SMART Builder Solutions: Product Review by Greg Bennett Homes
A few weeks ago, I met some folks at SMART Builder Solutions, an Atlanta-based software company that helps builders streamline and systematize their processes. Turns out, a handful of our members use SMART, so I asked them if one of their clients might be interested in writing a product review that I could share with our members. A few days later, Greg Bennett of Greg Bennett Homes forwarded me the following (images courtesy of SMART).
“First, a little about me. I started my own home building company about 3 years ago. Before this, I had worked at a large builder for 20 years. I learned a lot about building during this time and it taught me the benefit of keeping things simple. So far, Greg Bennett Homes has managed to build and sell 120 homes per year with only a handful of people in the entire company. We couldn’t have done this without SMART Builder Solutions’ WorkSMART solution. We went with SMART for three reasons: The system is complete, which helps us keep things simple and provides one place to record sales, track construction and purchase orders, etc. As a small homebuilder, the last thing I need is another system. The one stop shop concept definitely works for us.
“Secondly, the system is customizable. Unlike the other systems I’ve seen out there, WorkSMART can be tailored to a builder’s specific needs. While the system has a basic set-up that should suit most builders, I wanted some customized things, particularly in dealing with our specific flow of business. It was not a problem to accommodate this. Lastly, it is web based. For us non-technical types, this means that all you need to access your system is an internet browser such as Microsoft Explorer. We can access and update our data from anywhere at any time and we don’t need IT support if something goes wrong. All the data is on SMART’s servers, not mine.
“So far, we have finalized system implementation in all aspects except in the areas we deferred. We recommend WorkSMART for builders who want to keep everything in one place or if they are tired of an old system and spending a lot of time on IT issues. As an added benefit, the folks at SMART Builder Solutions really know a lot about home building. They are not just dealing with the softwareâ€â€?they can help you deal with specific issues facing your company.”
Thanks to Greg Bennett for sharing his experience with SMART Builder Solutions. If you’ve had a great experience with a product or service, and you think our members would be interested in hearing about it, please let me know.