Software & IT

UAP LAUNCH NEW ONLINE ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

UAP have launched a new customer platform, the UAP Trade Portal, to run alongside and complement their existing trade customer channels. The purpose of the Trade Portal is to improve the efficiency of the ordering process, save time for customers, give them more control, and to fundamentally update the UAP experience.

It performs a variety of benefits; the sales process is streamlined, replacing a call to the sales team with a self-service visit to the platform. Customers can manage their accounts and

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view their order history, product stock levels, prices, and much more. The portal is accessible 24/7 via PC, tablet and mobile, and customer orders and enquiries are no longer constrained to UAP office hours. Ordering is easier than ever before, with customers able to browse, search, filter or upload a spreadsheet to find the relevant products. Favourite or most ordered products can be saved. Regularly purchased products can be re-ordered at the click of a button. The UAP Trade Portal already has customers using it regularly and gaining great benefits from it, including the new addition of Loyalty Points – points can be turned into pounds to be used again in future Trade Portal orders. Customers interested in accessing it can contact UAP via digital@uapcorporate.com. Owen Whitehead, Head of Digital Marketing, says: “Initial feedback from customers about the new UAP Trade Portal has been extremely positive. We are delighted that the selection of customers who have access have found it easy to use and have been utilising some of its great benefits, such as being able to place an order and check availability whenever and wherever. We are confident that the UAP Trade portal will fulfil a major update to the UAP experience, giving customers transparency and a control of their account like never before. We look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength.”

STELLAR ALUMINIUM LANDS IN LOGIKAL

BM Aluminium has just announced the release of the software dataset for Epwin’s Stellar aluminium window and door system, giving fabricators the freedom to use its LogiKal software to price and process jobs in Stellar for the first time.

The programming team at BM Aluminium have partnered closely with Epwin’s design and technical team over several months to create and launch the dataset, so that it includes all the casements, flush doors, lift and slide patios and bi-folds available in Stellar. Dean Hodges, BM Aluminium’s Managing Director, says: “LogiKal is the first-choice software for the vast majority of aluminium fabricators in the UK, and that’s partly because they know it contains the most comprehensive range of databases. We work hard to ensure that all new systems are

“It was important then for us to bring Stellar in line with the rest of the market, while obviously also still emphasising the many features and benefits which make it stand out.”

added into the software as soon as we can, and Stellar is already the second new system we have added since the end of lockdown.” For Epwin, making the Stellar dataset available within LogiKal is likely to further boost its appeal as a fabricator friendly system. For customers who are already using Stellar, it will enable them to process jobs more quickly, while for potential new fabricators, it makes adding the innovative new system to their product offering much easier. Paul Booth, Design Director at Epwin, explains: “Using LogiKal, fabricators who manufacture in more than one system can switch effortlessly between them and build their own bespoke ranges which can all be processed in the same way. “It was important then for us to bring Stellar in line with the rest of the market, while obviously also still emphasising the many features and benefits which make it stand out.” BM Aluminium has already started releasing the Stellar dataset to customers, and its installations and support team are on hand to support both existing and new users with downloads and installation packs. Epwin has also produced an accompanying technical manual to guide fabricators through specific project file and pricing imports which enable them to tailor the data to their own business set-ups. Dean Hodges adds: “We can provide remote and online training as required, all in line with Covid-19 guidelines of course.” www.bmaluminium.co.uk www.stellaraluminium.co.uk.

BUSINESS MICROS CEMENTS MARKET LEADING POSITION

When Dave Boaler joined Business Micros as a Software Technician back in May, he brought the total number of staff in the Business Micros Group up to 60. That includes all of the group companies – Business Micros, BM Aluminium and the recently acquired The Consultancy and The Glazing Vault.

Managing Director Graeme Bailey says the Group is determined to cement its position as market leader and has the capacity and resources to continue investing in the people and the product development which will enable it to do that. He explained: “Business Micros is rooted in the fenestration industry. We’ve grown alongside the industry we serve and have stood side by side with our customers for more than four decades. “Our team have always been our greatest strength, which is why we continued to recruit during lockdown and why we have built a culture which is firmly rooted in supporting and nurturing our team. I firmly believe that we now have the biggest, most committed and, crucially, the most experienced team in the industry.” Behind the scenes, Business Micros and The Consultancy were busy during lockdown putting the finishing touches to the brandnew TOUCH software platform which offers market-changing, fully integrated sales, ordering and lead generation solutions for both fabricators and installers. TOUCH Portal for fabricators and TOUCH Vendor for installers will both be launching very soon via the website at: www.bm-touch.co.uk. Graeme added: “We’re seeing a flurry of new remote pricing and selling products coming onto the market now as companies look for ways to meet surging consumer demand within the constraints of a socially distanced world. “However, it is the experience of our team which is built into every aspect of TOUCH which will undoubtedly differentiate our products from the rest. We know that what really matters and what really adds value when it comes to remote selling is a joined

up solution which uses real time data for pricing and design and allows quotes to be generated and orders placed using the same system. “TOUCH Portal and TOUCH Vendor combine all of that and come from the Business Micros team, who hold continually updated datasets for every window and door system in the UK, and The Consultancy team, who are the market leaders in cloud-based ordering solutions and online quoting configurators. “When times are tough, it surely makes sense to align yourself with the number one in the market and benefit not just from our vast knowledge and experience but also the resources we have available to go on supporting customers and expanding our TOUCH platform. “We’ll be rolling out new options in TOUCH over the coming months, but customers using our existing products can be reassured that we won’t be neglecting them either and will continue to provide full levels of support.” More details at: www.businessmicros.co.uk, www.bm-touch.co.uk and www.theconsultancy.co.uk.