Grant Noe, son of Pacific Solutions president Bob Noe Jr.

By Matthew Spieler
Las Vegas—In today’s fast paced world, technological advances in the computer and software industry are happening almost daily. To that end, many of the industry’s top suppliers took advantage of the large crowds at Surfaces and hosted numerous events designed to update current and potential users on their newest programs and latest developments to help retailers be more efficient and profitable.

“More people than ever, from the mill down to the installer, are using technology, and it’s not just B2B,” noted Steven Wang, president of Floor Covering Soft, which launched Version 6 of its FloorEstimate Pro among other items at a morning conference prior to the opening of Surfaces.

Tracy Ward, national sales director for RFMS, which held an all-day event prior to Surfaces, noted, “There are so many new things out there and people are interested in learning what we have to offer.”

RFMS’ free Education Day & Expo 2007 was designed “to help participants better understand our programs and services,” he added. “The whole idea is to help them be better users. The more they can utilize the programs to their full potential the better their businesses will be in terms of efficiency and cost savings.”

Robert Noe Jr., president of Pacific Solutions, prior to Surfaces, added, “This will be a year of tremendous progress.” One of the company’s major focuses is designing software to help clients land more sales and make their businesses more efficient.

For Noe, whose all-day 2007 User’s Conference attracted “significantly better attendance” than previous years, “It’s also about raising the level of professionalism and enhancing consumer satisfaction.” That is one of the reasons why this is more like a big networking conference, as Pacific Solutions feels the only way to develop the best software for a retailer is to get the dealer’s input.

“This event is ultimately about the sharing of knowledge,” he explained. “By sharing our collective wisdom, we can build the best business practices into our software, helping clients enjoy a better quality of life.”

Noe actually implored the audience to not only share information among themselves, but with the company. “We need your input as well. So, if you have any problems or see how something can be done better, tell us and we’ll work on it.”

Ward said the day-long event not only allowed RFMS to showcase its newest programs and services, it allowed company officials to meet one-on-one with users and address specific questions or problems and work with them to find solutions. Some of the more frequent questions dealt with accounting, inventory management and scheduling, along with how the provider’s products integrate with the new Vista for Windows.

“We actually used the test version of Vista to make sure there were no conflicts,” he explained.

Noe pointed out, “We sell a tool, but our clients want end results. So they look to us on how to use the program to reach that end goal.”

In addition to helping users, these meetings were a vehicle for software firms to show clients the latest programs and what can be expected down the road. Interestingly, not all new things are devoted to business-to-business (B2B).

Floor Covering Soft’s Wang explained, “Visualization programs are growing in importantance such as 3D which is the next generation. Not only can you put flooring in a room scene, you can view it from different angles. This is important with all the textures in today’s floors.”

Portability is another growing area of importance, he said. With the newest products on the market, such as his company’s wireless handheld tablet PC unit that even works with a laster meter, retailers and installers have the ability to work on the job site or in the consumer’s home.

RFMS’ compact Measure Mobile also allows the user to quickly draw on site and gather the necessary data, therefore eliminating the need to carry a larger laptop to the job site.

Pacific Solutions’ Floor-Right 3D offers users the ability to easily create a three-dimensional room model, while its Field Measuring package with Site-Draw puts the ability to do such things as measure, draw, place products and take notes in the palm of the user’s hand.

For small dealers, RFMS has created a special showroom management product. Ward said it is for those retailers seeking more than Quickbooks. “It integrates with Quickbooks on the front end, but we built it so that as the business grows you can upgrade to our full scale programs.” Despite being for smaller dealers, it does have B2B capabilities.

B2B importance

Despite a bevy of products, there is no denying that just about everything surrounding software companies is the industry’s B2B Standard and making sure their latest programs give dealers the ability to conduct business in this manner.

That is why Noe said Pacific Solutions now has four full-time programmers developing B2B support. “We realize the importance of this to our clients and want to make sure our products can grow and expand with them.” For example, he noted how dealers had to push a button to download a mill’s catalog updates and, because of this, they would often forget. “Now, if changes are made, they will automatically be downloaded and give the dealer a report.”

Along with supporting B2B, Wang said one of the features of its Version 6 is that it works via software and through the Internet so designs and drawings can be accessed anywhere in the world. “This allows the tool to be shared company wide. For example, the estimator puts the info in through the Web, and the purchase manager can place the order and see if any adjustments need to be made.”

So whether it is a portable writing table or handheld device or a full-scale program, Wang concluded by saying the products coming on the market today “will revolutionize the way things are being done in the flooring industry.”