Why bespoke software solutions could soon be a thing of the past By Nick Bailey, head of sales, BM Group.
Over the past two or three decades, fabricators have increasingly come to rely on highly customised or even bespoke software solutions from Business Micros.
Our in-house programmers have become experts at adapting manufacturing and pricing modules in our processing software Evolution and even writing dedicated modules in our business management software EvoNET to suit the specific needs of individual customers.
That’s because, to an extent, fabricators have looked to use their software to create USPs and distinguish their offering from those of their competitors who might be fabricating and supplying in the same system.
That’s all starting to change though – partly with the advent of our BM Touch online quoting, ordering and lead generation platform, which has been deliberately created as a universal platform with standard features and options intended to work for everyone.
It’s a big shift in mindset for many, but we’re starting to see a definite move away from bespoke to standard BM software solutions, as fabricators come to appreciate the very significant benefits that come from that.
Simpler support
It’s quicker and easier to access support on a standard product rather than on a bespoke one. A simple call or online chat with any of our fully trained support team will answer the vast majority of queries on Touch or on Evolution and EvoNET– because they are all likely to be things the team have come across before.
Increased knowledge sharing
As the number of Touch users increases to the levels we already see on our other products, so will system knowledge and experience across the industry. In the future, it will be even easier for users to share knowledge – and even tips – with others!
Easier training and recruitment
By keeping Touch universal, we can ensure that anyone who is trained to use Touch at one company will be able to use it just as effectively at another. It doesn’t just reduce the amount of initial training required, it also makes for more easily transferrable skills when people change roles or jobs. And that applies to all our other software as well. If you use a standard version of Evolution or EvoNET, then it will be significantly easier for you to recruit and onboard fabrication or processing staff.
Better value
Our aim with Touch was always to build a system which would work for the whole sector and, in order to do that, it had to have mass appeal and be affordable. The only way that we can guarantee that now and in the future is if we use our programming and operational resources as efficiently as possible.
BM Touch is a universal platform, but that doesn’t mean that every fabricator’s version of BM Touch is the same. The key strength of the software is that it is populated using real time product and pricing data – and that obviously depends on which systems and products are being manufactured.
From Business Micros’ perspective, the focus for our programming teams – for Evolution and EvoNET as well as Touch is maintaining the databases for all the different window and door systems and ensuring that each fabricator’s Touch system talks directly to their Evolution and EvoNET systems.
As we continue rolling out Touch to more customers – we’re at 30+ Touch Portal users now – we’re obviously listening closely to all the feedback we’re getting about what users like about the current Touch features and functionality and what they would like to see added in the future.
Our team are responding to that feedback but on a much broader basis than previously. We are looking at engineering in features where the benefits are for the majority of Touch users rather than just one, and where the cost of engineering those features still represents good value for all our users.
I’m very encouraged by how positively customers are embracing that – particularly as it means prices will remain competitive.
