Software: Products at Surfaces focus on mobile use, streamlining

HomeInside FCNewsSoftware: Products at Surfaces focus on mobile use, streamlining

February 29/March 7, 2016; Volume 30, Number 18

By Jenna Lippin

Flooring software companies are continuing to create and improve programs that run seamlessly on mobile devices in an effort to boost the efficiency of retail stores and their sales associates. With that goal in mind, these providers highlighted their latest offerings at Surfaces to show dealers precisely how they can use advanced software to easily run their businesses and complete jobs using technology.

RFMS, for example, showcased three of its mobile programs at the show: Mobile Order Entry (MOE), Installer Pro Mobile and Measure Mobile3 (MM3). With Mobile Order Entry, RSAs can create sales orders from their mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. These orders are linked back to the RFMS client’s database while giving salespeople access to customer, product and inventory records. Quotes and estimates can be completed on the spot. Users can even get client signatures on the mobile devices and take payment—it will all go back to retailers’ RFMS systems.

“It’s really a game changer for folks who have sales reps that close deals in the home,” said Dave Dumoulin, director of sales. “They have their phones or tablets with them and give clients quick proposals right there no matter the job. It really streamlines the movement of data and helps with communication.”

MM3 is RFMS’ free quantifying app available on iPhones and Androids. While retailers, salespeople and commercial personnel use the app, it is exceedingly popular with homeowners, too, as it allows them to draw their rooms before going to a flooring store and explaining their projects to a salesperson. “It empowers the homeowner to be as intelligent with product and job details as a flooring professional,” Dumoulin noted.

Installer Pro Mobile allows workers to track jobs, logging in to each project specifically with access to a calendar and other pertinent information for the installation, including maps, notes, pictures, etc. Dumoulin
said this program is particularly helpful in addressing the independent contractor vs. employee issue the industry is facing today. Specifically, it allows W2 employees to clock in and out of jobs and gives 1099 subcontractors the option to accept or deny projects.

RollMaster also featured an installation-focused product at Surfaces, the calendar/installation scheduler. According to the company, this program “attempts to address the issue of subcontractor vs. employee status,” which has dealers more aware of tax implications and liability issues.

The calendar/ installation scheduler is a web-based solution that is connected to the RollMaster real-time data system and can be accessed from tablets and phones using Apple, Android or Blackberry operating systems. It can be used by dealers, installation managers, salespeople and installers to view and update web calendars, schedule multi-day and multi-phase jobs and review and schedule sales appointments. Installers can log in to pick up jobs from their phones.  

“The intent is to enable the dealers’ installation crews to log in with a view restricted to their individual jobs,” said Dev O’Reilly, president and CEO. “The system is mobile friendly, enabling access from their personal devices. Some specific hot points include the ability to schedule jobs across multiple days and installers (i.e., wood installation Monday to Thursday, carpet Friday). Documents, notes, pictures, etc., are automatically synchronized with the RollMaster e-docs system, which enables any employee with permission to view job-specific notes, diagrams, pictures and more from any web-enabled device. Once the job is complete, the system creates an installer invoice for the dealer, which clarifies his status as ‘sub-contract labor.’”

Measure Square’s namesake MeasureSquare Mobile app continues to attract attention, which most likely helped the company generate enough traffic to be ranked 13th for The International Surface Event’s measure of booth traffic as per lead retrieval.

“We had a 30% increase in traffic, which means the industry is ready for the technology rollout with major estimating software, especially with mobile editions,” said Steven Wang, Measure Square’s founder. “It’s so easy to demonstrate; in five minutes people can see all the features of the program and see how MeasureSquare Mobile will speed up the measuring process and make their daily operations easier.”

The app estimates all flooring types, add-ons and labor, measuring efficiently with a Disto laser. It also instantly generates seam diagrams, cut sheets and quotes. MeasureSquare Mobile is compatible with iOS 7, 8 and 9 on iPad 3 and later as well as iPhone 5 and later.

Dancik, meanwhile, focused on discussing the company’s integration with Kerridge Commercial Systems. Greg Grady, director of business development, said it was “business as usual” for the company at Surfaces, adding that it is 100% committed to flooring and the tile distributor and retailer market. “Nothing will change in that realm,” he said. “[The integration] just gives us leverage to improve at a faster rate, which was a big topic of conversation. Our customers breathed a sigh of relief because with Mitch [Dancik, founder and chairman, Dancik International] in business for 30 years, they didn’t know what the succession plan was. It was good to be at Surfaces and convey the plan face-to-face with prospects and existing customers.”

In terms of product, Dancik debuted Dancik CRM, a fully integrated, mobile-compatible system specifically designed for the flooring industry. According to Grady, Dancik CRM offers benefits over competing products including “incorporating rolled goods and flooring functionality into the CRM role.” Retailers or distributors can have their sales teams bid on jobs or work with builders to create quotes and then have those figures, jobs and orders “flow directly” into Dancik’s core application. The final version of Dancik CRM will be unveiled this summer.

QFloors, which recently unveiled its QPro software (FCNews, Jan. 4/11), also highlighted its new QLeads program at Surfaces. How it works: QLeads gathers prospect information from the web—with sources like a store’s website or a lead generator—and automatically inputs it in the QFloors CRM without “human interaction, so you don’t have to type in all the information,” said Chad Ogden, president and CEO. The system then notifies the dealer of a new lead, thereby streamlining the process of accepting a lead into his QFloors software.

“For people taking in 100 leads a day, this can be very beneficial in helping them get to their leads faster,” Ogden added. “[Without it] you have to go to the [dealer] website, look up a lead and then input data. Studies show that if you’re not getting back to somebody within five minutes the lead can go cold; after 20 minutes it’s even colder. If you’re looking at your leads once a day and then have to type them into your system, it can hurt you. QLeads notifies you that you have a lead and someone can follow up right away.”

With an international client base, Comp-U-Floor makes the most of Surfaces by showcasing its new and updated flooring software solutions to existing and prospective users. What was perhaps most notable for the company this year was the launch of its web-based family of ERP products, including wireless and mobile technologies.

“Porting our products to the web has forced us to redesign and upgrade our approach to business software,” explained Edgar Aya, president, Aya Associates, Comp-U-Floor owner and creator. The company’s multi-million dollar investment over the last three years has translated into a dynamic and highly functional design that relies on Comp-U-Floor Classic software for basic accounting and warehousing functions but may be accessed through the web for ordering, purchasing and service management. In addition, installers are updated on their job schedules through connected mobile devices and Google calendar.

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