Software for the new normal

BM BLINDS

Michelle Macready, Sales Manager at BM Blinds says the company’s investment in software had to meet a number of requirements.

“When we looked for a software program, we knew that it would have to be a good fit that suited our ethos of quality, service and excellence.”

“It needed to suit both the manufacturing arm and still be customer friendly. We searched for a system that could help work out production sheets, but it also needed to be easily accessible, ensuring our customers are able to input quotations and orders.”

BM Blinds selected the Buz Software system, which Macready says suited the company’s needs and has also been adopted by many of its customers and suppliers.

“All our customers have access to the system by simply emailing us to gain access. The system gives clients the ability to enter quotations, submit orders, track orders, and confirm pricing. It is an excellent tool for manufacturers and retailers alike.”

Once BM Blinds had input the data to suit its business profile, it was made available for customer access 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And given the post-pandemic business landscape, demand for such platforms is on the rise, Macready notes.

“During the lockdowns that we experienced up until just a few weeks ago, the Buz software platform was very easily accessible. Our customer service team was able to work from home, offering our clients a seamless experience.”

DRAPE AND BLIND SOFTWARE (DBs)

DBs also reports that window coverings retailers have had to re-think the way they amid ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. “Technology now more than ever is the key to remaining in business during this crisis,” ,” says Mira Krulic, on behalf of DBs.

Krulic says DBs has helped savvy retailers move their entire business into cloud computing, enabling their employees to work from home, with all information, DBs, Word, Excel, email, and accounting packages running from the cloud system, and everyone has access.

The company’s clients benefit from access to the cloud and have found ways to be innovative during the pandemic.

One is Vicki Burns from Room by Room, who shut her retail shop in Melbourne as the last lockdown loomed, moving her business to the family holiday home on the Bellarine Peninsula. Armed with her laptop and phone, Burns confirms that “with access to DBs, Xero and my emails I had everything I needed to keep working”.

Importantly, she was able to process old jobs that she had measured previously. One customer had gone ahead with a part of the quote and now wanted the rest done. “When you open up the job in DBs, you can see all the fabrics, measurements and notes at a glance, which is fantastic.”

“The customer had installed a new built-in bookcase and with a few clicks, measurements were amended, and the roman blinds were ordered.”

With choosing and buying curtains and blinds a tactile and visual experience, Burns has been able to create a personalised experience by consulting via Zoom.

“A new customer had been referred to Room by Room and needed advice on window treatments. The couple agreed to take a 360-degree video and photos of the space showing the room orientation. The window measurements were done by the builder. The details were entered into DBs and the customer was provided with two options based on the virtual consultation.”

“After viewing images of suggested fabrics, curtain headings and shutters online they decided on the shutters.”

Burns reveals that the process was “surprisingly collaborative, and the couple valued my professional experience. They had all the information and were able to make an informed decision quickly.”

“One of the best things is that all the discounted prices forfabrics, blinds, tracks, and shutters are stored in DBs. I was able to give them several options without all the hard work and referring to price books.”

Mira Krulic tells WFA that DBs continues to improve its functionality to accelerate uploading building measurements into the system by importing spreadsheets with window locations and dimensions.

“Commercial work has never been easier. A quote with hundreds of windows can be completed in minutes.”

The speed and efficiency offered by cloud and other technologies seems to be here to stay, and, says Krulic, is likely offering peace of mind to both businesses and clients amid a changed and changing environment.

“With Covid-19, the future continues to be uncertain and to survive snap lockdowns, health, and safety issues the window coverings industry needs to be flexible; some companies will choose remote working, some will work on site and others will choose a combination of the two.”

“Whichever way you want or need to work in the future, technology needs to be a part of your tool kit. Drape and Blind Software has been working with the industry for over twenty years and offers a fully integrated business solution.”

BLINDMATRIX

One effects of Covid-19 is that it has encouraged companies to re-assess and re-align their IT platforms, and, according to Matthew Bushell, BlindMatrix Business Development Manager, this may be a much needed intervention.

Bushell indicates the vulnerabilities of fragmented IT solutions are an issue for many companies.

“The annual hidden costs of working with underperforming IT solutions can be in the hundreds of thousands and for larger businesses it can run into the millions,” he says.

“Fragmented IT solutions and departments and teams working in silos stunt business communication and strangle business critical operations. Managing a business with these afflictions comes at a great cost to the business and the health of the people it employs.”

BlindMatrix is positioned as a unified solution that brings stakeholders into a single platform.

“This helps to save everyone time and money and reduces communication breakdowns between teams and customers, giving your business the foundation and opportunity to grow.

Bushell says BlindMatrix’s specialism in building dedicated technology solutions for the window furnishings sector is also supported by a collaborative approach to developing solutions for its clients.

“This is a game changer for BlindMatrix, helping to shape the way we build for the future. A modern digital infrastructure is essential for post-Covid businesses. BlindMatrix is building partnerships all over the world to deliver on its promise of revolutionising the supply chain from the inside out through innovation and collaboration.” 

Businesses are more willing post-pandemic to invest in their future, “to ensure they reduce waste and build better systems so their teams can flourish and help drive through business transformation.”

“They want software that does it all, or that integrates seamlessly with other systems to deliver true end- to-end solutions in the cloud.”

The change in working practice has led to new demand for solutions like BlindMatrix’s. “With many businesses now having a workforce that both works from home and the office, communication has never been more vulnerable to breakdowns,” says Bushell.

He says businesses are using BlindMatrix’s single platform to manage key parts of their operations, which enables them to connect their office, mobile workers and customers.

“We put everything you need to know at your fingertips, delivering all of the information you need to your smartphone, tablet or desktop so you can take control of your admin and seamlessly connect your office, mobile workers and customers.”

The benefits offered by BlindMatrix include simple booking and efficient job management; the ability to “take your office anywhere” and automate and streamline processes, he says, adding that by collating all sales data, BlindMatrix enables companies to identify their strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities.

“You can also transform how you work and optimise cash flow by generating and sending invoices, quotes, estimates, purchase orders and credit notes in seconds.”

“Our intelligent planning and scheduling features help you make sure jobs are planned efficiently and completed on time.”

“With BlindMatrix you can manage your products, pricing, lead times, delivery costs, manufacturing, stock and bills of materials.” 

Other features of the platform include laser measuring via Bluetooth, and the ability to contact customers directly from the app, or sending quotes or invoices via email or social media including Whatsapp, Facebook messenger, LinkedIn “or any other social network.”

The app also enables easy photo storage within job notes as well as digital signatures, for example to enable customers to give the go-ahead on a job.

“You can also record critical information for the job. Just click on the arrows and add your notes. You can also add note tags to help you organise your notes.”

The BlindMatrix app also allows users to manage appointments, jobs and customers even when mobile data is not available. Data is sent back to the back office once mobile data or wifi becomes available.   

Meanwhile time stamping means from when quotes are created and sent, payments taken, signatures captured, activities on the app are time stamped.

“BlindMatrix’s sales and marketing features include lead tracking and the scheduling of follow-up activities, such as calls, emails, sms messages through automated task reminders and set statuses to give you and your team better visibility of opportunities.”

The platform is also designed to enable marketing campaigns and build sales opportunities, as well as generate marketing reports and gain insights into the best marketing channels, biggest customers and best-selling products.

It also enables companies with multiple staff and different skills to create user groups to ensure the right person gets the right job. It also facilitates buying products from an external supplier.

“BlindMatrix generates standard purchase orders containing all the information your supplier needs. If they need something different, we can also create custom purchase orders to align the designs with your branding.”

“With BlindMatrix you can set due dates for jobs, products and suppliers so you never lose sight of when you need to deliver your products to your customers or when these products will arrive into your business.”

“Take BlindMatrix into your factory with our dedicated app, use barcodes and integrate with your machines to get organised, gain insight and optimise, so you can fulfill more orders, save money and increase profits.”

“Our workroom app lets your staff interact with jobs and get the important information they need right to their screen. They can let the team know they’ve started, paused and finished their jobs, raise the alarm if they need assistance and add notes to update the back office. It works on a browser and is simple to use.”

“Barcode scanning enables users to add barcodes to their worksheets and your staff can use a barcode scanner connected to the workroom app to update the job information, helping to speed up the process.”

“Machine Integration means you can use barcodes and barcode scanners to get vital information into machines, so that your staff can cut out repeated data entry. Even better, if your machines allow, we can help you get this data into your machines via ethernet or wifi. If you want to integrate IOT tech to see when your machines are running, we can help you.”

In today’s uncertain climate, Bushell says BlindMatrix’s Remote Onboarding and Software Solution packages are designed to get businesses up and running as quickly as possible.

“Our highly skilled Onboarding team will help and guide you during this process using both their industry best practice and system knowledge. Collaborative, expert-led deployment will give you the right start for success.”

“During onboarding, you’ll have the dedicated support of an Account Manager, who provides training and advice and co-ordinate your set-up and answer all those ‘How do I?’ queries. Each Account Manager has their own onboarding and support team to help ensure you’re always supported in the best way.”

SMARTPAD PRO

SmartPad Pro Managing Director and Co-founder Aaron Le Cornu says as retailers and manufacturers look to cut costs, increase efficiency and gain a competitive edge, many are investing in software to streamline operations and automate processes.

Now the official software partner for Luxaflex, Smartpad Pro is becoming increasingly popular among retailers and their manufacturers thanks to its flexibility and features-driven design, says Le Cornu.

“Smartpad Pro is a complete cloud solution for windows furnishing retailers, built to be used anywhere, on any device. The system supports businesses in three key areas: increasing efficiency through automations, full visibility of staff and store performance, and boosting sales and retention through automated quoting tools, automated marketing and enhanced customer service.” 

“Our system is built on the latest technology and architecture available in the made-to-measure market, and we are continually developing new features as requested by our clients.”

Previously a sales manager at a major window coverings company, Le Cornu was becoming frustrated with software that simply wasn’t built to do what he needed it to. He created a platform to support his own sales team, which he spent years developing and refining with feedback from first his team, and later when the software went public, with his clients.

“What makes Smartpad Pro different is that we understand window coverings retailers and we build the system to do what they need it to. We have made it highly customisable, so that any size business, from a sole operator to a national franchise, can make it work for them. And we will set it up for them so that it does.”

“Just one example of this is our Product and Pricing Management, where we will build and maintain all your product ranges into the system free of charge – saving our clients significant time and money from the beginning.”

He saysthe software has also exploded in popularity amongst manufacturers, who are using it to integrate their retailers’ orders with their own systems.

“Some of Australia’s leading manufacturers are tapping into our ability to improve efficiency in the ordering process, including Luxaflex, who recently made us their official software partner.” 

“We have built-in API and EDI integration for seamless ordering and communication between manufacturers and retailers. In an industry-first, we set up rules and validations on all manufacturers’ products so that orders can never be made incorrectly, something that’s not currently possible on any other system.”

“While we have a client-driven roadmap in terms of continually developing new features, many of our existing features are unique in the made-to-measure market,” says Le Cornu.

By integrating with Smartpad Pro (for free), manufacturers can continue to use their existing system while receiving orders and updating due dates directly through their system.

The system is designed to enable customisation and reconfiguration, says Le Cornu. 

“Every business is different, so they need to be able to set up the system to suit them.”

“Smartpad Pro allows you to set up, control and configure your own system, as well as manage products, prices, and employee roles and permissions. We help you with this set up so that once you’re ready to go, you will have a system that’s essentially customised for your business.”