Buildertrend Reviews

I implemented my first system for production home building in 1991, so I have a little experience in this area. After trying 2 other competitors on a trial basis, we selected our first choice, BuilderTrend to help us manage our projects. It is customizable and also follows standards which help you efficiently manage your business whether a new builder, remodeler or other home improvement type company. But, the best part has been adoption and the response of customers. We actually remodeled two projects for the same customer while they were out of the country. The communication features in BT facilitated what would not have been possible in the same time frame in the past plus processed payments. Using BuilderTrend has been a great marketing tool to set us apart from the competition.

Subcontractor use has been our biggest roadblock as it takes more training with some and reminders to get them to use the software.

I really like that there is unlimited storage and that since it is cloud-based, everyone sees the same data as soon as it is entered. There are also ways to customize the software in several areas, especially To-Do's. Permissions are very granular which can be good, although it can be complex as well.

Understanding how all areas of the software interact is complex, you can't customize fields in Events/Schedule, most of all I dislike the search and filter settings. They are very poor and make it hard to deal with large data sets. Their filters are missing exact matches between items in the same category. There are a handful of other little complaints, but they really need to add custom fields to Events and then update their filter settings to allow exact matches only and also use standard search engine criteria in the text fields.

It does seem to have considerable functionality... some of which has been very helpful to us

Where to start. Response time is slow, even when I am connected to fibre. Some of the functionality is hard to use.. For example we are using the leads features, but it seems like we need many clicks to get a decent summary of a lead.... The window where activity is stored is very small...and does not seem expandable... so we can only see 2 or 3 lines of the data at a time....ie no ability to enlarge the window.
Next, I have enrolled in the credit card payments...and was helped initially by a BT specialist....but then was handed off to Wepay. After 2 weeks the account is still not set up. WePay regularly send emails asking me to submit documents I have already submitted.... I do and then the send another email asking for the same documents.... I reply asking to talk to someone...but no one seems interested in talking...only sending confusing emails.....
The hours of the help line seem very limited... As I try to grow my business I need to do considerable admin work after a shift has gone home...but so has buildertrend. Folks on the help line do work hard to resolve issues, but are often not available...for example.... the whole support team seems to be required for the same regular internal meetings... In an ideal world the customer would not have to wait so long for help.

I like very much that BuilderTrend makes all operations and procedures of the project clear to all parties, which enables us to implement the work within the specified budgets. It is great that BuilderTrend allows us to organize communication channels with stakeholders so that we can follow up on all project submissions and obtain approvals within the times specified in the contract, and it is good that all submissions can be accessed through records and their status is easily known. With BuilderTrend, we can collaborate with other stakeholders by preparing purchase orders, variation orders, and progress invoices, which shortens a lot of procedures and keeps all project activities on track.

I did not find many problems with BuilderTrend, but consideration must be given to training all members to perform the tasks correctly, as the ignorance of one of the members may cause a major defect, and the permissions system must be properly prepared so that only authorized persons have the ability to modify according to their specialization.

A great construction management tool. Offers flexibility in formatting of different components within the program. Leads are easily tracked with notifications, summary page is very thorough and useful, job info, templates, scheduling, daily logs, To-Do's, Change Orders, time clock c/w geo-fencing, docs & photos, surveys, estimates, bills & PO's, Budget and owner invoices all flow well and again are customizable to fit individual company needs. Owner view is a great option and allows for owner participation and information flow.

No tax module is addressed within the system. This adds a lot of steps and confusion to make sure taxes are added independently in QuickBooks Online (QB). It also confuses the customer on their Buildertrend site. We send all invoices out of QB for contract invoices and change order invoices. A big negative. A great management tool but weak on the interface with QB.

Buildertrend is a wonderful way to keep track of what is going on. This includes scheduling; creating, recording and sending documentation; organizing projects neatly; and staying aware of finances. It also has a very helpful Leads section, which helps me keep track of prospects from the earliest stage of when I become aware of them. In a word, I would say I appreciate most the organization which Buildertrend offers.

To be succinct, the user interface (UI) is decent but could use some improvement. The Files section in particular could use some work. I would like it to be versatile and able to navigate easily. An example of improved versatility is being able to access information in a simpler and faster way, such as Windows Explorer offers in how I see and can analyze various folders and files. An example of easy navigation is being able to tile multiple view windows so I can compare file locations across multiple Jobs to keep similar file types in the same locations, and so I could ensure my folders all have identical names across multiple Jobs

I like that it is easy to use. I also LOVE the iPhone app. Once everything has been loaded, I can send large files, communicate effectively, and raise the efficiency of my team and sub-contractors. I also Love the ability to template a project for easy set up of a new project!

When building significant line item estimates, the browser page has to refresh each time as you switch from the budget tab to the estimate tab. Even with a fast connection, it takes a bit of time to update. Not a big complaint since you can upload a spreadsheet from excel for the initial set up.

This software is VERY user friendly no matter what your computer skill level may be. The online tutorials are great and a huge time saver if you are unsure what to do. The customer support staff, should you need them, is always very quick to respond and explains how to execute your task. We were fortunate to have a two day training session with our representatives and that was priceless. Our subs and vendors are able to access our system so it really cuts down on paperwork flow and we know they are seeing the most up to date information on each project. We did have some special needs in our company to tweak things a bit and that was never a problem.

Nothing really, it just takes time to get use to how it flows and again, any question that I did not think of until I dove in feet first, I just emailed or called customer support and got my answers right away.

Buildertrend is super simple for even the lowest tech person. It keeps all our data in one place that all employees can see. Communication is so much better with this product!

Only one complaint - There's no way for the users to record their lunch break so that we can conform to CA regulations, also there's not a way that I know of for the employee to electronically submit their timesheet info with a signature

It covers all the aspects of managing a job; from when the lead is created, to when the job is done. It gives you the power to customize, to a point, the program to fit your company and allows you to make changes on the fly. We keep up on the schedule daily but the schedule keeps our jobs running smooth. The time-clock is top notch and it communicates with QuickBooks. Overall, its the whole package and it all is two thumbs up.

The ability to customize certain things, like tabs or change the wording. All other items Builder Trend fixes as we bring them to their attention.

They are fantastic at marketing their product and putting on a good demo. Strong feature set if you can overcome a lack of flow and common sense usability.

Packed with features yet ease of use is paid no mind. I was in the software field when everything transitioned to SAS from legacy hardware. The most important factors (high level) are security, down time, make it extremely user friendly, and feature functionality (not at the risk of losing ground on a user friendly interface). Today, if one can’t jump into a software for the first time ever and make it work with ease then it has little to no value (my humble opinion). This is exactly why many companies provide only 30 or 14 day trials or less. It either meets your needs or not but if you can’t figure it out because the execution is poor and the interface is clunky, it’s not a worthwhile investment. I think this company has focused too much on marketing with social media heads like “The Build Show” for popularity and too little on development. Make it stupid simple to where a VA in the Philippines can use it with ease and no background, only then would I have interest in trialing it. Also, the mobile app should be wiped clean and redone entirely - not usable. On to the next.

The daily logs feature is very helpful as a place to easily log events, weather, photos, docs, etc. that may occur at a job site on a particular day. The tagging feature makes this even better when you are trying to look at any days that had inspections on them. The owner invoices and job price summary features are very beneficial to our clients that are looking to quickly figure out how much they have spent and what is remaining.

The estimating feature leaves a lot to be desired. Compared to what we came from, Buildertrend feels like a step back. The software cannot handle a large number of line items and struggles to keep up. We were told to have fewer line items in order to fix this.

I used to like how the software was formatted with categories and subcategories. Uploading photos was easy to do.
When we saw what the new format was going to be, we immediately researched new software products and choose UDA Construction Online.

Scheduling
New upgrade - one no longer has the ability to organize the estimate.
Each line item went to quick books versus categories/subcategories
Can't see which items have PO's or not
They would do software changes mid day during the middle of the week
Entering data was a total pain

Our clients love the software. Utilizing BT sets us apart from competitors. Customers appreciate having the ability to manage their project and see the progression in real time. I like that there are constant updates and improvements. The developers are constantly taking suggestions. The Mobile app for our Subs has been amazing. Documents can be scanned directly from the phone or tablet. It makes communicating and managing multiple projects much more efficient.

the UI is not as sleek and User-friendly as I would prefer but It has certainly come a long way with the consistent updates and improvements

The customer service is surprisingly amazing. Anytime I have a question, I am able to reach someone by phone or email very quickly. The integration with Quickbooks Desktop is almost flawless. We use the daily logs quite regularly. These logs allow the entire team to remain up to date on the jobs and their progress. We've also found that the homeowners are reassured by these daily logs. The bids section has saved us tremendous time and increased our estimating accuracy. The ability to be able to template jobs, bid packages, and so many other items saves us a ton of time.

The software seems to be most suited for a cost-plus project. As we bid jobs on a fixed price, we have found a few of the features less useful. We are only using about half of the features. I can't fairly say that these unused features are not good, but we do want to use some of these features, and the fact that we have been unable to implement them causes me some frustration. These features include the selections and the warranty sections.

I like the ability to get notifications for a variety of transactions, the ability to log in & see things from a variety of devices, the tracking features for every transaction, and I love the amount of storage space for documents & photos that it has.

I wish it was more affordable to purchase more jobs so that we could use the system for our remodel projects, currently, we do not enter them in as many of them are small projects and do not warrant the expense it would cost us to have that many jobs. It is unfortunate because it puts us with two different processes for selections, budgets, docs, etc. depending on what type of project it is. I wish it was also possible to mark a selection as "Ordered," much like you can mark it as "Approved" it would help the designer & client know when it is absolutely too late to make changes. Lastly, I wish the transition to QB was more efficient. If you are using a desktop version of QB, which is the only way to have the contractor version, when PO's are pushed to QB, they do not populate the customer's job to the items on that PO even though it is tied to that job. I am not even sure what the point of tying the jobs together is as it does not seem to connect them at all in the transfer process.

I like that Buildertrend brings together all aspects of residential construction - homeowners, sub-trades, vendors, internal users, and allows everyone to see the information they need to see, as well as provides them the ability to upload photos, documentation and even provide comments to certain areas within the program. This gives everyone an overall sense of what is happening within the project.
Having everyone tied into the program eliminates a lot of extra searching for information, as well as lessen the overall messages one needs to send out to verify parts of the projects - selections, drawings and pricing can be Approved or Declined. This also helps to eliminate outdated/non-approved details from occurring.

The program has a lot to take in, which I suppose is expected, but for me, knowing how things affect something else is really important, as we are a Canadian company trying to work with an American program and American terminology. I have had to experiment a bit with how best to enter information, and sometimes redo it altogether.
I do not like how often I have to press on users to be entering information and using the platform for communications, but that does not have anything to do with the program itself.

Using Buildertrend replaced an entire full time position, at least. It allows the information from the Sales to Project Management to Accounting to be all in one spot and easy to use. The project records are complete from lead opportunity stage to completion- which is incredibly valuable.
Setting up the software took time and effort, but it was mostly transitioning that took the most effort. But every time I am not sure what to do I just call the Customer Support and my problems are solved! It is an incredible service.
We have spent the last year and a half streamlining our business to remain competitive in a changing market- and Buildertrend has allowed us to reach the next level of business.

There are some functions that could work better for us (ie: limited things you can do with a project while in lead opportunity status etc) but there are constant updates and changes being made to the system. I am confident that there will continually be developments to suit our needs better.
Another challenge was getting all of our vendors on board to accept PO's from the program etc. Also- the fact that the emails come from buildertrend.com instead of my own email address is confusing for some of our clients and vendors. Some clients have so much difficulty with their Owner portal that we have to accept sign offs outside of the system- which I hope to change.

The best aspect of Buildertrend, would have to be the daily logs and customer ability to follow their daily project progress. Time tracking for employees, lead tracking, customer tracking, ability to sign projects electronically, receive payment online with minimal fees, and communicate with everyone involved with each project.

Buildertrend is a bit convoluted and cumbersome for the small company like myself. Being out on the job physically working to make ends meet due to employee shortages, leaves me with little time for office work. When I do have time for office work, I struggle to find the time needed to enter enough information in BT, to get back what we are paying for it. The more we enter the more we benefit. BT was difficult to learn in some areas of the program, and upgrades sometimes require even more training. We struggle with scheduling, and getting project information to show up on quickbooks.

I like that it is one platform for our staff, our clients and our subtrades. I like the ease of the change order approval and decline, and the change orders are interactive with the appropriate vendors and subtrades. The schedules are so helpful to keep everyone apprised of the sequence of events. We use the daily logs to record our field visits and items that need to be actioned from those meetings. The To-Do tab keeps everyone on task and on time. We also enjoy the lead opportunity to make sure we are following up with all our potential clients.

The inability to hide non pertinent information from the client view. We like to keep things as simple as possible for clients, so they are not confused. We would like the ability to hide columns that the client is not required to action. e.g. selection, change orders.

Simple display options and excellent user interface
The system flows as per the workflow on site and the calendar works excellent in managing multiple jobs
All information in one place is excellent, and all available to supply chain and clients at the click of a button.

Our international clients love this software.

Would be good to have a clear guide as to how to use the POs, payments & COs and how they interact.
Doesn't transfer data correctly to Xero - double data entry
Does not do payroll, this would be a fantastic addition (understandable that it is complicated)
More flexibility required for estimates in BT. Lacks the functionality of Excel so forces us to use another system for this.
Clearer explanation of selection budgets and how they can be incorporated into the estimate would be beneficial.
Not been able to use the email link successfully to date.

Further guidance on how to link Xero tracking and BT cost codes would have been a huge help during setup.
It is still a challenge to get our supply chain to use the system with us.

Can be complicated to use based on the number of settings available to users and

Buildertrend has been exactly the product we needed to allow our field supervisors to actually be in the field instead of in the office. Our supers are able to easily schedule their crews on the go and also keep all of their job notes in the Daily Logs. This keeps everyone on the same page and allows those of us in the office to see real-time what's happening in the field. We also use the system to track upcoming houses, safety meetings, and warranty issues. It is very user friendly.

I only have very minor complaints: I wish we could merge multiple lead opportunities together. Also, pulling reports from the schedule is ok, but we have to drop everything into Excel and create our own reports to pay our subcontractors.

Buildertrend has the best customer service! I dread having to call the bank or phone company or any other companies for help on the phone but with Buildertrend, i get immediate service by very sharp people that speak my language and can log on and resolve my issues very promptly. They are constantly improving the product and have a system for receiving suggested improvements and allow you to see where it falls on their priorities. if enough people have an issue, they will make it a priority.

Getting the initial setup done but they really make that easy too. This will apply to any system. The pricing seemed to creep up but i've gotten over it and it's just another monthly fee.

The best part about BuilderTrend is that we were able to apply our own processes we have established throughout the 38 years we have been open on a cloud based platform.

BuilderTrend is a very powerful tool. There is nothing about the software I particularly dislike, but I will say that it takes a lot of time to implement and understand the software. There are several areas that need improving/changing, however, the people at BuilderTrend are so quick to adjust. It is amazing