Ever been on-site, scrolling through your text messages at 7 a.m trying to remember whether the plumber said they could make it to the site today or tomorrow? Meanwhile, there’s an email thread with a client from last week that hasn’t been answered, and somewhere buried in your voicemail is a message from the electrician asking about a rescheduling. Your team is asking where to start their day, and you’re still trying to piece together details from three or four  different places so your team can start the day. Sound familiar?

We’ve all been there, and as homebuilders ourselves, we know exactly how frustrating it is to track down details that are spread out across texts, emails, and voicemails. 

That’s why centralizing all your communication is key. Whether it’s between you and your clients, your subcontractors, or your project managers, having it all in one place is essential. This article will explore how Bolster’s integrated chat system helps contractors communicate easily, professionally, and without headaches. Let’s get into it. 

Why Centralizing Your Communication Matters

You might be thinking, “I manage fine with texts and emails—it’s just part of the job.” But let’s be real: how much time is actually spent jumping between applications, searching for that one conversation where a client or subcontractor mentioned a crucial detail? 

While scrolling through texts and emails might feel manageable at the moment, this scattered communication will easily snowball into bigger issues that affect more than just your schedule.

When communication for a project isn’t centralized, small details will begin to slip through the cracks. Maybe it’s a client’s change order, a lead’s home address,  or a subcontractor’s availability for the week that gets lost in the shuffle. The next thing you know, you’re having to backtrack to explain delays to a client, your crew could be standing around swinging a total of zero hammers, or your whole schedule could get blown up while you’re trying to piece it back together. 

That might sound a little extreme, but the point is that even if you can “manage” this constant communication juggling act, it will end up having an impact not just on your own efficiency, but also on the professionalism of your services and your entire team’s schedule. 

How Bolster Fixes Your Communication Headaches

Now that we’ve laid out the problem, let’s talk about solutions. This is where Bolster comes in. 

Bolster’s integrated chat system houses all of the communication that you need to keep a project moving forward under one roof. From client approvals on documents and change orders to subcontractor’s schedules and progress updates, it’s all there. 

Integrated GroupChat

You know that moment when you’re in the middle of a renovation project, and the client sends a text asking if they can swap the door handles for the different style you showed them in the initial consultation? Yup, now you’re digging through the catalogs to find that specific handle they’re talking about, and sending photos of the catalog back and forth until you find the right one. 

With Bolster, this headache is a thing of the past. Bolster’s integrated group chat system centralizes all communication and allows you to quickly search your conversation history so you can find the exact item in seconds. Instead of scrolling through texts, digging through catalogs, or searching for an old email, you can just pull up the chat history, and it will be there. Every message, from a client’s request to swap a door handle to a subcontractor confirming their schedule, is right in front of you, documented and organized. 

Bolster’s chat also syncs with the rest of the project's data and documents. This means if a client requests a change order, you can tag the team member responsible for managing it, update the materials list, and even have the client sign off on the changes all in the same chat. 

Real-Time Progress Updates

The project’s chat in Bolster isn’t just for manual communication either, it delivers real-time progress updates to keep everybody in the loop. Whether it’s a milestone like electrical being finalized, or an unforeseen delay caused by weather, everyone involved receives instant notifications.

Let’s say you’ve got a roofing team just completed the framing, and the next crew needs to know when they can start laying shingles. Well, with Bolster’s automated progress tracking, as soon as one task is knocked off, the next one comes right up. Notifications to update your team, or the homeowner, are sent out automatically, so nobody’s guessing on the timeline. 

For clients, this transparency is massive, and they can track the progress of their project as if it was a video game. They can view updates on the completed tasks, request changes, sign contracts and even see any upcoming delays, all from their Bolster portal. Homeowners that are lucky enough to have their contractors using Bolster are engaged, informed, and excited throughout the entire process. Not to mention they have no need for constant back-and-forth phone calls or emails.

Centralized Document Storage

We hinted at this earlier, but the group chat also allows for clients to sign, or find every document they could possibly need for their project. Blueprints, contracts, change orders, permits—you name it, it’s all there. 

Need a client to sign off on the latest floor plan while you’re on-site? It’s right there on their phone. Gotta update a contract from the home office? In a couple of clicks, it’s in your client’s hands. And, any time a client signs off on a document or change order, the document is updated, tracked and synced across the platform in real-time. 

The best part is that everybody involved in the project is always working with the most up-to-date information, and has it available at their fingertips. Staying organized is no longer a struggle, every document is where it should be, exactly when you need it, so you can focus on keeping the project moving without any of the usual paperwork headaches.

Simply Put: Bolster Makes Communication Easy

At the end of the day, while you can juggle your project communication and documents between multiple applications, every minute spent tracking down an old text, or chasing a client for a signature could be used to push your projects forward. Bolster gets rid of the noise, and centralizes all of your communication, progress tracking, and document management into one, simple platform. With Bolster, you’re always a step ahead. 

So, why not book a demo and give Bolster a try? Say goodbye to those communication headaches by saying hello to our team today. For more check out our blog on "How Bolster Can Help You Scale Your Construction Business Faster"