No More Guesstimates

Time is money – and the closer contractors can estimate how they will spend time on the job, the more productive and profitable they will be.

Manufacturers today strive to introduce products that help landscape contractors do more in less time. Enter Symbiot’s Online Estimator, a Web-based product designed to help landscape contractors hit the mark when developing job estimates. Introduced at the Green Industry Expo in St. Louis, Mo., the tool will be delivered via the Internet to landscape contractors nationwide in December.

The product is the result of a joint effort between Symbiot – a national provider of multiple property services that provides profit-building services to green industry partners – the Wilson-Oyler Group and LESCO.

“All production rates, estimating formulas and material price lists are pre-installed,” explains Matt Glover, head of Symbiot’s technology and solutions team that developed the Online Estimator. “That means a huge time savings over similar products that make you figure and enter your own formulas.”

Data entry prohibits many time-crunched owner operators from updating their estimating systems – or installing the software in the first place. But this system eliminates some of that grudge work, explained Steve Glover, chairman and CEO of Symbiot. Rather than manually entering materials costs, site specifications, job requirements and labor necessities, contractors can rely on Symbiot’s pre-loaded production rates and material costs, collected from a national industry survey. Numbers are based on regions, and contractors can select equipment, site size, level of difficulty and other job requirements on the screen. The program tabulates these figures and produces an estimate that can be saved, printed and presented to customers, and filed for future reference, Steve noted.

Ultimately, the Online Estimator is a productivity tool designed to deliver bids quickly and competitively, Steve added.

“Since the Symbiot management team has so much experience as owners of independent landscape companies, we know how contractors are always looking for ways to be more productive and more competitive with national companies,” he pointed out. “Products like Symbiot Online Estimator make that happen by minimizing errors – and turnaround time – during the estimation process.”

Landscape contractors depend on accuracy and tight timelines to earn attractive bids, added Bruce Wilson, former president of Environmental Care and current Symbiot partner and investor. “Independent landscape contractors are always strapped for time and sales staff,” he said, adding that the company will sell the product outside its network. “Although Symbiot does not usually sell products outside the Symbiot network, we are offering it to all independent contractors at this time.”

The author is a Contributing Editor to Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at khampshire@lawnandlandscape.com.