Hiver

Ask any construction project manager what slows them down the most, and you’ll hear this over and over:

📩 Email chaos.

Too many threads.

Too many people CC’d.

No clear owner.

No response tracking.

Important messages get buried.

And suddenly… an RFI is late. A permit reply is missed. A subcontractor swears no one told them.

Hiver is the solution—especially if your team runs on Gmail (Google Workspace).

Let’s break down how this shared inbox tool fixes broken email processes in construction projects—and how teams are using it right now to streamline communication, reduce stress, and deliver faster.

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WHAT IS HIVER?

Hiver is a shared inbox and collaboration tool built for Gmail.

It lets your team:

• Share a single inbox (like site@yourfirm.com)
• Assign specific emails to staff—like tasks
• Track who’s doing what
• Leave internal comments directly inside email threads
• Monitor response times
• Avoid dropped messages or missed follow-ups

And the best part?

You do it all inside Gmail.

No need for a new app, separate logins, or learning curve.

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WHY CONSTRUCTION TEAMS NEED A TOOL LIKE HIVER

Let’s be honest—construction teams send and receive a lot of emails:

• RFIs
• Submittals
• Change directives
• Drawing markups
• Safety updates
• Inspection notifications
• Permits
• Supplier quotes
• Internal coordination threads
• Client communications

But here’s the real problem:

❌ There’s no tracking.

❌ There’s no ownership.

❌ There’s no shared visibility.

You end up with:

• Duplicate responses
• Staff replying too late
• Missed commitments
• Long threads with buried action items
• No way to measure who responded to what—or when

Hiver fixes that.

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WHY HIVER IS USEFUL FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS

Here’s exactly how it improves real construction workflows:

📬 MANAGE PROJECT EMAILS AS A TEAM

Instead of siloed inboxes, you use one shared address—like:

• rfi@yourcompany.com
• sitea@yourfirm.com
• permits@buildco.com

Everyone on the team sees the same emails.

But more importantly—you can assign ownership to one person without forwarding or replying all.

It’s like task management inside your inbox.

✅ TRACK RESPONSIBILITIES CLEARLY

Each email becomes a task.

• You assign it to a PM, coordinator, or admin
• Add internal comments (not visible to clients)
• Set due dates
• Mark it complete
• No more “Who’s handling this?”

Now there’s always a name next to every RFI, invoice, or change request.

📈 MONITOR RESPONSE QUALITY

With Hiver, you can:

• Track how fast your team responds
• Set SLAs (response time goals)
• See who’s behind on communication
• Spot bottlenecks in subcontractor back-and-forth

This is incredibly helpful when:

• Coordinating with inspectors
• Responding to time-sensitive emails from the city
• Managing large consultant teams
• Handling weekly drawing updates or reviews

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HOW CONSTRUCTION TEAMS USE HIVER

🔹 PROJECT MANAGERS

• Assign RFIs to engineers
• Route permit emails to coordinators
• Leave internal notes for review before sending
• Track which field queries still need client response
• View all project email activity in one inbox

🔹 SITE TEAMS

• Log inspection requests or concrete schedules
• Ask questions to office staff via shared threads
• Keep visibility during shift handovers
• Ensure supplier confirmation emails are acknowledged

🔹 OPERATIONS & ADMIN STAFF

• Organize responses from multiple projects
• Manage bids and change requests
• Tag invoices and route to accounts
• Schedule client emails without juggling separate inboxes

🔹 CONSULTANTS & ENGINEERS

• Get assigned only the emails that need action
• Avoid getting CC’d on irrelevant threads
• Track deadlines related to responses
• Collaborate on answers before replying

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USE CASE EXAMPLE: HOW ONE FIRM CUT MISSED EMAILS TO ZERO

A construction company running 3 mid-rise projects had the same problem every week:

• RFIs sent to a generic inbox
• Staff forgot who was handling what
• Missed responses caused delays
• Approval chains were inconsistent

After setting up Hiver:

• They used projects@firm.com as the shared inbox
• PMs assigned RFIs and field questions to specific team members
• Engineers added comments to review before responding
• Responses were tracked inside Gmail
• Admins monitored reply time and cleared out closed threads

✅ Zero missed RFIs in 60 days

✅ Faster coordination

✅ No duplication

✅ Improved team accountability

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STORY: FROM “EMAIL MESS” TO A TRACKED WORKFLOW

During a busy summer, a contractor’s admin team handled inboxes for 6 sites.

Every day, they had to:

• Filter safety reports
• Answer city inquiries
• Handle submittals
• Coordinate between office and field

With over 200 emails per day, things fell through the cracks.

Then they tried Hiver.

Now:

• Site staff send emails to a central inbox
• Admins assign messages based on trade or urgency
• Internal notes guide how to respond
• Weekly reports show response times and unresolved items

They reclaimed 5+ hours per week just from organizing communication better.

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FAQ – WHAT CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS ASK ABOUT HIVER

Does it work only with Gmail?

Yes. Hiver is built specifically for Google Workspace (Gmail). If your team uses Gmail, setup is seamless.

Do I need a new platform?

No. Everything happens directly inside Gmail—no switching tools or new interfaces.

Can I assign emails to teammates?

Yes. You can assign emails, add internal notes, and track tasks inside your shared inbox.

How does it help during handovers?

Shared inboxes ensure full visibility. If someone leaves or takes vacation, others can see what’s open and take over.

Can I see reports or analytics?

Yes. Hiver offers reports on:

• Average response time
• SLA breaches
• Volume by project
• Individual performance

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WHO SHOULD USE HIVER IN CONSTRUCTION?

✅ GCs managing multiple inboxes

✅ PMs coordinating daily emails with clients and trades

✅ Field teams logging reports and requests via Gmail

✅ Operations teams juggling 100+ emails a day

✅ Consultants handling submissions and design questions

✅ Any team using Gmail that needs ownership + tracking

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WHY EMAIL FAILS IN CONSTRUCTION (AND WHY SHARED INBOXES FIX IT)

The old way:

📥 Emails hit the general inbox

😵‍ No one knows who owns what

🧱 Delays pile up

📉 Clients lose confidence

📉 Crews wait for approvals

📉 Permits stall

The Hiver way:

📬 Shared inbox

📝 Assigned owners

🧑‍💼 Internal notes

📊 Response tracking

✅ Faster closeouts

✅ Happier clients

It’s not about sending more emails—it’s about managing them like a construction task.

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GET STARTED WITH HIVER

👉 Want to turn your Gmail inbox into a construction project dashboard?

It’s fast to set up. Easy to manage.

And once you start assigning emails like tasks, you’ll wonder how your team ever managed without it.