4 minute read
Software & IT
FRAMEPOINT® ACTIVITY SUGGESTS STRONG START TO 2022
Despite some talk of slowdown in the market, activity on Framepoint® in January suggests no sign of a cooling. Latest figures released by Tommy Trinder show that quotes prepared by installers on the Framepoint® platform reached a new high of £77milllion in the month – over 120% up on January 2021.
“We saw installers come out fighting from the Christmas break with quote levels rebounding steeply from December’s seasonal lull,” says Tommy Trinder’s founder and CEO Chris Brunsdon. “In all 4854 homeowners received a quote generated by Framepoint® in January. But it doesn’t stop there. Installers are routinely submitting multiple quotes for each client; 2.3 quotes per project seems to be the average. This took the total number of quotes prepared on Framepoint® to well over 11,000 in the month – a new record high.” Tommy Trinder report that 80% of the work quoted via Framepoint® in the month was replacement, with the remainder equally split between items fitted into prepared openings, full sash box removals and supply only. Rising average quote values are also a notable feature in the market; In January the average quote prepared for a homeowner on Framepoint® stood at £6,700 compared to £5,400 a year ago. Says Chris; “Framepoint® subscribers have always been able get a bit more on every job because it’s so easy to touch and show off premium features such as foils, dual colours, dummy vents, mechanical joints, surface mounted bars etc. But the ongoing rise in average quote values also points to supply chain price rises filtering through.” The firm reports that a growing demand for premium products such as flush casements is also bolstering quote values. Almost a quarter (22%) of all PVCu windows quoted by installers in January were flush sash, with a large proportion (40%) also featuring mechanical joints. Aluminium bifolds and sliders saw growth too, but threw up some surprises: “Aluminium doors are a vital part of a window installers repertoire; half of all installers are actively selling aluminium sliders and bifolds according to our data. Despite the resurgence in popularity of the sliding patio door, we were surprised to see that bi-folds are still outselling sliders by a factor of 2 to 1.” The number of installers using Framepoint® continues to grow too; more than 360 installation companies have now signed up to use the service, with over 1200 individuals actively using the app to prepare their quotes. But it’s not just new business that is fuelling growth, explains Chris; “Quoting on Framepoint® is fast - it saves installers time. In an effort to maximise efficiencies existing subscribers are quoting more and more of their work through the platform. There is a growing understanding that working smarter is key.” Installers can find out more about Framepoint® and book a free demo at www.tommytrinder.com.
The breadth of expertise within the Business Micros Group, and its reputation as the industry’s number one software provider, meant it was always the first choice to partner with Making Your Space when the company was planning its high-profile launch into the premium garden room and outdoor living market.
The team behind Making Your Space wanted to create a stylish, consumerfriendly website which would engage homeowners and also deliver a completely new 3D configurator to drive retail enquiries and give a real USP to trade customers.
Web design came courtesy of Business Micros Group company The Consultancy and the 3D configurator was created by the same in-house programming experts behind the Business Micros TOUCH platform. Crucially, Making Your Space now has the option to work with Business Micros to integrate these front-end tools with its next-gen Touch software to encompass the entire supply chain of consumers, installers, fabricators, and material suppliers in one fully integrated system. From the outset of the project, Ryan Crossley, Director at Making Your Space, felt that Business Micros was the right partner for the project. He said: “Not only did they understand the scale of our ambition and deliver a garden room portal which is already head and shoulders above what our competition are offering, we know that they also have all the knowledge, products and expertise in-house to help us as we continue to grow.” Currently, the Making Your Space configurator is the big differentiator which is helping to generate enquiries from both the trade and retail markets. It sits on the new Making Your Space website at https:// www.makingyourspace.co.uk/ and allows homeowners to design their dream garden room, get an indication of cost and then submit an enquiry. It is simple and intuitive to use and lets customers add all the options they need from flooring to electrics. The fact that enquiries are already effectively price conditioned means that all the leads being passed to trade customers are genuine and they are allocated by postcode, using a tool also developed by Business Micros. Trade customers who sign up as Making Your Space Design Partners also have the option of having their own branded version of the 3D configurator embedded on their own website for free, enabling them to generate their own leads and promote the garden room option for themselves. Nick Bailey, Business Micros’ Business Development Manager, confirms that Business Micros is making major strides in the growing garden room market. He added: “The project for Making Your Space is a great demonstration of what we can deliver on 3D configurators. We’ll also be adding this functionality to our TOUCH software platform shortly so that customers can quote, price and order garden rooms from their chosen supplier using the same technology they use to order windows and doors.”
More details are available at: https://store.bm-touch.co.uk/ and https://www.theconsultancy.co.uk/
