December 15, 2023

Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping Transforms Estimating with Attentive.ai

Case Studies

Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping is a premier family-owned landscape and irrigation contractor in South Texas. Their services include landscape construction, maintenance, residential projects, water management, sports turf, multi-location management, and more.

Jeremy Charo, as the Special Project Manager for Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping Inc., oversees landscape maintenance estimates, enhancements, and special projects. Working in tandem with the VP of Maintenance, as well as branch and regional managers, Jeremy helps execute projects.

Sur Knight serves as an Estimator, specializing in the critical task of property measurements, an essential step in delivering precise and reliable service offerings.

Read on to get a glimpse of Jeremy & Sur's conversation with Attentive.ai about how switching to automated property measurements switched up their bidding game & improved overall business processes.

How Maldonado Discovered Attentive.ai

Jeremy's journey with Attentive.ai commenced with an unsatisfactory experience with another measurement platform that lacked accuracy. Then, a meeting with Shawn Prince, VP of Business Development from Attentive.ai, paved the way for a test of their automated property measurement software, which impressed Jeremy with its responsiveness and precision.

Jeremy shares that the decision to switch to any platform for a company of our size is really difficult because there’s training a lot of people, getting out of old processes & breaking out of bad habits. So, it was a big change for them. 

But everyone in the team has really liked Attentive.ai and found it helpful. “The team from Attentive.ai has been with us every step of the way,” he adds.

The Transition to Attentive.ai’s Automated Property Measurements 

Maldonado's switch to Attentive.ai was driven by a need for efficiency and the ability to scale their operations. Previously bogged down by the laborious GoiLawn tool, Attentive.ai revolutionized its workflow by allowing for rapid measurements and freeing up estimators to focus on quality and delivery of service.

From right to left- Shawn Prince, Jeremy Charo, and Maldonado brothers - Jerry and Oscar with Shiva in the middle posing with Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping service truck.
Maldonado Nursery Landscaping team with Attentive.ai

“Attentive” Customer Service

The biggest reason [for switching] was customer service right off the bat.

The decision to shift to Attentive.ai was heavily influenced by the unparalleled customer service they encountered. Attentive.ai demonstrated a commitment to resolving issues promptly and maintaining an open line for feedback, fostering a robust partnership.

The Attentive.ai team has been super (super) helpful in picking up things that I don’t even expect a yes on when I ask about them.

Accelerated Pace of Work for Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping

Attentive.ai equipped Maldonado with the capability to execute measurements with unprecedented speed and accuracy, which was essential for Jeremy's role. Speed is the first part. We can measure much faster than I could ever dream of, and it is as accurate as it could be.

It’s crazy how efficient it has become now that we don't have to worry about measuring every single thing.

Enhanced Precision with Blueprint Measurements

The introduction of automated blueprint measurements by Attentive.ai brought a significant reduction in manual workload for Jeremy. With the ability to effortlessly aggregate measurements and present them in various formats, Attentive.ai provided a seamless and efficient solution for handling complex projects.

Landscape construction takeoff with Attentive.ai
This is how your landscape construction takeoff looks with Attentive.ai

Jeremy added that automating blueprint measurements replaced their time-consuming process of using PDF exchange and manual data entry, streamlining his work and allowing for a faster turnaround with clients.

Sur Knight's Endorsement As A Landscaping Estimator

Sur Knight, who has been with Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping as an estimator for a tenure of six months now, acknowledges Attentive.ai’s impact on his work. The technology not only reduced the margin for error but also significantly decreased the time taken to produce estimates, thus enhancing his value to the company.

I can do a lot more work in a lot less time.

The Importance of Embracing Technology For Landscaping Maintenance & Construction Businesses

The businesses that are going to survive are the ones that will embrace technology.

Jeremy advocates for integrating technology in the landscaping industry, citing it as a critical factor for survival and growth. He notes that technology facilitates accuracy and speed in bidding, giving companies a competitive edge and leading to more successful outcomes.

Technology as the Backbone of Efficiency and Growth

In Jeremy's perspective, Attentive.ai stands out as a trustworthy platform that not only delivers accurate measurements but also supports the development of efficient processes. This reliability ensures continuous operations and contributes to steady company growth.

It is much easier to build processes upon that, knowing that you’ll receive that info right on time and accurately,” he adds.

Improved Efficiency through Specialized Features

Jeremy speaks highly of the unique capabilities of Attentive.ai, such as the ability to split lawns by mower size and frequency. He appreciates the detail in which the AI categorizes lawn areas by the size of the mower required, making it easier for estimators and operational teams to plan the resources and time required for maintenance tasks.

Automated landscaping property measurement built on the latest aerial imagery
Automated landscaping property measurement built on the latest aerial imagery

According to the team at Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping, this feature of equipment-specific and frequency-based lawn splitting streamlines the process of sorting through RFPs and aids in efficient job allocation, significantly reducing the manual labor & chances of error involved in this task.

Improved Job Scheduling For Complex Commercial Landscaping Projects

For larger and more intricate landscaping projects, Jeremy emphasizes the simplicity and time-saving nature of Attentive.ai's features. He notes that the process of mapping out a large project has become much more manageable with Attentive.ai, as it allows his team to focus on other aspects of their work without being bogged down by the intricacies of measurement and estimation.

“For example, if we have a large HOA that we’re bidding on that might take us 7 days to measure it, we don’t need to worry about pausing all the other jobs to prioritize this one. Because we know that we can trust the platform to send it in and continue other processes and keep everything moving,” explains Jeremy.

Client Satisfaction and Team Morale

Jeremy points out that despite receiving sometimes "unreasonable asks," his team is still able to meet the demands, thanks to Attentive.ai. Switching to automated property measurement software has not only improved efficiency but also client satisfaction and team morale, as they are now equipped to handle more complex requests.

How Attentive.ai Can Help Your Landscaping Business?

By automating property measurements, Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping could optimize its sales process, leading to more sustained and steady growth for the company. Besides speeding up the bid turnaround for both site and blueprint measurements, Attentive.ai allowed their team to build upon the momentum to make their operational processes even more efficient.

You can also do the same. Let Attentive.ai do the heavy lifting so that you can focus on things that really matter–people, i.e., your customers, prospects, and team.

Experience what AI can do for your sales process; sign up on our Automeasure platform today. Measure your first two sites for free.

FAQs

What challenges did Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping Inc., face with GoiLawn?

Maldonado needed a solution that offered both time-saving capabilities and accuracy. While GoiLawn was accurate, Jeremy’s team had to spend long hours in front of a screen clicking & drawing polygons, which slowed down their sales process.

How did Attentive.ai's solution improve Maldonado's estimating process?

Attentive.ai provided Maldonado with automated property measurements that greatly sped up their process and improved precision, allowing estimators to focus more on quality service delivery.

Can other landscaping businesses use Attentive.ai, and how?

Yes, any landscaping maintenance and construction business looking to improve its measurement accuracy and operational efficiency can benefit from Attentive.ai's platform. New users can sign up and measure their first two sites for free to experience the benefits firsthand.