Meet the Team: Mary Haskell, Senior Consultant, MarkSystems

MarkSystem Senior Consultants are not only experts on the software, they also bring their experience in the residential home construction industry with each implementation. This month we feature Mary Haskell, Senior Consultant for MarkSystems. We sat down with Mary to learn more about her experience in the home building industry, how she's seen the industry change, and her advice on what builders need to look for in a new system.

Tell us a little bit about your background. How long have you worked in the new home construction industry?

Before joining ECI as a Senior Consultant for MarkSystems, I owned and operated an Information and Technology (IT) consulting company that focused on small businesses for over 20 years; I worked for an On-Your-Lot Home Builder as an IT and Operations Director for 13 years; and served in the U.S. Army as a Systems Circuit Controller.

How have you seen the home building industry change in the last few years?

Now more than ever before, consumers are looking online for their next home. As a result, homeowners are well educated on what they want. A web presence is a MUST for a builder to be successful in today's market. Another change we’ve seen is the lending process taking longer due to government red tape and the lender's underwriting processes.

How many builders have you helped?

Since joining the MarkSystems team this past year, I've helped assist dozens of home builders implement the system. After each implementation it's great to see how the system helps them build homes more profitably.

What are some of the most successful implementations you've seen and why do you consider them successful?

In my experience, the most successful implementations occur when both the builder and the consultants see it as a partnership. When we both share a goal—using the system to improve processes so they could run their business more efficiently—the implementations result in happy customers.

What's your advice to builders looking for a new system?

Find a system that can handle at least 80% of the business’ systems needs and the rest will work out. No one system will resolve every single process issue. Make sure you have a partnership with the software vendor to work together to implement the home builder software.

What's your favorite feature of MarkSystems?

Importing and exporting from Excel. It’s a powerful tool that gives users flexibility.

What's the one word that describes MarkSystems?

Complete.