AccuLynx brings cost estimating and construction project management together in a web-based system. This lets contractors add customers, create estimates and balance sheets, track purchase orders and crews and, once a job is finished, send reports to the sales, marketing and accounting departments, the vendor said.
When creating a new estimate, a sales rep can add items from a saved template or from a drop-down list of line items; from there, the user plugs in the appropriate quantities, and AccuLynx calculates line items cost and the total estimate based on costs that have already been entered into the system. (Line items can subsequently be hidden from view when printing estimates, the vendor said.) When creating a new order, the sales rep can import information from an existing estimate and add special delivery instructions ("put materials in the driveway") or notes for the crew ("beware of dog"), the vendor said.
At that, the sales rep can submit balance sheet to management for approval. The manager, in turn, can track purchase orders and crews through the approval, order, delivery, assignment, work and completion processes.
AccuLynx is integrated with several Google applications. When a user adds a customer, for example, the address will be displayed in Google Maps, along with other customers nearby. The address can also be seen Google Street View, which lets a sales rep see, for example, what length of ladder will be necessary to fix the roof, the vendor said. In addition, when a sales rep submits a balance sheet, an email notification is sent to his or her manager's Gmail account.
AccuLynx comes in Basic, Deluxe and Elite versions. The Basic Package includes the cost estimating and scheduling modules, as well as functionality for customer relationship management (CRM) and. The Deluxe Package includes everything in the Basic Package plus the ability to place and track orders as well as collect on, record, report on and analyze work that has been completed. Finally, the Elite Package includes everything in the Deluxe Package plus the ability to switch one's view among a company's divisions, levels, or branches, to track checks (for the purposes of insurance claims) and to customize commission calculations, according to the vendor.
