What to Look for in a No-Code Contractor Management System

If you're unfamiliar with no-code tools, but want to build a system for managing external contractors using a no-code platform like Stacker, knowing what to look for is a great place to start. 

A number of Stacker customers use the platform to build external contractor portals or tracking systems, among other things. This post summarizes all the criteria that they considered when talking to our team; It's a good first step before you start downloading templates and speeding through how-to videos.

This is not a set of tactical step-by-step instructions; rather, it's a list of the factors an operations team should consider if they've decided to build their own Contractor Management System with a no-code platform, instead of buying an off-the-shelf solution. If you’re still deciding between no-code and an out-of-the-box contractor management portal tool, we have more on that here.

To make the recommendations less theoretical, we'll use the example of Petco, a fictional pet care company that employs contractors to provide pet-sitting and fostering services. 

Data table capabilities

The way data will be organized and linked within your contractor management platform is the first aspect to consider. You'll have different types of objects of record, and they will be linked together differently: one-to-one, one-to-many, and every variation in between. Whatever contractor management system you build has to offer the ability to maintain those records efficiently.

In the case of PetCo, you would have records of customers, pet categories, pets, contractors, projects, etc., and you need to be able to create tailored fields that relate to each other in the specific ways that work for the business. 

There are two aspects to consider here:

• Does the no-code platform offer its own database capabilities, such as tables relating to each other, record roll-up features, or in-field calculations? Or does it rely on an integration with another data source such as spreadsheets or Airtable? These integrations often mean a loss of speed and functionality, so it’s important to understand how they work.

• How configurable are the data tables in the no-code platform? The ability to configure databases on the go will be crucial as the business scales, allowing fields, forms, and workflows to adapt to the business’s evolving needs without a complete rebuild.

Permissions and external access

Your custom contractor management system will likely include a contractor portal. You'll need to decide who can access it, and how they use it. This adds two new factors to your list of things to consider: Permissions management, and communication channels such as forms, comments, feeds or messages.

The Petco contractor portal, for example, could allow external pet carers to log into a PetCo portal and check on upcoming projects, or update records related to particular pets or clients, or even read notes left by previous carers. An off the shelf contractor management system might not offer the ability to configure access and permissions at the field level, for example. 

Integration with existing tools

Your no-code platform of choice will need integrations to be able to interact with other tools in use in your organization, from CRMs to payroll to email providers. Otherwise, your contractor management application will be fairly limited. 

Based on the use cases in consideration, what tools do you think you’ll need to integrate with contractor processes and workflows? In the example of PetCo, we could imagine that the contractor management team might need any of the following features:

• Sending automated emails with information about an upcoming pet care appointment

• Sending payment information to a payroll or accounting team at the end of the month

• Showing contractors the learning modules available to them through a secure login on their contractor portal

All of the above would require integrations with learning platforms, CRMs, email providers, and so on. Mapping out these needs in advance will help you make the right trade offs when picking your no-code tool.

Stacker customers tend to look for robust and extensive integrations, which is why we invested in connecting our databases to over 60 other SaaS tools, but different teams have different needs, so it is worth exploring this question early. 

Ability to grow at scale

One of the biggest advantages of using a no-code platform for contractor management and tracking is the flexibility it offers compared to off-the-shelf solutions. However, even within no-code options, the degrees of scalability and flexibility vary.

Before deciding on a tool, consider if your use cases are likely to change or expand, and if your tool of choice will keep up with the amount of data generated by your business as it grows.

PetCo might only use a no-code platform to manage contractors for now, but it could expand to offer portals to its customers or vendors. Even in the existing contractor use case, the team might decide to add a new workflow in pet care, or a new service offering.

Reporting and Analytics

This could include both internal and external-facing analytics. In the case of a contractor management system, the team could offer contractors the ability to view large dashboards related to their personal analytics, such as their ongoing review score or their total earnings.

The PetCo operations team could also want to see analytics on the contractors’ use of their portal, to better understand how to improve their user experience.

In order to offer extensive analytics, the data tables powering your no-code operations platform might need specific capabilities like relationships, formulas, lookups, and rollups. ON top of those, the no-code platform needs to provide dashboard features in the app building capabilities. 

User Training and Support

No-code platforms have different learning curves, and there is often a trade-off to be made between ease of implementation and configurability of the tool, and that makes support and documentation an important factor in the decision, and not just for contractor management systems.

In the case of Stacker, for instance, we’ve invested in creating extensive documentation, FAQs, and dedicated support channels, so our customers can make full use of the configurability of the platform. 

When shopping for a no-code tool, look into the extent of support offered throughout the process: solution design and implementation, support during the initial configuration, and ongoing access to a skilled support team with deep knowledge of the product.

Security and Compliance

While most no-code tools will fit high standards of security, like most B2B SaaS tools, it is worth making note of specific requirements that your business has around security or compliance certifications, especially for enterprise businesses. 

In the case of contractor management systems, there might be a consideration around data privacy, as you’ll be both handling the contractors’ private information, and also allowing them different levels of access to company data if you’re considering building a contractor portal. Stacker, for example, is certified SOC2 Type II. 

If this is likely to be a blocker further down the line, it will save a lot of time to simply check this box as early as possible in the process.

Map of low and no-code tools by Peitro Invernizzi from Stride VC