As we quickly approach the winter season kicking off, contractors find themselves asking the same questions: How can we be more efficient this year, save on unnecessary costs, impress customers and maximize earnings? The answer to all of these questions is the same thing that contractors deal with every day.

The weather.

No matter how much we try to make weather a priority, it always finds ways of surprising us. Contractors waste time, money and resources simply by not being informed, as it impairs the ability to make the right decisions.

1. Stop Wasting Money Scheduling Crews

Even a small crew costs thousands of dollars per day, and there’s nothing more frustrating than starting a shift only to have it get canceled a short time later because of unexpected weather, or have made the wrong go-no go decision because there was 50% chance of inclement weather and the contractor guessed wrong. The headaches of paying for wasted time, the opportunity cost of not working on a different job that day where the weather was better and customer frustration that must be dealt with are all byproducts of not being informed.

2. Avoid Costly Damage

Wasted resources means less money in your pocket, and any time wasted resources is due to the weather is even more frustrating because it’s money the contractor didn’t have to lose. For instance, paving crews that start to lay asphalt to realize that incoming weather, such as incoming humidity levels, will require them to do the job again. Another example is a construction site that has loose materials or hanging objects and an unexpected wind storm hits, causing costly equipment damage, destroyed materials and putting crews at risk. Being able to know when and where the weather will put crews at risk allows for precautions to be taken, including securing loose equipment, lowering hanging objects or stopping wasted work before even starting.

3. Have a Weather Insurance Plan

Nobody likes delays, but they’re inevitable, especially when unexpected weather is factored in. That’s why keeping an automated weather data log of all weather across all jobsites can help manage project delays. Having a specific account of the weather each day, the start/stop times, in a specific location and the types of weather from rain to wind to lightning is the best insurance policy contractors can arm themselves with in defense of project delays.

4. Stay Out of Harm's Way

All contractors are concerned about the well-being of crews and customers, but how can they monitor risk exposure in an intelligent way? They need to understand ahead of time where lightning may strike, how strong wind gusts will be at specific jobsites, when it will start raining and if there's a chance of a more severe incoming weather event. Having a handle on the safety risk of crews each day ensures contractors are able to better monitor jobsites, implement protocols and cancel work only when absolutely necessary. Getting though the season without any injuries or hazardous events is the desired outcome and the way to achieve those goals is by understanding the impact of specific weather conditions in hyperlocal locations.

5. Better Communication

The industry is comprised of quality of work and customer experience, which means word of mouth and referrals are everything. While contractors can’t always control the weather, they can control how and when they choose to communicate with crews, customers and clients. By being ahead of the weather, and being accurate about its impact, contractors are able to better communicate externally, have better customer/client relations and ultimately complete jobs with higher success rates. Internally, they’ll also benefit from more streamlined and concise communication. By having access to predictive weather impact insights, contractors can make sure protocols get implemented and everyone is working off of the same source of weather truth.

Being ahead of the weather is important, but understanding the impact of upcoming weather at a hyperlocal level is critical for contractors. Knowing ahead of time how, when and where to schedule jobs and crews at the beginning of each day and week puts contractors in the best possible position for success.