The problem
An $18,000£13,534€16,105A$25,985C$25,444 paver patio and planting job runs for 2 weeks, and homeowners at work call to ask how it's going. Disputes about what was there before, or what was agreed, start with no proof. If the owner spends 3 hours a week on update calls and photo texts across 3 live installs, that's about 13 hours a month (3 × 4.3), or about $580£436€519A$837C$820 at an assumed $45£34€40A$65C$64 an hour.
What the AI does
In CompanyCam, the crew takes photos and videos on their phones, saved to each project with timestamps, even offline. The Crew plan adds checklists and automatic job reports, so a day's photos become a report the owner can share with the homeowner instead of answering calls. Before photos of the yard and driveway settle arguments about existing damage, and the final report becomes the handover record.
A worked example
A design-build landscaping company in Raleigh, North Carolina, runs 2 install crews with about 3 paver patio, retaining wall and planting jobs on the go at once, averaging $18,000£13,534€16,105A$25,985C$25,444. They put the owner and both crew leads on CompanyCam Crew ($119£89€106A$172C$168 a month billed annually, 3 users).
Before
About 3 hours a week of update calls and photo texts, and no before photos when a client disputes damage
After
A shared job report most days, and about 45 minutes a week of calls
What it's worth
About $435£327€389A$628C$615 a month of the owner's time saved, against $119£89€106A$172C$168 for CompanyCam Crew billed annually. That is 2.25 fewer hours a week on update calls (about 9.7 hours a month) at an assumed $45£34€40A$65C$64 an hour. One avoided argument over a cracked driveway can be worth more than a year of the plan.
How to set it up
- Create a project for each install from the signed proposal, with the address and the homeowner's contact details.
- Have the crew lead photograph the whole yard, driveway, irrigation heads and neighbors' fences before any digging; this is your record of existing damage.
- Build a checklist for each install stage (excavation, base compaction, pavers, joint sand, planting) so each stage is photographed before it's covered up.
- Share a job report with the homeowner at the end of each working day, and keep the final report with the warranty paperwork.
- Check your state's contractor or landscape license rules for hardscape work, and put the license number on proposals where your state requires it.
What goes wrong
- The pricing page lists Crew with 3 users. Ask what an extra user costs on Crew before adding a fourth.
- Core ($63£47€56A$91C$89 a month billed annually) doesn't include checklists or automatic job reports, and allows only 2 users.
- Photos of a customer's home are personal. Ask before posting any on social media, and get written permission before using them in ads.
- A report is only as good as the photos. Hidden work such as base depth needs a photo with a tape measure before it's covered.