Software & IT

PREMIUM IRONMONGERY PROVES A HIT ON FRAMEPOINT®

Over one hundred additional pieces of Coastal Ironmongery have been made available to touch and show on Tommy Trinder’s Framepoint® app this month, as the two firms strengthen their ties in the wake of growing demand for premium ironmongery amongst window installers.

“it’s easy to show off premium features on Framepoint®,” says founder and CEO of Tommy Trinder, Chris Brunsdon. “Being able to touch and instantly show client’s how different a window looks when fitted with an upgraded Coastal BLU fastener, as opposed to a standard handle helps Framepoint® subscribers stand out from the crowd and get more for the job.” More than 2000 Coastal handles have been quoted on Framepoint® since the two firms began working together a little over six months ago. Testament, says Coastal MD Loren Jenner, of the growing recognition amongst window installers of the value quality ironmongery can add to a sale: “Adding quality fittings provides a relatively low cost way to dramatically enhance the look and feel of your windows and doors and set you apart from the competition. The Framepoint® platform allows installers to demonstrate this value instantly, at the touch of a button. It’s a real wow!”

Upgrading to premium door ironmongery is proving particularly popular amongst Framepoint® subscribers; over half of Coastal fittings quoted via the app are added to entrance doors, French doors and bifolds. Says Chris: “Framepoint® installers tell us they love the ability to quickly and easily model doors with different combinations of ironmongery and colour finishes. Being able to immediately show how choices will look in situ is also important; not only does it secure the sale it cuts out all room for error.”

Amongst the latest pieces to appear on Framepoint® are Coastal’s range of premium pegstays; now available to touch and show on timber casements, as well as premium PVCu frames and steel look aluminium.

“Framepoint® makes it easy to sell premium features such as dual colour, dummy vents, mechanical joints, flush casements, surface mounted bars, deep timber-look cills, deep bottom sash rails. “But I must say there is something really wow about adding a Coastal pegstay to a window in Framepoint® - it’s the pièce de résistance!” Installers interested in exploring how Framepoint® can help with upselling can book a free demo at tommytrinder.com.

Timber flush casement on Framepoint® featuring Coastal BLU Contemporary Stainless Steel Handles and matching pegstays

A STACK OF GREAT NEW ADMINBASE STUFF AT FIT SHOW: STAND D31

The people behind AdminBase, which for 25 years has been the admin system of choice for Britain’s window and door installers, are using the FIT Show to show visitors what they promise is a ‘stack of exciting new stuff’, superb new features and benefits that have been added to AdminBase during the past two years. With hundreds of new users joining AdminBase during the pandemic, attracted initially by the remote working capabilities of the system, they have now discovered how it eases workloads for busy installers and smooths communications with demanding customers.

With so many new features available, AdminBase has decided that the only way to show off so many new features to so many people, is to do so at FIT Show this May: “Our Customer Portal alone, which encourages customers to manage their own installations, would be enough to come and see us,” said Rhonda Ridge of Ab Initio, the clever company that developed AdminBase. “But then there’s the Diary App which attaches documents to a lead or contract; the Canvasser App that sends leads straight into AdminBase; and Google Maps that shows locations of sales-people, fitters, and even key installations, at-a-glance,” she added. “And so much more besides. We believe that just spending five minutes with a visitor face-to-face will allow us to get the ‘wow’ factor across to them, far more than through a website or even a phone call.” Named ‘Best Installer Support Programme or Service’ at a recent awards, AdminBase is said by users to actually save them money by reducing dependence on administration staff whilst improving customer communications with automated text and email updates, self-service administration and improved response times. AdminBase will be demonstrating its Customer Portal, and the software’s numerous other time-saving features, on stand D31 at the FIT Show, which takes place 10-12th May at Birmingham’s NEC. For more information go to: https://www.abinitiosoftware.co.uk.

TOMMY TRINDER AND BUSINESS PILOT TEAM UP TO ‘REDUCE HASSLE FOR INSTALLERS’

Leading window industry software specialists Tommy Trinder, and Business Pilot have teamed up in a pledge to save time and hassle for installers…

“Time is money and the last thing installers need is to duplicate work unnecessarily,” explains Elton Boocock, MD of Business Pilot. “The new automated links between Tommy Trinder’s Framepoint® app and the Business Pilot CRM mean that users can enter important information once and have it populate live, in real time on both platforms.” The connection between the two computer programmes (known in tech-speak as an ‘API’) means that customer information entered into Business Pilot automatically appears in Framepoint® without the need to re-key. In turn important documents generated in Framepoint®, such as quotations, survey documents, homeowner contracts and purchase orders, are automatically accessible from the customer’s record in Business Pilot.

“It’s about working smart,” says CEO of Tommy Trinder, Chris Brunsdon. Having a quoting platform that ‘talks’ seamlessly to your CRM saves time, cuts out error and increases business performance.” Whether we are scheduling a flight, ordering a pizza or buying something from Amazon, the use of API’s to share information between pieces of software is at the heart of many of the online experiences we take for granted in today’s modern, interconnected world. But, argues Chris, the window industry has been slow to open up: “No one piece of software can do everything an installer needs and do it well. As a result, window firms have found themselves constantly juggling a plethora of apps, desktop software, online portals, spreadsheets and word processors just to get a job out of the door. It drives them nuts! This new link between Framepoint® and Business Pilot points the way towards a better future; a future in which software speaks to each other and makes life easier for customers. After all, hassle. Who needs it?”

Installers interested in learning more should visit www.tommytrinder.com or www.businesspilot.co.uk.

Talking to each other – from left to right Ryan Schofield (Business Pilot), Chris Brunsdon (Tommy Trinder), Ryan Breslin & Elton Boocock (Business Pilot).

EFFICIENCY AND CHOICE AT THE CLICK OF A BUTTON

Matthew Elliott DoorCo’s Systems Lead and David Rosser IT Project Analyst, talk to Glass News about some of the IT developments the leading composite door supplier has made in their IT infrastructure, like paperless manufacturing, customer barcoding, simplified onboarding and how they are managing the very real threat of Cyber Security.

The world is operating in a digital age where at the click of a button, we can get pretty much anything. As an industry, we are under significant pressure to be as efficient and productive as possible. Of course, this hasn’t been helped recently with material shortages, but what is important is to best manage what is within your control. DoorCo is committed to constant innovation in our products and our services, and this includes a conscientious approach to manufacturing & supply that benefits all our stakeholders.

I joined DoorCo in 2018 as Technology and Products Lead, with the task of devising and implementing a strategy for DoorCo’s IT systems to improve efficiency and service. Our technology team now totals 5 and collectively we manage a fully integrated IT-based manufacturing, warehousing & distribution system that communicates orders, stock levels, capacity and allows us to report on virtually anything. Along the way, we have improved online ordering and communication with customers, increased manufacturing & warehousing capabilities and capacity, enabled better onboarding for new customers, and improved lead times and delivery.

SEAMLESS MANUFACTURING & WAREHOUSING

The system is fundamentally an electronic ordering system, but an extremely powerful one that has transformed our business. We are close to being paper-free across our manufacturing from when the customer places an order right through to the product arriving at their facility. The link to our machinery Bean Saw is now live, and links to CNCs are imminent. All departments talk to each other digitally which opens up a host of benefits to both DoorCo and our customers: order tracking at any stage of manufacturing & warehousing, increased production speed and reduced risk through human error. We have also implemented driver tablets for electronic signed POD’s etc.

We will not stand still though and are always reviewing our systems and processes, looking to improve the whole customer experience end to end. In true DoorCo style, we have taken this a step further by using integrated universal barcoding throughout this system, which can be a customers’ own barcode. The barcode is applied from the point of order and to the packaging at the point of distribution. This means that once the product arrives with the customer, it is simply scanned in through goods-in and continues through the customer’s facility for manufacturing, or if prepped by DoorCo, onwards to join the rest of the customers’ order. This has been developed through our ability to communicate with any external system, whether it’s an industry standard manufacturing system or bespoke and developed in-house.

ONBOARDING

This level of integration with customers’ own IT systems has enabled us to simplify our onboarding process. One of the most daunting prospects of changing supplier is updating all your systems with the new, comprehensive product lines. Onboarding with DoorCo is easy because we have a dedicated support package delivered by our IT team. We can support the conversations the systems need to have, provide testing platforms and export delivered data sheets in any format that hold technical information, for example, how to manufacture our door styles. Our Asset portal is also an extremely useful tool, where customers can access information and transfer images in any format for their own use.

FLEXIBLE SERVICE

Another key attribute of our system is the service flexibility it has enabled DoorCo to deliver. We can deliver any volume of slabs or prepped doors, painted or unpainted, glazed or unglazed, to any customer. We’ve moved away from the traditional boundaries of ‘manufacturing’ and ‘distribution’ to a hybrid service that customers of any level can access. So should they need additional prepping, painting or glazing to back up their own manufacturing, or for have special orders they can’t deliver, the support is readily available. This opens up a world of opportunity for composite door sales. Rather than limiting the choice to what they can produce in-house or requiring a large amount of investment to expand their range, our customers can confidently partner with DoorCo to access all our doors, the FLiP cassette system, GLAZiNG, PAiNT and any other components they need. Some customers even work on Just In Time (JIT) delivery service. The key to all this of course is stock. DoorCo places a huge emphasis on stock. We are also in the unique position that we are independent in both the UK and Korea, so together we can effectively communicate and manage the situation as best we can to ensure good stock levels are maintained.

Matthew Elliott DoorCo’s Systems Lead

David Rosser DoorCo’s IT Project Analyst

COMMUNICATIONS

Our ability to communicate has extended outside of just manufacturing. Our internal communications extend through accounting and even our newly formed HR department who have implemented employee benefit and comms portals, which both deliver greater communication across the business to boost staff buy in and engagement.

CYBER SECURITY

The flip side of being fully digital is the very real and ongoing threat of Cyber Security. Protecting our business infrastructure and data from attack has led to a total revamp of our IT infrastructure from the ground up, delivered in a manner that allows us to keep developing and upscaling our IT in line with demand. Part of this revamp included us moving to a cloud-based server to eliminate the physical threat of fraud and theft. It has allowed for complete freedom with, for example, remote working. Managing this to be Cyber Secure has meant that we’ve had to lockdown the system to the Nth degree, including tools like multi-factor authentication and M-Point scanning. We have also made our team culturally aware so they know what to look for when it comes to impersonation and phishing attacks. While we are conscientious in our approach, we are very aware that Cyber security is a big risk and could have a massive impact on the supply chain if any of us came under attack. All of this means that our customers have choice, efficiency and the right products at the right time in a future-proofed, paperfree environment.