All Abroad

Our annual survey reveals why efficiency-minded builders are getting more serious about information technology—and why those who aren't face being left behind.

Facts and figures about the use of information technology in the housing industry are interesting, but often builders' comments are the best source for understanding how IT can make a difference in a construction company's success.

 

Office Technology

  • To Stay Competitive, Builders Need to Run their Companies More Efficiently, and One of the Best Ways is to Use the Latest Software Technology

    Best-of-breed technology lets a Canadian builder keep pace in the challenging market.

     
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    Guilty With Explanation

    Why should home builders care about information technology (IT)? Well, when IT is properly tied to business processes, it helps field supers stay on schedule, professionalizes the salespeople, and strengthens communications with subs—all factors that can help home builders double productivity...

     
  • Berry Happy

    WIRELESS BLACKBERRY HANDHELDS HAVE become a kind of mania in the business world. The stereotype is of the insatiable "Crackberry" user who can't stop his thumbs from pounding out an endless stream of e-mails.

     
  • Microsoft Moves In

    THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM FOR YEARS WAS that Microsoft Corp. owned the desktop and not much else. But builders evaluating new Microsoft products should keep in mind that the company has a way of staking its claim, sticking it out, and dominating niche markets over the long haul.

     
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    Field of Screens

    Many big builders have systems link the operational information and financial elements of home building.

     
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    Branching Out

    A NEW PHONE SYSTEM BEING DEPLOYED BY Pulte Homes from OpenAir Technologies serves as a switch that routes branch phone traffic, lets telecom personnel manage the phone network remotely, and improves customer service through targeted call routing and music-on-hold advertising.

     
  • Process Control

    In the first six months of fiscal year 2004, Beazer has collected almost the same amount of supplier rebates as it did in the full 12 months of the previous year.

     
  • Gadgets and Gizmos

    Kim Haegele, design gallery manager at St. Louis-based Taylor-Morley, is a testimonial to how technology can influence employees' attitude toward their job.

     
  • Intelligence Report

    By far, the technology person who can have the most impact on your company is the product-specific consultant who manages a back-office deployment.

     
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    Wireless Generation

    The tech-savvy Gen-Xers are starting to run building companies