By Louis Iannaco
When it comes to computer software, there is no shortage of systems available on the market today for flooring dealers. Whether it involves inventory, ordering product or scheduling jobs, there are plenty of ways technology can help the retailer manage the business in a more efficient, productive and, hopefully, more profitable manner.

This is also true for one area of the industry that is often overlooked— installation. No matter how well made the product is, a quality installation remains the key to the longevity and profitability for the retailer. Aiding the storeowner in this area is the latest in installation management software.

An effective installation management software system helps a dealer maximize his labor utilization rate, said Maria Cauchon, media services director for RFMS. “More jobs per day and less technician downtime yield more profit for the business. Reducing trip charges, having the correct amount of materials for the job and eliminating over-booking are all important day-to-day issues an automated installation system can address, serving to make employees, crews and customers happy.”

Having the installation schedule online also gives access to the entire staff at one time, improving communication between departments and improving crew efficiency and scheduling capacities, she explained. “One of the most difficult areas of installation scheduling that an automated system can help retailers with is knowing which crew is available and what it can install.”

Cauchon cited RFMS’ Schedule Pro as giving dealers the ability to set up crews by their skill level, the type of products they can install and also how much they can install in a day. “Based on that, the software uses a complex algorithm to calculate who can install what and when they are available.”

Cathy Welsh, operations manager for CDMS, believes installation management drives the flooring business. “You need to have instant access to your crews, including where they are, which customer they are working with, how many crews are available, what type of material can they can handle, and if they are costing you money due to claims.”

CDMS’ installation scheduler allows retailers to customize it to work for their particular business, she added. “They have complete control over the capacities per day of the week that can be installed, and on which material types, padding types, ZIP code zones and installation type. Our installation payroll module allows you to pay installers that are subcontractors as well as installers that are employees. We create 1099-MISC forms for the subcontractors and W-2s for the employee installers.”

Much of which type of system would be best for a retailer has to do with the size of the business, noted Trent Ogden, CFO of QFloors. “The importance of installation software increases as the size of your business increases. In my opinion, a really small company would probably not need installation software. But medium to large operations definitely can be much more efficient with it. Any company running more than five installation crews per day should definitely consider scheduling software. Smaller operations can also benefit from this type of software; it’s just more optional for larger companies.”

According to Chad Ogden, QFloors’ CEO, many problems can be avoided with use of a good installation management system. “This type of software assists dealers with organization and collaboration. It helps schedule installations in much the same way that a white board, calendar, or even Microsoft Outlook calendar might work, but with added benefits and tools specific to our industry. It allows employees to collaborate better, even from multiple locations. Via the software, any employee near a computer can quickly and easily access information. They get real time installation information without leaving their desks. Installation management software can help prevent problems and mistakes.”

He noted QSched, the installation management software system offered by QFloors, benefits dealers in several ways. It prevents jobs from being forgotten or lost in the cracks. QSched automatically keeps a list of jobs that need to be scheduled, which acts as a ‘to do’ list for employee scheduling. It allows for greater control over the schedule and prevents salespeople from bumping other jobs. Employees can see the schedule and request dates at their computer rather than having to go to the white board and fight over space.

“Another benefit is you can schedule a job with different types of material on different days,” he explained. ”For example, the Jones home has carpet, tile and wood all on the same invoice. The installation program makes it easy to schedule the wood for one day, tile for another, carpet for another day, all from the same job request. QSched also color-codes jobs so it’s easy to see at a glance the status of each one.”

Mark Magnuson, director of marketing and sales for Kashmoo, believes installation management systems are a valuable tool for retailers and contractors to save money that goes directly to the bottom line. “In the past, installation managers used manual methods, such as paper calendars, dry-erase boards and paper notes to manage the installation process. In recent years, powerful, easy-to-use, software tools have been introduced to directly address this important area in the industry. These tools can make the scheduler’s life much easier, relieving stress and overload, and can make the entire business run smoother.

Introduced in 2002, “Kashmoo Scheduler was the first Web-based scheduling system in the flooring industry,” he added, “and allows users to view the status of jobs from any computer that has Internet access. Dealers should avoid systems that only run on one computer, or require complex and costly networking or file transfers.”

The Kashmoo Scheduler also features customizable views for day, week, month, and a list view to see all jobs that have ever been entered, Magnuson noted. “The user can use a ‘Google-like’ search to find any job, easily searching data from any field.”

No matter which system a dealer ultimately decides to go with, he needs to keep in mind that some are subscription based, and some are ownership based, noted Chad Ogden. “To make an educated purchase, you should compare the costs of ownership versus subscription over a two- to three-year time period. Retailers should also make sure, if they choose to go the subscription route, that they—and not the hosting company— own their data. Otherwise, if for some reason you miss a payment or something goes wrong, you cannot access your records.”