First Degree Systems’ sales manager, Greg Beachim, explains that many companies could access more efficient ways of working if they moved to a rental model for their software provision.

As a window design software provider to some of the best window fabricators in the UK, we get the insights necessary to develop our products and services. But we also get the chance to spot trends and notice those patterns of behaviour that are more effective, and result in better profit margins, than others.

Here are my takeaway points: you don’t have to cut costs to save money; a more efficient way of working could be staring you in the face; and you don’t have to have access huge cash reserves to make significant investments that offer effective returns.

When it comes to window design software, many fabricators were set up when the only option open to them at the time was to buy it outright. The software itself was a significant investment, and for many companies it has sat unchanged since it was bought sometimes more than a decade ago.

I get it. It works, it does what it needs to do, and upgrading will cost more money so you muddle through. But if you were to move to a rental agreement, you could expand on the product offering and realise the benefits from all the latest modules almost immediately.

Once you are on a rental platform, you can add users as and when you need to, as well as bolt on services that can help you become more efficient. In the case of Window Designer, these include Stock Assistant, which helps you free-up cash tied up in stock, Production Manager, which ensures your factory is running as efficiently as possible, or Bar Code Tracking that allows full viability of work in progress.

Another bolt-on package that forward-thinking fabricators are using to realise further efficiencies in their operation is the Zandi CRM system.

Zandi gives fabricators an overview of their operation, and allows them to operate in a completely paperless environment.

Zandi has a full suite of tools to manage customer service, from logging complaints to managing customer returns. We’ve added dashboards to give fabricators a snapshot of any outstanding issues, returns and replacements, along with giving you a workflow for items assigned to you to deal with.

While efficiencies are most obviously found in the manufacturing process, efficiency in the back office is just as important. Businesses that keep paperwork to a minimum are generally more proactive in their relationships with their customers; they can evidence a complete audit trail, will make fewer mistakes, and will be able to process more profitable orders.

We’ve had customers tell us that Zandi is the glue that holds their operation together. Customer relationships, order processing, and internal staff management are all linked together with the Zandi CRM interface, which removes other time-consuming processes and unnecessary paperwork.

Significantly, the kind of efficiencies your software can offer you are probably just a phone call away. You will have to change to a pay monthly tariff, but the savings you make will almost certainly cover that cost.

Window fabricators are having to make difficult choices about what sort of investment they should make in their business at a time when they are being squeezed from all sides. By optimising your software, you could make an impact on your bottom line that is comparable to investment in machinery, but only at a fraction of the cost.

And, if you are already a Window Designer user, you already have a modern solution at your fingertips, and it’s probably what your competitors are already using.