opus Mechanical

Daily Reports Owners Can Use

Because they use Raken, Opus Mechanical has been able to distinguish themselves from the competition and maintain a high level of professionalism even though the company is young. "Raken reporting is so well organized, and with the pictures along with the reports, elevates our company to a better level over our competitors who aren't using it," McDonnell says, "Raken brings a higher level of professionalism to our company."

  • Attached photos make jobsite progress clear.

  • Real-time notifications ensure consistency.

  • Automatic emailing ensures stakeholders are informed every day.

Raken in a Design-Build Environment

After a little over a year in business, McDonnell's strategy of focusing on communication and professionalism is paying off. Opus Mechanical has distinguished itself as one of Ontario's best mechanical contractors with two locations and a growing list of skilled tradespeople, a testimony to the ability of daily reports to not only capture information in the field but present it in a way that gives you a leg up over your competition.

To find out more about Opus Mechanical, make sure to check out their full service mechanical contracting in Ontario, Canada.

Learn more about Raken's mechanical contractor software.

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