Ken Knobbe is still adjusting to the benefits that a computerized estimating software provides, but he likes what he sees. Ken’s company, McGrath & Associates of St. Louis, Missouri, purchased Timberline Precision Estimating Software in the Spring of 2000.

 

“I first heard of Timberline from others in the industry. I knew that a lot of people used it and from what I heard had good luck with it. In investigating systems, I talked to a lot of people about the systems they used. Once we decided on buying a system, we knew we wanted to buy Timberline.”

“We only looked at Timberline. We had a little demonstration from Bangert Computer Systems, but we basically knew we were going to buy it before we even had the demonstration.  From the number of people we knew who used it, it just seemed like the system to use. Plus, we had a new hire to our company that had used Timberline in the past and was very familiar with it. It just seemed like a good choice for us.”

As is the case with many first time users of computerized estimating software, Ken was reluctant to fully trust the software. “In the beginning I always wondered if everything was adding up correctly and if everything had been plugged in to the estimate. But, now I don’t worry about those things at all. I have complete confidence in the system in general.”

 

Ken feels like the system has been simple for those in his company to learn. “We’re still in the real early stages, but so far it seems that everyone who has used it is pleased with it. A lot of times you get a system that is just real hard to use. This seems to be very user-friendly.”

Estimators, not estimating software systems, are responsible for producing accurate estimates according to Ken. “The software does provide a format that allows us to put everything together though. It allows us to consistently know where we are with our estimates. The truth is it makes things a bit easier on bid day because we can input things and change things quickly and simply.” The main benefit of this system is that “it makes it simpler to put numbers together and make last minute changes.”

 

“The system is working well for us and I have no reason to believe it won’t continue to be like that in the future.” Ken speculates that his satisfaction with Timberline will continue. “If you were to ask me a year from now, I think I will be able to say we are putting out more estimates in the same amount of time, our ability to win projects is better, and our ability to get estimates to customers in a timely fashion has improved. I think the system is capable of doing that.”

Ken is not only pleased with the performance of Timberline Software, but he is also satisfied with the service he has received from Bangert Computer Systems. “I have used telephone support with Bangert’s one time. The one time I asked for support, it was there. I asked my question and they resolved the issue.”

Ken would recommend Timberline Software to any company looking at purchasing a computerized estimating system. “It is going very well, even though we still don’t know a lot about it, that is a good sign. It does not overwhelm us. We are able to gradually expand our use of the system as our needs for it grow. As we grow into it, it will be there to support us. I suspect we will never outgrow this system. It can be used for things that are far beyond our need for the software right now.”

 

If you are a company who, like McGrath & Associates, needs a user-friendly, easy to learn estimating system, we hope you will take a look at Timberline Precision Estimating software. Put the power of Precision to work for you!

 

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