No doubt as a reader of the Insightful Accountant you are well versed in the language of the QuickBooks Online ecosystem, and a veteran of quite a few app implementations.
I’m sure by now you’ve seen that there’s a bit of a difference between implementing a simple plug-in app, say, ClockShark, a great timekeeping app for construction, and a big, multi-functional app like Revel, SOS Inventory or Knowify.
The former requires you to put your head down and get it done; the latter requires a little strategy to ensure that it sticks.
We have gone through hundreds of implementations with QBO users in our construction contracting niche, and we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to make a Knowify implementation work.
The No. 1 lesson is this: Do not try to implement everything at once.
We are proud of all the awesome tools we provide, but trying to get a contractor client to switch everything they’re doing all at once is not a recipe for success. Instead, focus on specific tools within the app that address immediate term, high-value needs.
In Knowify, the three features we tend to implement right away are proposal creation (since we offer beautiful templates with electronic signature built-in), change order management (big pain point in construction), and progress invoicing (QBO shortcoming).
Yes, people come to us very interested and excited about our job costing – but getting the simple contract management tools in place first almost always leads to a better outcome.
Whether we’re talking about Knowify or any other “big” app, make sure you weigh value with complexity in your implementation plan.
You might be very excited about a particular feature, especially if it fills a need not addressed by QBO, but if it’s a complex feature that requires using all the other areas of the software to make work, wait.
Start with the simple tools first… trust us.
Dan de Roulet Knowify
Dan de Roulet is co-founder and partner program manager for Knowify LLC. de Roulet, who has a long history as an entrepreneur and business developer, strongly believes in the potential of the Knowify software to significantly streamline construction company operations.