Elevating client service with seamless project management

The Challenge

After 30 years in the industry, former carpenter and ELEVATE Build owner Paul Bélanger saw a need for construction innovation. He wanted ELEVATE––founded in 2019––to be a technology leader, but the first management software he tried couldn’t be deployed to the field a year after purchase and had many limitations. ELEVATE needed a solution to replace the old one and provide the highest level of client satisfaction for which they are known.

The Solution

ELEVATE decided to work with Procore and launched the platform on a project just four weeks later––quickly migrating its management processes, including RFIs, financials, and change orders. Financials was a crucial element the previous solution could not accommodate, but was essential to ELEVATE. Throughout the project, the ELEVATE team became power users of Procore, surprising colleagues from other companies with how they were using the platform. 

"After spending thousands of dollars on tools that did not perform to our needs or expectations, we were not willing to take any more risks," says Bélanger. "It was not about cost but quality. After extensive research and trials, Procore was clearly the best choice."

The next level of client service

ELEVATE launched Procore on its Alchemy project, a high-end cannabis retailer in Toronto recently featured in Interior Design magazine. "Our mission is to deliver the highest quality project possible with the highest level of service," says Bélanger. "Our goal is to raise the bar on what’s currently offered in the market."

Because of ELEVATE’s cost-plus construction management business model, Bélanger needs to be able to provide clients with weekly and sometimes daily updates on a project’s finances. Procore enables him to provide the standard of client communication he envisions for the company. 

"When we were mixing accounting software and Excel sheets, we always worried we were missing something. The beauty of Procore is capturing all the commitments, all the change orders. We’re presenting information that’s much more accurate, and we’re presenting it more often," he says.

A team ready for change

With a relatively young staff, the use of technology to streamline processes was a welcome change. "Everyone was interested in finding a way to make their lives simpler," says Bélanger.

He and his team divided up Procore’s training modules and set up the platform together. Soon, project managers not only preferred to work within Procore––they were seeking more ways to use it. 

Now the team manages meeting minutes and deficiencies lists in the platform, in addition to the project management and financial tools initially deployed. Implementation was not just fast and easy; it exceeded Bélanger expectations. "Integrating Procore to this extent is a huge success for us." 

Bélanger claims the platform enables him to do more with less. "It’s definitely saving us on our day-to-day operations."

Running the business from anywhere

ELEVATE works across Canada and the U.S., with a vision of being 100 per cent mobile.. "I recognized, when I started ELEVATE, that our tools going forward would have to be cloud-based," says Bélanger. "Procore is cloud-based and is aligned with our vision from day one."

Working with Procore proved beneficial when the pandemic prompted many businesses to work remotely with little notice. "When the pandemic hit, some of our competitors really struggled to adapt because they weren’t in the cloud. We just kept working. I can run my business from anywhere."

Bélanger believes that change is hard in any industry, and the sooner it’s embraced, the better off businesses will be. In particular, he predicts the kind of detailed, rapid reporting he does with Procore will no longer be expected, but standard. 

"There’s going to come a time when clients will say if you don’t have a certain type of reporting, you don’t qualify to bid. That’s coming," he says. And with Procore, he knows he will be ready.