{"id":6621,"date":"2017-02-16T16:20:00","date_gmt":"2017-02-16T20:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foundationsoft.com\/?p=6621"},"modified":"2024-04-27T04:56:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T08:56:25","slug":"aire-sheet-metal-finds-something-substantial-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.foundationsoft.com\/learn\/aire-sheet-metal-finds-something-substantial-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"Aire Sheet Metal Finds Something More Substantial on the Cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"

Download PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a decent system,\u201d Alex remembers, \u201cbut it didn\u2019t do what we wanted to do.\u201d Aire Sheet Metal, Inc.<\/a> and controller Alex were in a situation familiar to many contractors. Their accounting software was . . . \u00a0fine. No major problems, good support, highly capable \u2014 but it wasn\u2019t taking them where they wanted to go, and it wasn\u2019t going everywhere they were. Was that enough to change vendors after 15 years?<\/p>\n\"UG<\/a>\n

Aire Sheet Metal is a Redwood City mechanical and architectural sheet metal contractor with thriving HVAC services that take them all over the bustling Bay Area. \u201cIf my PMs were on a jobsite, they couldn\u2019t access the system,\u201d Alex says, \u201cwhich means they couldn\u2019t access the information.\u201d They lost time traversing the bay, traveling back and forth from the office to jobsites to meetings with clients. Whether it was to get into their accounting system or to pick up project documents, they knew all that mileage wasn\u2019t driving them forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal of construction moving forward is to be anywhere at any time, and our previous software just couldn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>An Uplifting Sales Process<\/span><\/h3>\n

Aire Sheet Metal investigated numerous cloud options for comparison. FOUNDATION SaaS\u00ae<\/a> stood out, in large part because of the company behind it. \u201cWhen we interviewed other vendors, whoever was giving the presentation was just a pure sales person. They didn\u2019t know the ins and outs of construction or even how the system worked.\u201d Alex would ask questions, but their sales people just didn\u2019t know the answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cTom, who gave the demo for FOUNDATION, was a former trainer,\u201d Alex recalls. In fact, Tom had spent over seven years training users on FOUNDATION\u00a0before moving onto the sales side. His background prepared him for Alex\u2019s questions. It also gave him the landscape to understand how contractors, PMs, account managers and controllers actually use the system for their businesses. More than just giving Alex a peek inside the system, \u201che was really able to show us how it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

But a background like Tom\u2019s isn\u2019t unusual at Foundation \u2014 it\u2019s actually the norm. Foundation\u2019s sales staff combines several decades of experience supporting and training clients on the software they sell. That includes the sales director. As it turns out, there was zero chance Alex would be shown Foundation by someone who hadn\u2019t<\/i> seen their software implemented with numerous real-world contractors. And that\u2019s by design.<\/p>\n

A number of considerations tipped the scales toward going with FOUNDATION\u00a0SaaS, including its affordability. \u201cCost<\/a> was a big deciding factor,\u201d Alex says. \u201cBut we also liked that you guys knew what you were talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Light and Free<\/span><\/h3>\n

By January 1, they were live on FOUNDATION\u00a0SaaS and securely accessing data wherever they worked. \u201cIt was a lot easier because it was all online,\u201d Alex offers. \u201cIf we wanted to look at a module, everyone could view it at the same time and ask the trainer questions. The communication back and forth was great.\u201d He adds, \u201cThe training itself was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because Foundation hosts his database<\/a> on Foundation’s secure off-site equipment, Aire Sheet Metal\u2019s trainer was able to do a lot of the heavy lifting for them. He made what could have been a painful process feel more seamless. \u201cIf it was on my own servers, it would have been a much more difficult transition.\u201d Alex remembers, \u201cOur trainer was able to take all of my data and import it into the system. I didn\u2019t have to do much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex can hardly count all the benefits now, though he can certainly begin to if asked. But there\u2019s no question what it all comes down to for his company: \u201cSince we started, we\u2019re more flexible. Flexibility is key.\u201d Now whether they\u2019re in the Redwood City office, meeting in San Francisco or working from home, they can simply log in to get access to the complete software. Plus, Foundation handles all updates, backups and server security without Alex having to give it a thought. Even their binders of project documents<\/a> can migrate safely onto Foundation\u2019s cloud. \u201cThe thing I like best is that it\u2019s not on my servers. That it\u2019s SaaS-based makes a world of difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for all the access they\u2019ve gained, as far as Alex is concerned, their system security has only improved. \u201cEvery single task, report, maintenance item, module, can be turned on or off for each user. That wasn\u2019t the case before.\u201d On their previous system, if someone had access to A\/P, for example, they had access to everything <\/i>in A\/P \u2014 payroll too! FOUNDATION’s\u00a0security settings let him oversee everything and tailor it to their company. \u201cI don\u2019t have to worry about anyone changing something or seeing something they shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither does being lighter and freer in their accounting software mean they\u2019ve sacrificed capability. Alex is thrilled with the job costing<\/a> features of FOUNDATION\u00a0SaaS. \u201cIt\u2019s one of my other favorite things. Every person in every company likes to see things differently.\u201d He says no software is going to have the one ultimate report that makes everybody happy. Estimators, project managers and controllers might want to see the same numbers in different ways, but now those preferences are easy for him to meet. \u201cThe ability to create my own reports<\/a> for different purposes within five or 10 minutes is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n\"Watch<\/a>\n

<\/span>Elevating Standards<\/span><\/h3>\n

Alex is realistic, and he\u2019s eager to give feedback. He knows no system is going to be perfect for every company and no vendor is perfect. But that\u2019s also where he finds a lot to appreciate. \u201cThe biggest thing that I\u2019ve seen with Foundation,\u201d he insists, \u201cis that it\u2019s always looking to get better. I\u2019m always looking for that in an employee \u2014 it\u2019s the same thing with accounting software. Foundation listens to user feedback, and there\u2019s a willingness to constantly improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much we want to do,\u201d he concludes, and Aire Sheet Metal is looking to Foundation to help them get there. Alex sees that soon tablets will be in everyone\u2019s hands on the jobsite. He knows his company is going to be a part of the changing pace of construction. Meanwhile, Foundation\u2019s mobile apps<\/a> are eager to go onto those tablets. Aire Sheet Metal recognizes that Foundation\u2019s technological development isn\u2019t slowing down either. \u201cFOUNDATION\u00a0has a lot in it I haven\u2019t gotten to explore yet. I\u2019m definitely going to dive in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more construction software case studies \u00bb<\/a><\/div>\n

Preview FOUNDATION accounting online<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt was a decent system,\u201d Alex remembers, \u201cbut it didn\u2019t do what we wanted to do.\u201d Aire Sheet Metal, Inc. and controller Alex were in a situation familiar to many contractors. Their accounting software was . . . \u00a0fine. No major problems, good support, highly capable \u2014 but it wasn\u2019t taking them where they wanted to go, and it wasn\u2019t going everywhere they were. Was that enough to change vendors after 15 years?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":16995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-6621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-case-study","tag-case-study"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCloud Accounting Software for Contractors | FOUNDATION SaaS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cloud accounting software for contractors from FOUNDATION SaaS lets Aire Sheet Metal focus on their job without the heavy work of software management.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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