Building professionals: which management software is right for your business?
Are you in the building trade looking for building management software to digitise your sites, save time and ensure greater customer satisfaction?
Whether you're looking for sales management, quote and invoice production, customer tracking, site or job planning, a document library or a way to centralise information on your mobile phone, these tools have plenty of features to make your life easier!
But which one should you choose? Which is the best construction software for your needs? Appvizer offers you a comparison of building management software: from the free to the most comprehensive, the choice is yours!
Bonus: our advice on choosing your software based on 4 criteria.
Free building management software: just what you need?
Convinced by the benefits you'll get from building management software, but don't want to commit to an expensive solution? So you're thinking of turning to a free tool?
In reality, everything has a cost, and while you may come across many online offers that appear to be free, such as Devibox, these are actually software packages that offer a free trial period. Nevertheless, it may be worth testing the software before making any commitment.
Other tools, such as Henrri, may be free, but their functionality is limited (in this case, Henrri only covers the commercial management aspects) and they are not suited to the building trade. As a result, depending on your needs, you might prefer a more comprehensive building management software package.
Yes... but which one?
Batappli - mobile invoicing
Batappli offers a comprehensive range of invoicing functions in several versions:
- Batappli Estimates for self-employed contractors who need to easily calculate their works at the right price, issue their estimates and automatically convert them into invoices.
- Batappli Artisan for SMEs that need to manage and track their worksites, manage progress invoices, manage suppliers and their orders, manage maintenance contracts or issue work orders, etc.
- Batappli Entreprise for construction companies that need to manage sales teams (prospecting and call campaign management).
The advantages of Batappli :
- versions of the software available on PC, tablet and mobile phone so you can work wherever you are, on site or in the office;
- an intuitive interface that's easy to learn;
- a customisable home page to build a tool that's just like you;
- work templates available for quickly drawing up your estimates;
- quotations with the option of adding elements (plans, photos, etc.) to help customers plan ahead;
- In-depth training to help you manage all the subtleties of the software;
- technical support included in your support contract.
Batappli
EBP Building - adaptable to your needs
EBP Bâtiment includes all the functionalities you need to manage your building projects, and several options are available to adapt to all types of structures and all needs.
The advantages of EBP Building :
- the choice between a cloud version or one installed on your computer ;
- a wide range of building software to choose from depending on the functionalities you need;
- a high degree of customisation;
- a quick learning curve and intuitive interface;
- CRM and email modules to focus on your customer relations and communications;
- publisher expertise in all building trades;
- an importable supplier price catalogue for simple quotations;
- dashboards to help you monitor your business.
Extrabat - intuitive and collaborative
Extrabat, SaaS software, is designed to give each employee greater autonomy and efficiency, by bringing together all the tools they use every day in a single application.
Extrabat extras :
- a search engine by e-mail, telephone number, etc., for rapid access to the data you are looking for;
- software that is intuitive, user-friendly and high-performance;
- a scalable, adaptable and configurable solution;
- 40 tutorials available on the YouTube channel and 200 articles on the blog to support you;
- a team on hand to help you manage your business;
- a shared diary, an internal mailbox and instant messaging for all company members;
- a shared library of documents: technical sheets, plans, photo albums, etc.
- well thought-out customer files, facilitating communication and after-sales service management;
- a geolocation module to optimise journeys.
Extrabat
ProGBat - a high-performance catalogue
ProGBat makes it easy to draw up your estimates, thanks to a high-performance costing tool.
The benefits of ProGBat :
- a catalogue of elements and structures compatible with Batichiffrage, a powerful tool for estimating the cost of works;
- 750 works divided by trade: import the ones that interest you into your personal library and produce accurate estimates and invoices;
- comprehensive yet easy-to-use software;
- customisable document templates to match your image;
- data can be imported if you use other software for your quotes, invoices and management;
- automatic data entry to save you time.
ProGBat
Sage Batigest i7 - connected to numerous tools
With Sage Batigest i7, take advantage of the expertise of Ciel and Sage in management solutions.
The benefits of Sage Batigest i7 :
- links with Sage 50cloud Ciel Compta, Sage 100cloud Comptabilité, Sage Comptabilité I7 and Sage Financier I7 édition Petites Entreprises, to automate the processing of your accounting ;
- possible integration of a BIM digital mock-up;
- Sage e-Tarif centralises and updates the different prices charged by your suppliers;
- connection to the RGE eco-premiums service, so you can calculate your premium without having to go back to your estimate;
- access to calls for tender in your region via alerts;
- a customisable desktop: choose the tiles you use most and make them easily accessible;
- you can personalise your documents to reflect your image;
- a remote control tool.
Sage Batigest Connect
TimeTonic, collaborative site management
TimeTonic is an innovative collaborative site management platform. Its great strength is its flexibility. As flexible as an Excel spreadsheet, TimeTonic can be extended and customised ad infinitum without any knowledge of IT.
The benefits of TimeTonic :
- The most comprehensive: functionalities include CRM customers, schedules, quotes, invoices, tallying, plans, photos, reports, messaging, emails, customer extranet, etc. ;
- Multiple views : Gantt, Kanban, Planning, Calendar, maps;
- A mobile application for accessing all the information on the site, creating reservations, getting a customer to sign or taking photos, even without a connection ;
- Automation of administrative tasks such as creating reports saves precious time;
- Customisable dashboards for precise management;
- Infinitely expandable to meet almost any business need (marketing, HR management, expense reports, stock management, etc.),
- The benchmark solution for major groups like Engie, Vinci and Veolia, as well as for hundreds of small businesses and SMEs.
TimeTonic
Summary table: comparison of the best construction software
4 criteria for choosing your building management software
- The size and nature of your business. Ask yourself what functions are essential for your business:
- Is a simple invoicing and quotation tool enough?
- Do you need building estimates software with a library?
- Will advanced project management features be useful?
- Do you need a solution with an unlimited number of users? etc.
- Your budget. The cost of your software depends on the features you need, as identified in advance:
- What resources do you have in-house to integrate your solution into your environment?
- What degree of customisation of the software do you envisage?
- What budget can you devote to training yourself and your staff in your new tool?
- Can you opt for a solution requiring additional maintenance costs?
- Do you prefer licensed software? With a subscription?
- The question of mobility: you need to be able to access your customer data and site history on your phone, out in the field. Check that the tool you choose offers a mobile application or, at the very least, a responsive interface that adapts to your smartphone screen for ease of use.
- Compliance with anti-fraud legislation: if you are liable for VAT and want to use a management software application to record your customers' payments, check that your tool complies with the law against VAT fraud.
Article translated from French
Currently Editorial Manager, Jennifer Montérémal joined the Appvizer team in 2019. Since then, she's been putting her expertise in web copywriting, copywriting and SEO optimisation to work for the company, with her sights set on reader satisfaction 😀 !
A medievalist by training, Jennifer took a short break from fortified castles and other manuscripts to discover her passion for content marketing. She took away from her studies the skills expected of a good copywriter: understanding and analysing the subject, conveying the information, with a real mastery of the pen (without systematically resorting to a certain AI 🤫).
An anecdote about Jennifer? She stood out at Appvizer for her karaoke skills and her boundless knowledge of musical dreck 🎤.