Builder Prime and Buildertrend are two popular CRM software solutions for contractors. But which one is the best fit for your company?

No matter if you’re selecting a home improvement CRM the first time or considering switching from Buildertrend to Builder Prime – here’s what you need to know…

What is Buildertrend? 

Created in 2006 as job management software for contractors, Buildertrend’s tools were originally developed to focus on project scheduling, budgeting, and communication for design-build contractors. 

Over time, Buildertrend added features to morph their software into a CRM + project management tool. 

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What is Builder Prime? 

Builder Prime is an all-in-one business management software solution designed specifically for home improvement businesses, handling everything from lead tracking to production management, to referral and beyond.

An “all-in-one” solution means it has CRM, estimating software, marketing automation including SMS, scheduling, production management, payments, and reporting in one platform – eliminating the need for multiple, disconnected software tools.

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Differences Between Builder Prime And Buildertrend

Compare Lead Nurturing Capabilities

While Buildertrend may specialize in job management, it has limited lead management capabilities. For instance, it has a limit of 2,000 leads and 5,000 contacts. For companies with larger databases, this could limit your marketing capabilities. 

Additionally, Buildertrend does not offer SMS/text messaging within its platform. On the contractor side, this eliminates a convenient and effective way to follow up with leads and communicate with customers during projects – resulting in process inefficiencies and communication bottlenecks. And for today’s tech-forward consumers, this could be a drawback to the overall customer experience.

Further, while Buildertrend does have lead activity templates, they still require additional setup on the part of the user. 

Builder Prime understands the needs of home improvement companies, and that’s why they built detailed, default lead categories that make sense for home improvement companies: 

• Lead Received
• Appointment Not Set
• Appointment Set
• Appointment Canceled
• Appointment Confirmed
• Lead Issued
• No Demo
• Demo
• Estimate Sent
• Demo / No Sale
• Job Sold
• Job Canceled
• Job In Progress
• Customer

Of course, you can configure Builder Prime’s lead categories to your business, so they are 100% tailored to your repeatable systems and processes. 

You won’t find this level of detail combined with customization with any other home improvement industry CRM.

Compare Automation Capabilities

Buildertrend offers workflow automation to streamline project management, sales, and communication processes. However, those automations are limited by a variety of factors. First, the automation settings lack the flexibility of other dedicated automation platforms. Next, there is a learning curve due to the training required to set up those automations. And lastly, the inability to send SMS/text messaging limits overall communication between contractor and homeowner. 

Since Builder Prime was built using hands-on experience in a home improvement company, it makes automation easy for contractors. In fact, Builder Prime stands out in the industry in terms of how its automation integrates across the entire business process. From lead management to invoicing and scheduling, automation is built into every aspect of the system, making it incredibly efficient for home improvement companies who want to minimize manual tasks.

With Builder Prime, you get to spend less time on manual tasks, and more time growing your home improvement business.

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Compare Reporting Capabilities

While Buildertrend offers reporting tools aimed at enhancing project management and financial oversight, home improvement companies would likely find them limiting. First, Buildertrend lacks customizable, in-depth reports. Instead, their reports are one-size-fits-all, which makes it hard to track specific KPIs tailored to home improvement businesses. 

Additionally, Buildertrend provides limited visibility into front-end metrics, including call center performance, lead sources, NSLI, sales conversion rates. This drawback makes it hard to know which marketing efforts and sales team members are truly generating revenue and where improvements are needed.

Builder Prime knows a home improvement company is only as good as its data, which is why it offers a comprehensive suite of reporting capabilities designed to empower contractors.

Enjoy having all of these pre-built reports right at your fingertips:

• Lead Summary Report 
• Lead Performance Report 
• Leads by Lead Source and Project Type Report
• Customer Acquisition Costs by Lead Source Report
• Lead and Customer Acquisition Cost Reporting
• Total Sales (Contracts) Report
• Meeting Results Report
• Sales Pipeline Report
• Commission Summary Report
• Sold Jobs vs Sold Contracts
• Setting Goals in Builder Prime
• Lead Performance (Month over Month) Report

You also have the ability to create custom reports with select Builder Prime plans. Plus, you can save those custom reports so they are easy to run at any time, giving you all the information you need, right at your fingertips. 

Also, if you have multiple locations right now, or plan to in the future, Builder Prime has the ability to display multi-location data by individual location or aggregated together - simply by toggling between them! 

With these data-driven insights, your home improvement company will have the clarity to make smarter decisions and drive even greater growth.

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How to Choose the Right CRM for Your Home Improvement Business

While Buildertrend has strengths in construction project management, Builder Prime offers home improvement companies the swiss army knife of contractor software in a single, holistic platform. From lead to job completion and beyond, Builder Prime helps scale home improvement businesses with all-in-one business management software that can’t be beat.

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