Remodeling owners continue to embrace tablet and smartphone technology that keeps them connected to clients 24/7 in the office, on the road, or even a world away.
According to the 2014 Professional Remodeler Tablet/Smartphone Survey, 65 percent of remodelers who responded indicated they own a table computer and use it everyday for their business. This figure is up from 63 percent who indicated they owned a tablet in last year’s survey.
As part of our survey, we asked our readers to suggest apps they use on a regular basis for their remodeling business. here is a list of apps they recommend, each of which can be found in our App Center at ProRemodeler.com.
AutoCAD WS
Bluebeam
BuildCalc
Chief Architect
ConstructionCalc
ContractorView
DropBox Pro
Evernote
FloorPlans Pro
GeoJuice
Handyman Calculator
Houzz
iAnnotate
JoistPro
Keynote
MobileBiz Pro
My Measures
Plangrid
RightAngle
SketchBook Mobile
SolidBuilder
Square
Structural Wood Designer
Of the 35 percent who indicated they do not own a tablet, 57 percent of these respondents indicated they are considering purchasing a tablet for their business. Nearly 58 percent of non-tablet owners expect to purchase a tablet within the next six months, and 42 percent expect to purchase a tablet within the next year.
The iPad holds the top ranking in the tablet market as it has for the past four years of our survey, but once again that margin is shrinking. Fifty-four percent of remodelers who own a tablet indicated they own an iPad; this is down from 64 percent last year, from over 70 percent in 2012, and from over 80 percent in 2011.
Nipping at the heels of the iPad’s market share is the Android tablet, which now accounts for 24 percent of the responses, up from 19 percent recorded last year.
In regard to how tablets are used, 84 percent of respondents indicated they use their tablets for both business and personal functions—this is up from 80 percent recorded last year. Email, web browsing, sales presentations, field operations, and office functions lead the business-use functions by remodelers.
In an open-ended question, remodelers were also asked where they use their tablets; for example, many of the responses basically hit upon the office and home, as well as remote locations.
One remodeler wrote, “I used my tablet to manage a job while I was on vacation over 3,000 miles away from the jobsite. The time difference was the only challenge, otherwise I was able to manage the job much like I would do if I were in the office.”
Smartphone usage trends
When we asked remodelers how they use their smartphones, 80 percent indicated they use their smartphones to access the Internet. This is down slightly from 86 percent recorded in last year’s survey.
Remodelers use their smartphones to access email, product information, videos, and social media. These are the same responses remodelers have indicated the past four years when asked which type of information they access with their smartphones.
Tablet and smartphone apps
We also asked remodelers to identify which apps they currently use for their business on both their tablets and smartphones. A sampling of the most popular apps include: AutoCAD WS, Bluebeam, ConstructionCalc, DropBox Pro, FloorPlans Pro, Houzz, Keynote, Plangrid, and SketchBook Mobile. A full list of the top apps recommended by remodelers can be found on the following page. PR
Remodelers continue to invest in tablets and smartphones to manage their business.
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