Tech it or leave it: Finding the right tools for your roofing business

By Dani Sheehan and Lauren White.

Stay ahead of the curve with insights from RT3’s expert panel on how to navigate the ever-evolving world of roofing technology.

We started the last day of the 2025 International Roofing Expo (IRE) with a powerhouse panel of industry and thought leaders for the Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) session Navigating the Technology Landscape, moderated by our very own Heidi J. Ellsworth. Wendy Marvin, owner of Matrix Home Solutions and president of RT3, John Kenney, COO of Cotney Consulting Group and Kyrah Coker, president and CFO of National Roofing Partners (NRP) dive into the ever-changing world of technology in roofing. As AI, drones and robotics continue to enter the roofing industry, it’s crucial not only to understand the technology options available but also integrate technology into your company.

Tech overload: What do you really need?

“Tech is a freight train that’s coming,” Wendy shared. The roofing industry is finally gaining recognition as a viable profession, and with that comes an influx of tools and solutions to help get work done more efficiently. But not every piece of technology is right for every company. As John put it, “There have never been as many menu picks as there are today.” And all three panelists agreed that it’s vital for you to figure out what your needs and wants are in a software before you start shopping around.

A method that many teachers use is backwards planning where you start at the end and determine what you want your students to get out of a lesson and then move backwards, and what you’re left with is a step-by-step guide to help you get to that end goal that you set. And according to Kyrah, the same thing applies to your tech stack for your company. Kyrah recommends, “Start with the end in mind and figure out where you want to be in the future with your company and work backwards from there to figure out where you need to be now and what tech you should be implementing.”

A high-tech advantage or just hype?

Drones have become a popular tool in the roofing industry, offering high-quality images, improved safety and faster assessments. However, as Kyrah pointed out, “Drones are great for footage and photos, but nothing beats boots on a roof.” While customers appreciate the precision and efficiency drones provide, many contractors believe they cannot be a complete replacement for the hands-on knowledge that comes with physically inspecting a roof. The key is finding a balance – using drones to enhance the accuracy of information coming in while still relying on skilled professionals to interpret the data and make informed decisions. This might look like deciding to take an additional core cut to assess the extent of damage caused by a leak rather than relying solely on the image that identified the leak in the first place.

RT3 guides for you

To bridge the gap between technology challenges and solutions, contractors can turn to two recently launched guides from RT3. The idea behind these guides started from our RT3 visit to the SRS Distribution headquarter visit in Dallas, Texas, during IRE week 2023. Ironically, basic tech was used — pen and whiteboard. From there, came the Business Maturity Guide and the Technology Landscape Guide. 

“We were trying to take all this technology chaos and give you all these tools,” Wendy shared. “This guide allows you to see what other companies like ours have done and then make some smart decisions for your own company.” The Business Maturity Guide explores how companies in different levels of existence have different technology needs. “We recommend the processes that you need to understand at all these levels. Use what fits you best for the level you’re at the time,” John explained.

As for the Technology Landscape Guide, it provides an overview to understand what the various platforms are and explains how they all work together. John shared, “This guide gives you the knowledge to go to different software companies and say, ‘This is what we need, this is where we need to go, how can you do that?’” The best part? All of this information came from contractors, just like you. “Contractors want to talk to contractors about what does and doesn’t work,” Kyrah shared.

What everyone is talking about – AI  

We all know the roofing industry continues to face a serious labor shortage. According to John, “For every one person who gets recruited into the industry, two to three retire.” This is why adopting and implementing technology into your company is vital, whether that’s utilizing robotics, cobotics or AI. John shared, “AI will replace 40% of your white-collar workforce and eliminate a lot of tasks that are manual. AI will replace less than 1% of the labor force. Robots will never replace humans; it will be a partnership. You're still going to need human interaction and have people operate this tech.”

Wendy’s recommendation with AI is, “Have AI in place and maybe you don’t use it all the time, but you have it available and ready when you need it.” For Wendy, using an AI phone receptionist can be essential when a weather event happens in the PNW where her company is located. As she explained, she could go from 15 calls a day to 125 calls, which she doesn't have the staff for. And that’s where AI can help her, her staff, her company's reputation and her customers. “I use AI as an efficiency tool to help me do what I do better,” Wendy shared.

Tech takeaways

To wrap up the tech talk, each panelist shared insights on how to engage with RT3 and what RT3 has done for them and can do for others.  Key themes included leveraging technology effectively, being strategic with adoption and ensuring data ownership.  

On leveraging RT3 as a resource:  

• “Anyone with RT3 is ready to brainstorm with you and we’ll be the Switzerland of technology,” Kyrah
• “Nobody is going to do this for you, but you need to be able to reach out and find resources that will help you and RT3 is that resource. If you engage with it, you will learn and you will find tools that will help you,” Wendy

On finding the right technology:  

• “If you can’t get all three – shorten processes, return on investment and make you more efficient – it’s not the solution for you. And if you’re not a well-operating company, software will not fix it for you. If you put garbage in, you’re going to get garbage out,” John

On taking ownership of your data:

• “If you own the data, you own the client – data is king. Focus on making sure you have sufficient data on your client and be the own architect of your data,” Kyrah

On embracing technology within your team:

• All three panelists agreed that you and your company can benefit from bringing the younger people into your company who are early adopters, fast moving and ready to take tech on.

As John put it, “Technology is like roofs. Every roof has its place, but it’s not meant for every place and technology is the same.”

About Lauren

Lauren is the editor for RoofersCoffeeShop®, MetalCoffeeShop™ and AskARoofer™. When she’s not writing or reading articles, she's adventuring with her puppy Kira and trying new recipes.