“Our application captures every single logistic from the time the client calls to the time we invoice them and also follow up. That's why we call it the beast. It really does everything.”
The desks at Build-360’s office are typically covered with piles of green manilla folders. Each one represents a construction project, with handwritten notes logging every site visit and every customer touchpoint. They replaced them all with a single, AI-powered app that helped them save hours of time, streamline their work pipeline, and deliver an elevated client experience.
Build-360’s commercial construction business was growing fast, and its founder, Rabin Hahn, saw that it needed a more scalable solution fast. With the help of V88’s Oscar Brooks, founder of one of Glide’s top agencies and a specialist in AI solutions, he built a comprehensive project management solution that was entirely customized to fit his business’s processes and uses AI to make them even more efficient.
“What we’ve been creating, there's not one platform in the world that works like it. It's very proprietary.”
Finding a solution that was fast, cost-effective, and still fit their business
Robin had gotten custom software developed for previous businesses, so his first thought was to hire a traditional development team to code the needed internal tooling. But it quickly became clear that this would take way too much time—and require too much budget—to be a viable solution.
“Developing software isn't for everybody,” explained Robin. “It’s just very frustrating. So at the end of the day, after a massive investment of money and time, I let it go, and I just stopped the development.”
They next tried to find existing software that fit their needs, but all of the options were clunky, outdated, and not user-friendly or simply couldn’t complete the unique workflows his team needed.
“We looked at about another 15 different software options, and we would go like two weeks into a trial with it, and we're like…there's a roadblock here. So ultimately, we decided, why don't we do it ourselves?” he said. His Operations Manager, Rafael, floated the idea of using no code, and they quickly settled on Glide as the best platform for their needs.
Given their tight margins and timelines, Robin hired V88, a top no code development agency, to help them launch quickly without sacrificing any of the advanced functionality they wanted. “We were led to V88 with Oscar and his team, and there was a spark instantly,” he said.
Using AI to improve customer experience and team efficiency
The Build-360 project management platform uses AI to streamline a lot of tasks that had previously been manual or especially time-consuming. However, the most impactful feature is one they call “update client”. It helps them instantly assemble thorough client updates every time they do a site visit. “We have to do 10 or 15 weekly updates and just one field manager out there on the job sites. It could take over half an hour to manually assemble an update. With the AI, it only takes 2-3 minutes,” said Robin.
“Saving eight hours a week for every employee is just incredible.”
The AI scrapes all the project information and compiles a report starting with the date, the project name, the client, and all pertinent information. It even uses an API to pull the next day’s weather forecast and let the client know how that will impact work on-site. All the field manager has to do is snap a photo from right in the app and add a couple of personalized notes.
The AI feature has significantly reduced the time his team spends updating clients and gives clients more thorough, detailed, and personalized updates than they would have been able to do manually. Improving customer experience is helping Build-360 grow even faster than it did before.
“The last thing I want our client to have to worry about on Monday morning is us,” said Robin. “I want them to know that we are the closest thing to being an employee to their company without being an employee. And that's not easy. This technology helps us close that loop every day.”
Building the infrastructure they need to scale
“That's the thing, how do you scale and grow?” said Robin. “There's so much time spent following up, following through. It's a never-ending loop. Technology can help us create an environment where employees can just show up and do their job. and then from there, the sky's the limit.”
Giving his team intuitive and easy-to-use tools and cutting burdensome busywork out of their daily routines made Robin’s workers and tradesmen happier and more focused. As a result, they are more productive and can use their skills to help the business continue to grow and thrive.
“Glide helps companies like ours create tools we never thought were possible.”
Hear V88 talk about creating Build-360's AI-powered app here.