On Thursday we are hosting a webinar to discuss what we fell is ground breaking technology, Design Machine.™ Hundreds have already downloaded it and the press has covered it so why should you attend this webinar.
Well, I’m gonna tell you. First a basic premise of why Design Machine™ exists in the first place. We exist in a highly technical industry that has become more and more commoditized. We are expected to deliver better results, more professionally but then match or beat the price of a sometimes less qualified unscrupulous competitor. We must as ESC’s keep high quality designers, installers, and programmers on staff at considerable expenditure. So we must then maximize our (ROI )return on investment.
Design Machine does just that. When you can create a block schematic drawing and a cable schedule in about 1-2 minutes versus having a person at a desk for hours and sometimes days, your company and that employee can get more done increasing your efficiency and productivity.
Now there are some in our community of “professional” installation companies that do not create documentation or drawings at all. “I Know, I Can’t Believe It Either, But It’s True.” I jest but this happens every day. So why is this the case? Several reasons are given; they didn’t charge for therefore they are not going to provide a drawing (ANSWER- the drawing is to ensure your company pulls the right wires and connects everything up properly, saving you money caused by mistakes), the job is too small (ANSWER-No job is too small to ensure everything is correct. Mistakes cost you money and spoil your good reputation), Expertise (ANSWER- Design software like Auto-CAD, Visio, etc. take time to learn, you knowledge level must be spot on to get the desired results, and they are labor intensive. Design Machine™ removes that barrier with a couple of button pushes.
So rather you are a commercial integrator doing hotels and stadiums, an IT professional creating campus layouts, a Security installer wiring houses, or a Custom Installation firm Design Machine™ is tool you cannot afford to have in your tool box.
Register for the webinar @ https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/679568747 and join me Thursday May 19th 2011 at 1PM EDT

When he would talk to us here at Simply Reliable he would tell us how much time he was saving and how he was measuring his ROI.  He sat down with Jason Knott and told him about the process.  Click HERE to read the article.

The old adage You can work ON your business or work IN your business really shines through here.  It does take some work to design your process and make decisions about how your business is run and the metrics you might use to measure success, but once you do the work it pays you back many fold.

By the way we are releasing a stand alone version of Design Machine shortly and are taking pre-orders at a savings of $100.  Click here to order.

These are some of the let us say interesting responses we have heard. So I thought let me explain why this is so important and revolutionary. In the beginning you scratched out the proposal numbers on a legal pad then typed in. Customer said yes. You marked the walls, you pulled the wire. Programmer then had to figure out how the client wanted their system to operate. Maybe someone sat down for a day or two or five to create a drawing documenting the system. ITS 2010 the stone age is over!

Today it is about efficiency, accuracy, price, and speed.

This is where the philosophy of Design Machine (a new feature in SmartOffice) comes in. When you create the proposal, which only takes a few minutes, you start a whole bunch of things in motion. You have answered pretty much all the questions necessary for a successful job. Push the button that changes everything it creates a c4p file in composer. Connect the devices together in Composer. Push the Design Machine button and it will build for you a block schematic and a cable schedule. Nothing on the planet does this except SmartOffice. So why is it important?

One of the big frustrations with any project is communication, having everyone moving the ball down the field the same way, everyone knows the play. The salesperson or designer is the closest person to the client. They have discovered all the critical needs for the system. When they translate that into a proposal the customer signs off and away the job goes. Now the designer/salesperson or someone at the office can do the connections in Composer, then create the drawings and cable schedule without leaving the office. This ensures that the original intent is carried out through the project. Nothing is forgotten. Like a well oiled machine.

Everyone from the client to the sales team, to the project manager to the installer and through to the programmer all have the same information. Jobs will get done more efficiently with less anxiety making for a more profitable outcome.

So get out of the stone age and join us as we say goodbye to manual drawings and documentation, and hello to more time in the field managing and selling and making more money.

Design Machine Example Drawing

Yes my friends, it is true, after an exhaustive year of work Simply Reliable will debut Design Machine at CEDIA 2010 in booth #710.
Here is the 411 on what it does. First let me remind you about “The Button That Changes Everything” from last year. Included in the standard version of SmartOffice is a feature called Control Integration. Simply put you create a proposal then push the button that changes everything and it creates an automation program. Currently this works with Control4. Crestron will be the next manufacturer and the others are lining up as well.
Now Design Machine. Take your automation project and load it into Design Machine and in about 10 MINUTES it will produce a Design Portfolio which includes a complete set of drawings and documentation for your project.
Come see it in action at booth 710 at CEDIA 2010 or if you are not going, I will have a video online next week

Now you can set the Payment Stub by default.

Navigate to the Invoicing and WO Preferences screen by following this tab order: My SRS - Preferences - Accounting - Invoicing / WO’s.

Check the box next to Invoice Stub to include payment stub on invoice by default.

The Payment Stub will be located at the bottom of the first page of the Invoice.

This Payment Stub gives the options to:

1. Check a Payment Method

2. Fill in Check information

3.  Fill in Credit Card information.

4. A Signature box

Version 6.9.5.0

Navigate to POs - Select/Edit PO. Click the button “Expand List” in the upper right hand corner to view the new list view.

The improved list view allows you to “Show All” and “Quick Search” similar to the contact and product list views.

There are nine ways to sort the new list.

The available sorts are PO #, Vendor, Job, Status, Date, Need In Hand, Shipping, Terms, and Total Cost.

Version 6.9.5.0

Navigate to Invoices - List All Clients. Click the button “Expand List” in the lower right hand corner to view the new list view.

The improved list view allows you to “Show All” and “Quick Search” similar to the contact and product list views.

There are eight ways to sort the new list.

The available sorts are Bill To, Client, Invoice #, Total, Payment Amt, Balance, Date, and Description.

All of the same data from the original list view is displayed in the new list view.

Version 6.9.5.0