NOVEMBER 2023CONSTRUCTIONTECHREVIEW.COM9Customer ExperienceIn today's competitive marketplace, simply delivering a project on time and within budget isn't enough. Clients are seeking a comprehensive experience ­ from initial meetings and project updates to post-construction maintenance.BI aids in enhancing the customer experience by:- Personalized Service: By analyzing data from previous interactions, construction companies can tailor their approach to meet individual client preferences, fostering a stronger, more personal relationship.- Efficient Communication: BI tools can automate regular status updates, making it easier to keep clients in the loop about project progress.- Feedback Analysis: Collecting and analyzing feedback helps companies continually refine their processes and deliver even better service in the future.Project Effectiveness and EfficiencyThe bottom line for any construction project is delivering quality work efficiently. BI provides the tools needed to streamline operations and boost overall efficiency:- Resource Allocation: BI platforms can predict which resources (both manpower and materials) will be needed and when, ensuring there's no idle time or wasted materials.- Time Management: By analyzing past projects, BI tools can provide more accurate time estimates, helping managers schedule tasks more efficiently.- Cost Predictability: Predictive analytics can provide insights into potential cost overruns, allowing firms to take corrective action before issues escalate.- Quality Control: With the integration of sensors and IoT devices, construction companies can monitor the quality of their work in real-time, making necessary adjustments on-the-fly.What is JRM doing?Aligned with one of our core values ­ "Never Settle, Always Improve" ­ in one of our initiatives we are continuing to work on a master benchmarking database that connects pursuit and project information across the full lifecycle. While the value lies in identifying the number of reference points through the lifespan of a pursuit or project, the challenges lie in amalgamating the information in a structured manner. We provide avenues for our BI & IT teams to have a joint conversation with operations about not just data collection and preparation, but also about standardization of processes, consolidation of tools, and wider operational excellence measures. As experts in our industry, we look forward to leveraging this information to better serve our clients and the industry vertical.What's next?As the digital era advances, it's evident that Business Intelligence isn't just a fancy add-on for the construction industry ­ it's a necessity. From honing market strategies and enhancing safety to enriching customer experiences and ensuring projects are carried out efficiently, BI is setting the foundation for the future of construction. Companies that embrace this trend will not only stay competitive but will lead the way in innovation, safety, and client satisfaction.Recent developments in artificial intelligence have meant that every other construction technology company or startup is tacking on those initials on every possible piece of marketing material. But besides the hype, as the actual model development and training achieves critical mass for AI in construction, we are curious about how it manages to wrangle (and meaningfully use) unstructured project data for not just advanced analytics, but hopefully even in predictive and prescriptive ways. Of course, the industry is a long way from using this in the regular toolset and is only just starting to see specific functional model use for both discriminative and generative AI ­ but enhancing the connected enterprise with this transformational capability will be a game changer, not just for project efficiency and the bottom lines across the AEC spectrum but has likely sparked the next leg of innovation connecting construction across industries. As more and more construction firms recognize the potential of BI, it's becoming clear that the era of manual processes and intuition-based decisions is being replaced by data-driven approachesAlex Zeines
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