Improve Your Business by Embracing Electronic Quantifying

What is preventing you from benefiting from a quantifying solution?

Quantifying software is here to stay. It’s not a fad. It’s not a toy. Nor is it a poor substitute for traditional quantifying methods. Simply put, electronic quantifying is one of the best ways to improve a flooring business.

Over the last twenty years or so, quantifying software has become a fixture in many flooring businesses, but it is still not as widely used as it should be. Two decades is an age in the world of technology, so, as you would expect, current quantifying software for the flooring industry has improved. In fact, the most significant leaps forward have taken place over the past five years, with more powerful computers and the advent of tablet devices

“Questions no longer revolve around why flooring businesses would make the move to electronic quantifying, but how they can make the change.”

In the ten years we have been supplying Measure by RFMS to flooring businesses in Australia and New Zealand, I have seen a subtle change where most flooring retailers now acknowledge the need to move to electronic quantifying. Questions no longer revolve around why flooring businesses would make the move, but how they can make the change. Many have tried but failed to get electronic quantifying established in their business. This article aims to understand why this is can be the case and what we can do to overcome the obstacles.

Lack of confidence. Quantifying is fundamental to the success of a flooring business. We cannot afford to get it wrong. As a business owner, you need to spend time becoming comfortable with the fact that anything you can do on paper with a scale rule and calculator, you can do in a quantifying application. Only better. And quicker. We can put you in contact with retailers who have made the change, and we are very happy to quantify some plans you have already quantified as a starting point to building your confidence.

Time constraints. Finding the time to learn something new is a significant challenge to implementing any change; Measure by RFMS is no different. Until the new user becomes competent with Measure, the quantifying process will be slower. It is frustrating, particularly if plans are mounting up. There is no simple solution; the transition takes time, but the more commitment that is shown, the shorter it is. There is some short term inconvenience for the long term benefits, but the Measure team will be there to help along the way.

Believing electronic software is an experimental technology. Unless it is understood that electronic quantifying is a proven technology, you might feel like a guinea pig. Electronic quantifying has been around for a long time, and it has long been proven to have significant benefits over traditional quantifying methods.

Leaving it to staff. Moving from traditional quantifying methods is primarily a business decision. As business owners, once we have decided on a change that will be good for our business, we should expect our staff to support that decision. Strangely, this is often not the case when it comes to electronic quantifying. Often attempts to implement electronic quantifying fail because “the salespeople didn’t like it”. Not liking something is not sufficient reason to subvert the goals we have for improving our business.

“…change is like turning a large cruise liner; we need to keep our hand on the steering wheel for as long as it takes to make the change.”

Seeing electronic quantifying as a threat. Electronic quantifying enables staff with no estimating experience to quickly gain a skill that otherwise can take years to learn. This can make our team feel threatened. They need to understand that electronic quantifying is a tool that enhances our experienced quantifiers and salespeople; the purpose of tools like Measure by RFMS is not to make our experienced staff redundant but to free them to do more productive things with their time.

Lack of training and support. Sometimes the salespeople don’t make the change because they had insufficient training or didn’t get the support they needed when they needed it. We recognise this, so Measure by RFMS provides free trials and free training; for as long as your staff need to get comfortable and competent with the software. They will also have access to a free phone number to get instant support when they need it.

Moving to an electronic quantifying application is a significant change, but it’s not as difficult as we might think. Over the past ten years, we have trained hundreds of clients across Australia and New Zealand, to use Measure by RFMS, and they have successfully made the change. Many now say they regret not making the change sooner.

You might be wondering how you could successfully establish electronic quantifying in your business.  Contact me at my email address below, and I will be happy to have that discussion with you.

Chris Ogden is a consultant and Managing Director of RFMS Australasia, a supplier of IT solutions specific to the flooring industry. Chris has an extensive background in all aspects of the flooring industry, and he can be contacted at cogden@rfms.com.