Case Study: Field Team Closes More Flooring Projects with Mobile Solutions

A regional flooring contractor came to us with a familiar problem: their sales reps were spending more time measuring, sketching, and reworking bids than actually selling. Paper plans, spreadsheets, and back-and-forth with the office slowed every proposal and left room for costly errors.

By moving to ArcSite’s mobile CAD, takeoff, and estimating solution, their field team turned on-site drawings into instant, professional estimates. They reduced rework, responded faster to customers, and ultimately closed more flooring projects without adding headcount.

The pain of traditional flooring takeoffs

Before switching to mobile tools, this contractor’s workflow looked like many flooring businesses today:

- Sales reps measured by hand with tape measures and wheels.

- Sketches were drawn on graph paper or on printed plans.

- Measurements were re-entered into spreadsheets back at the office.

- Estimators double-checked math and material quantities before pricing.

- Revisions required another round of calls, emails, and updated spreadsheets.

This process created several challenges:

- Slow turnaround: It often took days to send a polished quote, giving competitors time to win the job.

- Inconsistent accuracy: Handwritten notes and manual calculation increased the risk of underbidding or over-ordering materials.

- Limited visibility: Operations and project managers had to interpret rough sketches and disconnected spreadsheets.

- Frustrated customers: Homeowners and commercial clients couldn’t easily visualize layouts, patterns, or transitions.

The stakes were high. A single mis-measured room or missed closet could erase the profit from an entire job. Leadership knew they needed a better way to standardize measurements, automate takeoffs, and empower the field to sell with confidence.

Why they chose ArcSite as their flooring takeoff software

The team evaluated several tools before landing on ArcSite as their preferred flooring takeoff software. They were looking for three things:

- True mobile CAD: The ability to draw accurate floor plans on a tablet directly in the customer’s space.

- Linked takeoff and estimating: Measurements, products, and pricing needed to stay in sync automatically.

- Simple for non-designers: Field reps needed to be productive after minimal training.

ArcSite checked these boxes by combining easy-to-use drawing tools with configurable product catalogs, pricing, and assemblies. Instead of sending rough sketches back to the office, reps could produce digital floor plans and detailed proposals during the appointment.

Because ArcSite is built for specialty contractors, set-up focused on the realities of flooring work—irregular rooms, closets and hallways, transitions between materials, and pattern-dependent waste. The contractor could standardize rules while still giving reps flexibility on-site.

How the new mobile workflow works in the field

Once implemented, the contractor’s typical job flow changed dramatically. Here’s how a single visit now looks with ArcSite in place.

1. Capture accurate floor plans on-site

Upon arriving, the sales rep opens ArcSite on a tablet and starts a new project. Walking the property, they:

- Draw each room’s footprint using walls, doors, and openings.

- Input dimensions from a laser measurer directly into the drawing.

- Add details like stairs, closets, islands, and built-ins.

- Mark transitions between materials (carpet to LVP, tile to hardwood, etc.).

Because the drawing is to scale, reps can trust the measurements. Any changes requested by the customer—extending a room, removing a wall, adjusting a closet—are updated in seconds and reflected everywhere downstream.

2. Run instant flooring takeoffs

With the drawing complete, the rep applies the appropriate flooring products and assemblies from the company’s ArcSite catalog. Behind the scenes, each product includes:

- COVERAGE rules (sq ft per box, roll width, tile dimensions).

- STANDARD waste factors by material and pattern.

- LABOR assumptions for removal, prep, and installation.

ArcSite automatically calculates material quantities and labor based on the drawing. Rooms, closets, and hallways are included; curves and angles are accounted for without extra math. The rep no longer needs to run separate calculations or risk missing a space.

3. Generate a professional estimate on the spot

Because takeoffs are linked to the drawing, creating a proposal is a matter of tapping “Estimate.” The rep can:

- Present good/better/best options by switching product selections.

- Show itemized or summarized pricing depending on company policy.

- Attach plan views that help customers visualize the layout.

Customers see their rooms accurately represented with the selected materials. When they request changes—different product line, change in pattern, add a room—the rep updates the drawing and the estimate refreshes instantly. This speed and clarity became a key differentiator for the contractor.

Implementation and change management lessons

Adopting new flooring takeoff software isn’t just about technology—it’s a change in how teams work. This contractor took several steps to ensure adoption stuck.

Start with a pilot group

They began with a small group of experienced reps who were open to new tools. This pilot group:

- Helped refine catalogs and pricing structures.

- Identified which drawing templates sped up common job types.

- Provided peer-to-peer training once the broader rollout started.

Because the feedback came from the field, the final setup reflected real-world conditions instead of an idealized process designed purely at the desk.

Standardize catalogs and templates

Next, they worked with our team to build a centralized product catalog and standard assemblies. This included:

- Common flooring SKUs with descriptions and images.

- Bundles for underlayment, trim, transitions, and accessories.

- Preset waste factors by flooring category.

- Room and project templates for typical residential and light commercial jobs.

By standardizing these elements, leadership ensured estimates would be consistent across all reps while still allowing custom notes and adjustments for unique projects.

Train with real jobs, not test scenarios

Training focused on live or recent projects instead of generic examples. Reps brought in current jobs and rebuilt them in ArcSite, which allowed them to:

- See how drawings translated into takeoffs for familiar spaces.

- Compare mobile estimates to previous spreadsheet-based bids.

- Gain confidence that the numbers matched or improved their existing process.

This real-world approach shortened the learning curve and highlighted immediate wins.

Measuring ROI: What changed for the field team

Within a short period, the contractor saw clear indicators that ArcSite was improving performance, even without tying it to exact dollar amounts.

Faster quote turnaround

Most quotes went from “later this week” to “before we leave the driveway.” This simple change:

- Reduced the chance that prospects would collect competing bids while waiting.

- Signaled professionalism and organization to homeowners and facility managers.

- Freed the office staff from manually compiling estimates.

Higher close rates on the first visit

Because reps could adjust drawings and pricing live, more customers made decisions on the spot. Visual plans and clear options built trust and minimized confusion about scope, room coverage, and transitions. Leadership reported that reps felt more confident asking for the sale when all the numbers were ready.

Reduced errors and rework

Linking drawings to takeoffs dramatically cut down on:

- Missed closets and small areas.

- Underestimated material leading to last-minute change orders.

- Disputes over what was or wasn’t included in the original quote.

Operations teams appreciated having accurate, shareable plans for scheduling crews, ordering materials, and coordinating with other trades.

Better visibility across the business

Because ArcSite centralizes projects, managers gained a clearer view of the pipeline and upcoming workload. They could quickly see:

- Which jobs were pending approval.

- What materials would be needed in the coming weeks.

- Which reps were closing the most work and how they were structuring bids.

This visibility made it easier to forecast and make data-informed decisions about staffing and inventory.

Key takeaways for flooring contractors

This contractor’s experience highlights a broader shift in the industry: mobile-friendly flooring takeoff software is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s becoming a core competitive advantage. The most successful teams are those that:

- Equip reps to capture accurate, to-scale drawings at the first visit.

- Link those drawings directly to takeoffs and estimates.

- Standardize pricing and products while allowing field flexibility.

- Use visual plans to build trust and accelerate decisions.

ArcSite brings these elements together in one mobile platform designed specifically for specialty contractors, including flooring, concrete coatings, epoxy, and more.

If you’re ready to see how ArcSite can help your field team close more flooring projects with accurate on-site drawings, instant takeoffs, and professional estimates, Book a demo and explore what modern flooring takeoff software can do for your business.