Covid-19 came as a surprise to most, if not all of us in central Virginia, and while the far reaching impacts are making themselves known, some of the implications of the virus are impacting us on a smaller scale every day. The longer the virus is a problem, the more impactful these effects show themselves to be. Here at Cenvar Roofing we value innovation and a forward focus. While we know that it is impossible for anyone to accurately predict the future, we believe it is important to look ahead at what could happen, and begin to prepare ourselves to face it head on. As we look forward, there are some indications of how the future trajectory of the roofing industry could be impacted as the virus continues to spread.
Why The roofing industry is unique
The roofing industry is one of the few industries that hasn’t massively suffered, at least with the initial wave of Covid-19, particularly in central Virginia. Construction as a whole has been classified as an essential business or industry, meaning that roofing and construction companies weren’t required to shut down or work from home (which is pretty impossible!) when the initial restrictions were issued by Governor Northam. This classification allowed us to continue to operate normally, serving customers throughout Virginia, and hiring and paying employees.
Ways Covid-19 could affect the roofing industry moving forward
However just because an industry is classified as essential, and allowed to continue normal operations (with some notable changes to the way we interact with customers), it doesn’t mean that the impacts of Covid-19 won’t be felt in a variety of ways. As we look into the rest of 2020 here at Cenvar Roofing, here are some of the ways we think Covid-19 could potentially impact the roofing and construction industry.
Material Shortages
The first impact we could start seeing is shortages of roofing materials and other products essential to our work. With many stay-at-home orders, manufacturing times, as well as shipping times have taken a hit. Supply chain issues can cause delays in shipments and unavailability of certain materials, both of which are problematic for roofing contractors. The implications of this can be lack of certainty when scheduling clients, and more limitations in what materials they can offer to clients.
Trouble Closing Bids
Another impact that could be seen is roofing contractors having difficulty closing bids. Closing a bid happens when a customer makes the decision to use a certain roofing contractor, signs a contract and schedules the work. In this new reality of Covid-19, it could become harder for roofing contractors to find customers willing to go through the bid process and commit to work on their home. This is due to two primary factors: social distancing concerns, and financial concerns.
For many clients, social distancing and exposure risk are huge concerns. Whether they are in a high risk health category, work in a situation that requires minimal exposure, or are simply concerned about their health and safety, it can be difficult to schedule a time for a sales representative to come to their home in the midst of a pandemic - especially if they don’t think their roof concerns are pressing.
There are also financial concerns that have to be taken into consideration for most homeowners. The barrage lay-offs, furloughs and small business closures have left many homeowners wondering what they are going to do, and financing a new roof at the same time may feel close to impossible.
Here at Cenvar Roofing we try to alleviate the financial concerns by providing a seamless source of financing that can benefit many homeowners during this uncertain season. *Here* is an in-depth explanation of the financing options available to customers who utilize our recommended loan acquisition specialists, BB&T.
Employee Absences
Another potential impact of Covid-19 could be employee absences. While there is certainly a risk of employees becoming sick with Covid-19, there is also a variety of other factors that could result in a higher amount of employee absences, or difficulty finding new employees to hire.
Sickness
The most obvious cause of concern when it comes to employee absenteeism is that employees would test positive Covid-19 and be unable to work for the duration of the sickness. In this scenario, roofing companies will have to be very careful to ensure that employees wait long enough after recovery that they are not putting homeowners or other employees at risk.
Child care
Child care concerns are another impact of the current pandemic state that will continue to be felt for the rest of this year and possibly into the future. With so many schools transitioning to online learning, many children now require supervision and care all day. This new reality may mean that some parents will be required to stay home to make sure their children are cared for. This could have a substantial impact on the workforce.
Health concerns
The third factor that could impact employee absenteeism is health concerns from employees themselves. Each person has a unique situation, and many may begin to feel uncomfortable potentially exposing themselves if they live with a high risk family member or are in the high risk category themselves.
Current Covid-19 precautions Cenvar Roofing is taking
Here at Cenvar Roofing we are taking extra precautions throughout the entire process to ensure the safety and health of each of our customers and our employees. These precautions allow us to continue to function as usual, and avoid any scheduling delays or long wait times. Our modified process is as follows.
While our traditional estimate process happens face to face around the homeowner’s kitchen table, during this season of Covid-19, these conversations now take place via a video call or outdoors, 6 feet apart. When a potential customer schedules an appointment, they will be asked which conversation option they prefer. Regardless of which option the homeowner prefers, our qualified sales representative will physically come to your house to inspect and measure the roof. From there, we will conduct the appointment according to the homeowners choice.
When the homeowner decides to go with Cenvar Roofing they are placed on the schedule. When the day of the roof replacement comes, the assigned project will be the sole point of contact for the homeowner throughout the course of the project. The project manager will maintain consistent communication regarding project progress and updates, as well as any issues that arise that need the homeowners attention. If there is face to face communication, our project manager will maintain proper social distance, to ensure safety is present throughout the entire project.
With these precautions in place, our team here at Cenvar Roofing is confident in our ability to complete each new roof while keeping everyone safe in the process. If you have further questions for our team, or would like to schedule a socially-distanced estimate to get a quote for your new roof, fill out our estimate request form to start the process.
