90% Cheaper Job Costing (Thanks, AI)
AI is slashing the cost of creating snow removal, lawncare and even hardscaping proposals. Large nationwide landscaping companies and mom and pop shops alike are saving time and money by automating the most tedious part of estimating: making a site map.
What is a site map and why is it important?
A site map tells you how large is the property that you are bidding on, and what is on the property. A typical site map measures the lawn’s square footage, the planted beds, the perimeter of buildings, tree cover, parking lots and much more. These measurements are used to estimate how much time and materials a job will require.
How does one make a site map?
Historically, contractors and salespeople have three ways to create a site map:
- Measure out a property on Bing or Google
- Walk the property with a contractors wheel or measuring tape
- Outsource the mapping to companies that use labor overseas to create the maps
The problem with these methods is that they are very costly. You are either paying for them with your time (walking the lot, using Google, outsourced labor), or your cash (paying for outsourced labor). Depending on how many estimates you are creating, these maps can take hours or days to create – and that can cost you valuable sales.
This is where AI has transformed the process: all you need to do is input an address. A few seconds later you get detailed measurements of every aspect of the property. Duranta’s AI map will give you the property size, lawn, planted beds, ground, paved surfaces, parking lots, trees and over a dozen different items on the property.
How accurate is the AI?
AI is getting better every day, but we do recommend that you check its results. To make this easy, Duranta has built some simple tools that allow you to edit the site map directly in your browser. If you need to, you can reclassify an area, change its shape, erase or even draw new ones in just a few seconds. Once you are done, Duranta’s AI will regenerate your map in a few seconds.
What does it cost to generate a site map?
Since the whole process is automated, creating these site maps is up to 90% cheaper than other methods. And because each map takes only a few seconds to run, it is allowing contractors to job cost prospectively. For example, Average Guys landscaping company scanned all the properties in his zip code and sent flyers to those whose lawns met the criteria that he was looking for. The response rate was more than double other mailing campaigns.
What’s the bottom line?
Job costing shouldn’t feel like a second job. Yet for many landscapers, it’s an expensive grind of measuring properties, or ordering measurements of properties. AI flips that script, taking in addresses and producing accurate measurements in seconds, at a fraction of the cost of alternatives.
If you want more information on how AI can slash your estimating costs, visit www.getduranta.com, or email hello@getduranta.com.
This page was produced by North Coast Media’s content marketing staff in collaboration with Duranta. NCM Content Marketing connects marketers to audiences and delivers industry trends, business tips and product information. The Landscape Management editorial staff did not create this content.