You know that interior design business software is a game changer with many advantages for your firm. Big or small, or somewhere in between, interior design businesses of all sizes can benefit from using software that is engineered to handle the sometimes-quirky aspects of the industry. Now that you have decided to invest in business software for your firm, however, you may have realized there’s a bigger decision to be made: Which product should you invest in?
There are many options for interior designers to choose from, but not all are created equal. If you are shopping around for interior design business software, here are a few features you should ensure your solution has.
Extensive User Support
Whether you are running your own business or you have a team of interior designers and other employees working with you, learning new software can be difficult and sometimes intimidating. That is why you should ensure that your solution provides you with ample support should you have questions or run into trouble. Most solutions will offer you online support, but some software suites will also have additional phone support, personalized training and support services and even access to experts such as bookkeepers available for you.
Cloud-Based Services
Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular due its myriad advantages, and many software providers are now offering their wares online. Purchasing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)is a great way to gain access to powerful software tools for your interior design business.
There are a few reasons this is important to you as both a business owner and an interior designer. First and foremost, SaaS providers offer customizable solutions. That means you will be able to tailor the program offerings to your business needs. Another important aspect of cloud-based service is that it allows you to access the software from anywhere, from any device, so long as you have an Internet connection. Interior designers often spend just as much time outside the office—at client locations, in meetings, running errands, and picking up supplies—as they do at their desks. Being able to access your files from anywhere while you are on the go is not just convenience for interior designers—it is necessity.
Complete Financial Management
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of interior design business software is its capacity for integrated functionality. Now there is no need to invest in several programs—one for tracking time, one for generating invoices and yet another for accounting—when you can select just one solution that will help you manage every aspect of your finances.
Whether you need to generate invoices, track purchase orders, create financial reports, or simply work on some general accounting tasks, interior design business software can do it all for you. Best of all, since the programs are integrated, you only need to enter the information once, rather than copying it from one program to the next. That makes generating invoices and reports a breeze!
Project Management Tools
Does your interior design business software offer you the opportunity to create proposals with varying levels of detail? Are there automatic price and deposit calculation tools, or mechanisms that allow you to quickly and easily apply retainers and credits? What about time-tracking tools that allow you to enter your time spent on a project and automatically compare it to earlier estimates? If the solution does not offer you all of these tools—essential to effective project management—you may want to reconsider which business software solutions you think are good options for your firm.
Interior design business software should offer you a range of tools that make even the most idiosyncratic features of the industry easy to handle. After all, this is why you are considering software designed specifically for your industry!
