4 Huge Takeaways From Our 2022 Spectrum User Summit

1 – The Trimble Connected Construction Ecosystem Reaches New Heights

Since we announced Trimble Construction One nine months ago, we’ve made great strides in integrating and connecting more aspects of the larger Trimble technology ecosystem into an already robust construction management platform. It’s the strongest proof to date that we’re closing in on our vision of a world of connectivity among your construction software tools–and Spectrum users now have more power and flexibility at their fingertips within the Trimble Construction One suite.

Those businesses that have moved to the cloud have made greater strides in efficiency through customization and simpler processes, as users learned in many of these sessions (keep reading for a few quotes from the people in the trenches who were kind enough to share their biggest wins). With customer success on high display, and users sharing progress they’ve made, we’re happy to report that Trimble Construction One and Spectrum are helping to connect the projects, processes, and people that make businesses run.

Additionally, a couple security and usage-based enhancements have been added to the Trimble Construction One architecture. (Note: Former users of Viewpoint One are now migrated to Trimble Construction One, and are able to access the following):

• Enhanced Security with Single-Sign-On and Multi-Factor Authentication. Using Azure’s Active Directory, you can now utilize these tools to access Spectrum.
• Ability to Add On-Demand Users. For those who operate on Trimble Construction One and you need to add a new user, you’re now able to do so much more quickly and easily.
• More Trimble Integrations being worked on right now, including connection to Supplier Xchange, expanded Change Management features, and significant upgrades to Spectrum’s business logic.

2 – A Quick Tour of the Biggest Trimble Construction One Spectrum Enhancements

There were a number of specific Spectrum feature enhancements meant to smooth out concerns with user experience, as well as increased efficiency via more effective business operation. Here’s a quick look at just some of these enhancements:

• Viewpoint ePayments. Trimble Viewpoint has further streamlined Spectrum users’ AP processes with Viewpoint ePayments. While Spectrum has always had the ability to pay with ACH or a live paper check, Viewpoint ePayments method takes automation a step further, reducing the construction accounts payable process to a single step through credit card payment workflows. Users and vendors can earn significant rebates as well.
• A/P & A/R Related Party Transactions. For businesses with brother and sister companies that also do business with those companies, this new feature will come in handy. Rather than using standard trade G/L codes, Spectrum now allows you to use a “related party” version that makes consolidation easier later on in your processes. This feature will help simplify processes for companies that make “arm’s-length” transactions between your businesses.
• Related Payroll Taxes. Spectrum now helps customers better identify and address their convoluted taxes—with up to 18 different levels of tax identifiers now available per record—and help streamline contractors’ project tax tables. If you have no idea why Spectrum would ever need 18 different tax jurisdictions on a time card line, please consider yourselves lucky that you’re not working in an area with convoluted tax rules and structures!
• Improved T&M Billing Web Services. One of the top suggestion box requests from users, Spectrum now has the ability to create and update T+M billing rates using Spectrum Data Exchange. The data flows to your Spectrum system and updates the appropriate records.

Spectrum users also learned about the significant project management enhancements they now have at their disposal. Whether it’s the collaborative project and document management power ofViewpoint Team or the feature-rich and PM-focused ProjectSight solution, every Spectrum user’s project needs are covered, no matter what their size or scope.

3 – Major Updates to Service Tech Mobile

Trimble Viewpoint also announced quite a few major updates to Service Tech Mobile—our mobile work order management solution for Spectrum service contractors that facilitates direct communication between office and field. Service technicians are able to access everything they need from the app on their mobile device in the field, including cost and billing information, but this year we made a few enhancements to further improve the experience:

• Added the ability to create new work orders in the field
• Added an “Other Charges” feature, which allows users to capture charges that aren’t typical
• Snapshots of tasks for service managers, which offers more information into a task
• A full jobsite history of work now available, which allows techs to see a wider range of information associated with a jobsite they’re working on
• A new site equipment feature allows users to see a wider range of information associated with the equipment or machinery they’re servicing

Attendees were also treated to some fantastic real-world examples of Service Tech Mobile’s benefits, as told by a panel of customers who explored how they utilized the tool to overcome major obstacles. Joe Laughter, senior vice president of Haynes Technologies, talked about how his team needed Service Tech Mobile to be simple to use and deliver transparency to their customers.

“Our guys are pros with their tools, but they had a learning curve when it came to going to digital ways of working,” Laughter said. “So we needed something that could simplify this. You need to give your techs and support staff the tools they need to deliver transparency to the customer. Service Tech will evolve and grow as your business grows. Most software you buy are canned packages—I needed to be unique based on the needs of our business. Spectrum Service Tech Mobile has delivered for us and it will deliver it for 99% of the other users as well, and that’s because it’s so flexible.”

Matt Lederhos, financial manager with Raven Electric, talked about his company’s decision to move to Service Tech Mobile, and the ultimate reasons for doing so.“Moving into Service Tech Mobile with the app makes it so that (our techs) can get straight to work,” Lederhos said. “It’s so easy to move information back and forth between the field and office. There’s no more missing information or missing projects. Everything is just there and it's smooth.”

Added Lederhos: We’ve been using job-based work orders for a long time. With Service Tech, our techs have one place to go, whether it’s a huge project or just fixing a single panel. You can manage all of your resources in one spot.”

4 – Spectrum HR Management Gets Even Better

Digitized and streamlined employee onboarding has already been available for Spectrum customers, but recent improvements have made it even better! HR teams can set up new employees with editable PDF forms, provide training and safety/compliance videos, and other necessary documentation that is electronically signable—all available on applicants’ or new hires’ mobile devices.

But perhaps the most exciting addition to Spectrum’s HR Management capabilities is the addition of the Employee Self-Service portal, which greatly improves flexibility for employees to access and edit important information, including:

• Ability for employees to update their own personal information
• See earnings and retrieve digital pay stubs
• Manage time and time off requests
• Offers administrator complete access to employee data from anywhere on any device
• Employee W2s coming soon!

Ana Bermudez, the HR director at Mario Sinacola & Sons, said the upgrades to HR Management for Spectrum are “all so intuitive—it’s just click, click, click.”

During a deep-dive session, Bermudez walked through the digital forms she’s built and made available to new employees during the onboarding process—from offer letters, W-2 and I-9 info, training documents, and more. Using Spectrum HRM has helped with a litany of issues, but has also made her department much more efficient.

“For us, it’s all about finding ways to streamline the process, get accurate information, and not be overwhelming and intimidating,” said Bermudez. “We have Spanish speakers that can have some technology struggles and language barriers but so far there have been no problems. We get the onboarding process going right away, our profiles are completely customized to what we need—beneficiary information, paperless payroll, employee handbook, offer letter addendum—and by the time somebody comes in for their orientation everything is complete.”

After receiving a folder with minimal paperwork, employees are ready to go right into action.

“For the number of people we hire each month, each week, each day…I can’t imagine us managing HR any other way,” said Bermudez.