Taylor Ryan is the Head of Marketing at Geniebelt. He’s passionate about SEO, growth hacking, conversion rate optimization, content creation and managing his marketing team to be their very best.
We recently checked in with Taylor to learn more about Geniebelt and get his insight on incorporating technology into project management. Here’s what he shared:
Tell us about the mission behind GenieBelt. How are you trying to impact the construction industry?
Geniebelt is trying to tap into the growing Construction Technology scene with software that helps companies manage their projects more cleanly and more easily than before. Our software can be accessed on any device and allows for better collaboration, overviews and reporting.
What are the advantages of using a tool like Geniebelt for project management?
Geniebelt tends to be the most user-friendly app in the construction project management and collaboration scene. It’s incredibly difficult to bring an advanced project into an industry that is slow to change and learn but in desperate need of better software.
In what ways does the construction industry lag behind as far as adoption of new technologies?
The construction industry can tend to be slower to adopt new technology due to a lack of prior training in software. Sometimes you have folks that step into the construction industry due to the fact that they’re adverse to learning technology to begin with. This industry tends to also employ an older workforce that can be apprehensive to accept any change regardless of where it’s coming from. And lastly, there is often a language barrier for many construction crews all over the world. Often the higher ups in many modernized countries will speak a different language as the lowest worker on a team. The software needs to be available in many different languages and easy for anyone to pick up and use.
What areas is it less important for contractors to adopt new technologies? Where is it OK to stick with older, tried and true methodologies?
It’s tough to say, some of the highly specialized labor tasks are tough to try and update. Many skills on a job site are almost as much art as they science. This means the welder and carpenter needs steady hands, experience, and confidence to fix issues in a pinch. While robotics will replace some jobs, you will always need the human mind when unforeseen circumstances arise.
What are some of the biggest pain points facing your clients when it comes to project management?
Our clients are always trying to find better ways to manage their tasks. There are some companies that are still using pen and paper to do everything! Others are using clunky Excel spreadsheets. Whether you’re trying to keep a better eye on your projects from day to day or a much bigger overview, you need to be able to drill down on specific contractors and see where problems might arise.
Other major issues in construction come down to delivering work on time. This can often be traced back to miscommunication with contractors and construction managers. Having to re-do elements of a project because something wasn’t spotted early on or someone changed something last minute. These types of mistakes can send ripples through an entire project and have a major effect on the bottom line.
In a nutshell, project management in construction is a tricky dance that requires collaboration of all kinds of different people conveying complex ideas back and forth. If you don’t have a platform to easily do that and share insights, you’re eventually going to slip up and the result is money being lost.
What are the risks of to construction industry professionals of not adopting new technologies to help manage project?
It’s sad to say it, but those that refuse to adapt will eventually be left behind. If you state in your proposal that you’re willing to give clarity and 100 percent transparency throughout the job on all tasks; it gives the client far more peace of mind. Being able to get regular updates and have an audit trail also reduces the questions when you’re trying to decide who’s at fault when a project doesn’t come together. We’re already at the point where margins within construction projects are tight. If you’re not able to plan everything out in detail and stay on top of what’s being delivered, you’ll never be able to compete.
Where have you observed the most unique or innovative use of technology in construction today (aside from Genie Belt, of course)?
It’s really exciting to see entrepreneurs working with VR/AR (Virtual reality and artificial reality). Finding new uses for getting a better perspective of a site and giving clients the ability to do a walk through from an ocean away. I think building materials are slow to change but a long way off. There are some really neat things happening with clear solar panels as well. It’s a pretty exciting time to be in construction tech especially if you’re able to see what’s coming down the pipeline in 10 years or so.
What innovations or trends are you most excited about in the construction industry today? Why do they interest you?
I think data is going to be an interesting mix with regards to construction. I think being able to optimize certain building techniques and produce more with less is always pretty neat. We’re able to track all that type of stuff eventually in our system. We see integrations being a massive market in the future. If our software can integrate with everyone else’s software, there’s going to be a benefit to everyone involved in the end.
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