Stats from the Associated General Contractors of America (ADC) indicate more than 919,000 construction establishments in the U.S. in the 1st quarter of 2023.
Moreover, The US construction industry employs 8.0 million people, including laborers, engineers, managers, carpenters, contractors, and electricians.
As such, thousands of employees working on and off-site must access essential contacts on their smartphones to handle critical tasks.
But how do you sync construction contacts to smartphones? Which tool should you use?
Keep reading!
Key Takeaway:
- You can automatically sync construction contacts to smartphones using CiraSync.
- Construction companies must sync contacts to smartphones to improve productivity and securely manage data.
Why Do Construction Companies Need to Sync Contacts to Smartphones?
Poor communication is the primary reason 1/3 of construction projects fail.
According to PMI’s data, only 37% of projects with minimal communication were completed on time, and only 52% of the teams met their original goals.
On the other hand, 71% of projects with excellent communication practices were finished on schedule, and 80% met their goals.
This data indicates the importance of excellent communication for construction companies, and syncing construction contacts to smartphones increases productivity by 38%. Thanks to this sync, construction companies:
- Allow employees to access updated contacts on the go,
- Improve data management security with granular management and
- Help the IT department work in an organized way.
Let’s discuss each element in more detail.
1. Contacts Accessibility on the Go
Construction companies rely on their workers to communicate constantly in order to complete tasks on time.
Syncing contacts to smartphones can help ensure everyone can access up-to-date information so the organization can complete their work on construction sites on time. There is no need to contact the IT team to
Take Skender, for example. It’s a large-scale design, construction, and manufacturing company based in Chicago.
They implemented Microsoft 365 company-wide; however, once it was up and running, they ran into a limitation with the software. Contacts didn’t sync automatically with Microsoft 365, leaving old employees in the system while excluding new ones from the company address book.
Skender needed a way to manage and sync all their old and new contacts directly from the GAL. How did they solve this problem?
They chose CiraSync, the best tool to sync GAL and Public Folder contacts to iPhones and Android devices.
Skender used CiraSync to set up Public Folders and distribution groups to easily sync contacts to employees’ smartphones. Clint Siebert, Director of Technology at Skender, said:
That was before CadreNET found CiraSync, the best GAL syncing platform. Richard Trivedi, CadreNET IT Director, said:
“Setting up CiraSync was easy to do and worked seamlessly right off the bat. At first, we set up CiraSync with a Public Folder and then switched over to distribution groups for even more ease-of-use for our diverse groups of employees here at Skender.”
Clint Siebert concluded:
Check out the video below for more information on how CiraSync is becoming a vital tool in the construction industry.
2. Improved Data Security
According to Kroll, data breaches in construction increased by 800% between 2019 and 2020.
Therefore, data security is more essential than ever for construction companies. After all, these companies typically manage sensitive information, such as customer data.
Syncing construction contacts to smartphones allows you to control who accesses which contacts. Here is a glimpse of how you can sync contacts with CiraSync:
| Contact Type | Synced To |
| Client, investor, and key stakeholder contacts | CEO, COO, CFO |
| Suppliers, subcontractors, and on-site supervisors contacts | Project Managers, Construction Managers |
| Architects, city planners, and consultants contacts | Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers |
| Regulatory bodies, compliance officers, emergency services contacts | Health & Safety Officers |
| Site supervisors, foremen, and logistics personnel contacts | Construction Workers / Laborers, Carpenters, Electricians, Plumbers, Masons, Painters, Welders, Heavy Equipment Operators |
With this granular control, you ensure that the right people can access the appropriate contacts while keeping sensitive information secure.
CiraSync takes data security seriously, following all data protection laws to ensure user data is safe, with all subscriber data being securely stored in the Microsoft Cloud.
Here are some key data security points you might want to know:
- CiraSync integrates with Microsoft Azure and the Azure Consent Network.
- CiraSync complies with GDPR.
- CiraSync does not store passwords. Logging in to CiraSync takes the user directly to the Microsoft Login page.
- When a CiraSync worker updates mailboxes in Office 365, it uses HTTPS to connect with the EWS. This EWS connection does not flow through the public internet.
You can check our data security document and privacy policies to learn more about our security measures. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our customer support team. At CiraSync, we’re transparent about our processes.
3. More Organized IT Department
According to ConTechReport, construction firms increasingly integrate technology into traditional workflows, with 44% of these companies now having dedicated IT departments.
IT Departments are often overlooked even though they can play a huge role in the construction industry. IT departments can easily sync construction contacts to smartphones by syncing contacts to smartphones.
With CiraSync, for example, IT teams automatically update the GAL—multiple times a day—and instantly onboard new employees.
Randy, IT Manager, and a long-time CiraSync customer, has experienced significant benefits from using the platform.
“CiraSync has solved a problem we have had for a long time. Running an IT department for a large construction company we were constantly receiving call about company contacts being incorrect. Employees wasn’t managing their contacts. Now I can manage employee contacts for them. Company contacts are always up to date.”
How to Sync Construction Contacts to Smartphones?
Now that you know why syncing construction contacts to employees’ smartphones is essential, let me walk you through the steps.
I will use CiraSync for this tutorial, which is also used by companies like The Morse Group, Skender, and Sterling Bay. Over 12,500 companies and more than 300,000 active users rely on Cira Apps’ flagship product, CiraSync, every day.
How does the contact sync tool work?
1. Log in to the CiraSync Dashboard.
2. Click the + in the Contact Lists.
3. A new tab will ask you to select the “Contact Source Type.” For this example, we will use the “Global Address List.”
You will be taken to “STEP 1: Select Active Directory Items.”
4. Select the desired contact sources.
5. Next, choose “All Mailboxes” and “All Contacts” to sync all contacts to users. Click the “Next” button on the top-right corner to continue.
6. You will be taken to the “STEP 2: Choose target mailboxes” window.
Select the user contact you would like to use as a target. Click the “Collections” tab on your left side and choose the appropriate Collection.
7. Click “Next” on the top-right corner. You will be taken to STEP 3: Specify contact list options.
8. Name the contact list in the box under “Provide Contact List Name.” I named mine “ Work Contacts.”
9. Click the + next to “Contacts.”
10. Enter the preferred name of your subfolder. Click “Save.”
11. Click the CiraSync icon in the window’s top-left corner to return to the CiraSync home dashboard.
12. Check the Update Cache box under the Sync Status pane in the top-right corner of the dashboard.
13. Click SYNC NOW to run a manual sync.
And voilà, you just synced construction contacts to smartphones.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no CiraSync software to install. There is no client configuration and no need to train your employees. The IT administrator sets automatic sync configurations on the CiraSync dashboard, and the tool handles the rest.
CiraSync allows users to sync unlimited contacts to every company smartphone.
Construction companies need to sync contacts to allow employees to access up-to-date contact information.
