Article Number : 2979 |
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| Date | 2/13/2008 8:22:51 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2979 |
| Abstract | Salt Lake City, Utah—Following five years of assisting flooring retailers improve their efficiency and sales, the next generation of the QEstimator program has been developed by software provider QFloors... |
| Article | Salt Lake City, Utah—Following five years of assisting flooring retailers improve their efficiency and sales, the next generation of the QEstimator program has been developed by software provider QFloors. “Our original QEstimator has served customers’ estimating needs well for five years,” said Chad Ogden, CEO, QFloors. “However, many factors require this change, so we decided it would be best for everyone if we went a different direction. Many features in QEstimator II (QEII) have been added based upon feedback from our customers.” Among the many new benefits, QEII features better seaming control, “to easily move the seams around and put them in different places on the diagram,” and improved tile & wood positioning including angles and starting points. Users will also find greater calculation accuracy and optimization, and hard surface layouts that allow piece-by-piece planning capabilities. “We think users will love this new estimating product,” Ogden said. QEII is compatible with today’s newest technologies, such as Microsoft’s Windows VISTA. Ogden said it works well with QFloors’ business management software or as a stand-alone program. And, because it is compliant with the Flooring Software Data Exchange (FSDE) Standard, it can integrate with any business system supporting the standard. (Visit www.FSDEstandard.com for a complete list of these software vendors.) Because of its ability to work with the latest computer advancements, the QEII platform is totally different from the previous QEstimator. “The user interface is totally different, so there will be a learning curve,” Ogden said. While QEII comes with a complete users/help manual with videos, QFloors’ support staff will be handling all the training and technical aspects “to ensure users are well versed in the new system. It is the same support they already get for QFloors. They can call anytime between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. EST. There is no limit to the number of calls or the amount of training they can receive. Everything is included in the package.” This includes, he added, one-on-one training with QFloors’ support staff directly over the Internet through a secure transmission by a dealer-operated password. In addition to all the new and upgraded tools, QEII has all the same benefits of the original, including helping to prevent mistakes and miscalculations; improving customer service—on the showroom and the job—estimating product quantity quickly and easily; closing more sales more quickly as well as increasing workplace efficiency through such features as automatic cut margin add ups, pattern matching, printing cut diagram and proposal sheets and more. With the release of QEII, and the fact the original version is now antiquated due to systems such as VISTA, QFloors will stop support for the original QEstimator on Jan. 31. QEII costs $699 per new licensee. Users of the original QEstimator receive one of two special deals: If the original was purchased after July 1, 2006, QFloors will upgrade it at no charge. If it was purchased before that date, a modest $100 upgrade fee per license will be charged. To learn more about QEstimator II, call 866.563.0140 and select option 3. |