"Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together."
J.C. Penney was onto something here when he said this. What started out as a business in a one-room, Wyoming shop, Penney later grew into one of the largest chains of department stores across the United States. And undoubtedly, none of this would've happened without Penney making some definitive business decisions along the way to bring about this business growth.
Just like Penney, every owner, manager, or design principal wants their interior design firm to grow. Without the right tools in your arsenal, growth can be slow, painful, and problematic. First and foremost, you have to get the foundations right. Which means having apt business management software in place. You need a system that helps you to manage all your projects, clients and vendors seamlessly; a system that keeps your project timelines in check and on track; a system that automates your accounting and provides financial reporting that is accurate, reliable, and insightful. There's a lot you need a system to do, especially if you want your business to grow. Which is why we wanted to make it easy for you by summarizing our top 10 DesignDocs features that can help your business today and tomorrow.
1. Accurate and Attractive Proposals
Growth for your interior design firm means new clients and new relationships. You only have one chance to create that wow-factor first impression, and so you need to get it right. DesignDocs' professionally presented project proposals help you impress your clients from the get-go. Instil feelings of confidence and credibility in your design services with accurate information, beautifully presented, in a clear and straightforward way.
2. Professional Project Summaries
Keeping your clients updated along their project journey will do wonders to make them feel at ease. Plus, it will help to build trust in your design firm and strengthen new relationships. With DesignDocs built-in Project Summaries, you can quickly generate reports at the click of a button showing them exactly where things stand. They can see the total value of approved goods by project area, as well as the paid and unpaid value. In addition, this report shows your clients that you take managing their budget seriously and that you're documenting each phase of the design project clearly and concisely.
3. Easy Updating
You're a designer, and so ultimately, you want to be spending the least amount of time possible on all those tedious administrative tasks. But interior design projects have many different moving parts that all need to work together like a well-oiled machine. The good news is, with intuitive project management software powering your design firm, much of this hard work is done for you. Need to make a change to a workroom order? No problem. With DesignDocs, you don't have to scramble to remember where each piece of information you need to update lives. Instead, edit it in one place, and the system will carry this information through to everywhere else that it's required to update. No stress, and no hassle.
4. Simplified Financial Reports
If you don't know the numbers or can't understand them, it's impossible to make informed business decisions that will steer your interior design firm in the direction of growth. Intelligent business management software can highlight troublesome budget issues, pick out trends in income, or compare charges across suppliers and vendors. From this information, you can make smart business choices. The DesignDocs system houses a swagger of project financial reports. Budgets, sales, costs, and margin reports can all be created effortlessly and are presented in a format that is easy to take in and understand, helping you fast-track your business growth.
5. Payment Collection
Positive cash flow is vital to any business, no matter the size. If you want to expand your interior design firm by opening that new studio or bringing on more staff, you need to ensure your cash flow is stable and that having your invoices paid promptly is just the norm. DesignDocs has your back with built-in credit card processing, meaning you can collect payments with ease. There's no need to wait for bank transfers or cheques to clear. Your clients can make an online payment no matter where they are, meaning you get paid in a timely fashion.
6. Accounting System
You’re a key driving force in your interior design firm, resulting in a need to make countless business decisions day in, and day out. Any way to reduce the number of these means more headspace for you to focus on what matters most - design.
Choosing an all-in-one project management and accounting system for your business means fewer decisions you have to make. As project work is completed, the accounting side of DesignDocs is also kept up to date. This tandem style of working ensures that all of the data reflected aligns with your project's status in real-time. Plus, there's no need for integrations with other systems such as Quickbooks or the like, resulting in less system maintenance and fewer costs.
7. Cloud-Based Solution
No longer are we office-bound, desk-bound, or location-bound. Business these days happens anytime and in any place - and so your interior design firm's software needs to support this. DesignDocs is a robust and secure cloud-based platform. Simply jump online, log in, and you're good to go. You and your team benefit from simultaneous access and real-time project data that work together to deliver efficiency, flexibility, and stress-free business operations.
8. Automatic Data Backup and Storage
A cloud-based solution means no local networks or servers that you have to worry about keeping updated or backed up. DesignDocs has it covered with automatic data storage and backup so you can rest assured that all of your business and project information is kept safe, stored securely, and there when you need it.
9. Regular System Upgrades
Growing your interior design firm means staying abreast of technology advancements and an ever-changing business landscape. Being able to rely on a software system that you know is continually being updated and improved is just one less thing that you have to think about. At DesignDocs, because we optimize for companies in the interior design and interior decorating business, our tech team is upgrading the platform with improvements regularly. Our software evolves so your business can too, and so we can provide you with the best tools available to run your business efficiently and intelligently.
10. Client Support
Just as J.C. Penney said, growth results from forces working together. Success takes a village, and at DesignDocs, we are your village. Every DesignDocs subscription includes continuous online support from our team. We also have an extensive library of how-to materials and videos, including a series of orientation videos designed especially for new members so you can learn the basics quickly. There is also a personalized training and support option for those who would like more assistance, plus regular online support sessions, a members-only Facebook group, and more.
DesignDocs has so many tools to help improve your interior design firm's organization, putting you in an ideal position for both operations today and growth tomorrow. See what the right business management software can do for your interior design company. Request your free demo today.
