Karen Gastle

You know interior design is a competitive industry, and you also know that running an interior design firm involves a lot of dedication and hard work. As an interior designer, you are always looking for ways to work smarter, not harder. You have considerable interest in everything from reducing stress and improving work-life balance to streamlining workflows and improving accounting practices in order to make your firm run more smoothly.

 

Download our free guide about how business management software can help design  firms stay organized.

 

You also know that interior design business software can help you stay organized and make your life easier. Not only does it help you streamline your workflows, and manage projects from initial estimate to final payment, but it can also reduce the amount of work you need to do and provide better insight into your firm.

 

What you may not have thought about is why you need your project management platform to be online.

A Move to Online

There are plenty of reasons for an interior designer to consider a move to online project management. Of course, you are already aware that effective project management is vital to your firm’s success. That is one of the reasons you have been considering an interior design business platform: You know the platform you choose will allow you to more effectively manage each and every project you work on, from the initial estimate to the end result. These tools can help you visualize your workflow, clean up your accounting, stay organized, and streamline the work you are doing.

 

Even after you have decided to move to interior design business software, however, you are still faced with many choices: Which platform do you want to invest in? What software will best meet your needs? What capabilities do you need?

 

But you may not have thought about online project management versus more traditional desktop-based solutions. More and more interior designers are discovering just why they need online project management.

Never Mind the Desktop

Many are moving away from the desktop-based platform simply because an online project management tool allows them the freedom to work on the go. With mobile capabilities being constantly improved, it is easier than ever to take your work with you—whether to a meeting, to a client site, or on your next trip out of town.

 

Interior designers often find that they spend a lot of time on the move, so having a project management tool that moves with them is important. Moving to an online platform unchains you from your desktop, allowing you to work from almost anywhere, so long as you have an internet connection.

 

That is not the #1 reason interior designers need online project management, however.

Infinite Flexibility

The #1 reason interior designers need online project management is actually that these platforms provide them with much more flexibility than the traditional desktop-based solution. Many interior design firms are small, yet busy and growing. Many also experience boom-and-bust cycles throughout the year, busy periods of intense activity followed by periods with a little more breathing room.

 

A desktop-based project management tool requires you to purchase on an all-or-nothing basis. If you do not purchase enough licences or if you purchase the basic model, but later need to upgrade to an extended version, you must purchase all at once. When the busy time has passed, you still have your investment in extra licences or upgraded software that is no longer necessary.

 

Online project management, on the other hand, allows interior designers to scale up their services during busy times and to pare back as they need to. Fees are paid on a subscription service, which means they also work on a sliding scale—so you’re only paying for what you need.

 

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Karen Gastle

As an account manager, Karen has experience working with design firms of all sizes to integrate DesignDocs to streamline business processes, increase administrative efficiencies, and deliver higher profits.
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