Category: Blogs

Phone and remote support are both excellent options if you need to troubleshoot your software solutions for business, but ShopWorx Central is another great option if you are looking to increase your own or your employees’ training so that you can better troubleshoot your Apparel ERP and commercial screen printing software on your own.

ShopWorx Central is a web-based resource center that is the main method of distributing upgrades and online training tools to ShopWorx users. This system is a great option as more material can be posted than could be burned onto CDs and other mail-able options, and it can be organized by specific subject around the clock. Material is also constantly being updated and added so that information is available to you as soon as it is completed.

This library of information is perfect if you are looking for a way to correct a specific issue or increase knowledge about certain areas of functions of your system, and can help you delegate troubleshooting tasks to different employees or IT agents within your company. This can in turn ensure that problems are fixed as soon as they arise, and keep your company running smoothly in the long run.

It can be accessed through the use of a single username and password that can be disseminated throughout your company, and many employees can be logged into the system at once. The only thing needed to access ShopWorx Central is a Technical Support Contract. Call ShopWorx today to inquire about attaining such a contract if you do not already have one.

Learn more about ShopWorks Business Software Training.

Benefits of Retraining Employees

If your company has evolved significantly lately, or you have noticed a drop in productivity, it is tempting to consider hiring new employees to replace your current team members who may be leaving slack. Retraining your current employees, especially retraining them in how to utilize your software solutions for business, is often a much better use of your resources. They are already familiar with your company, so the extra training usually goes further than providing training for fresh employees. Overall, retraining is cheaper, more efficient and often yields better results in many cases.

Here are several reasons why studies have found benefits to retraining employees:

• When you let current employees go, you have to spend time with the paperwork, time searching for replacements, and then even more time training those replacements. You also have to spend money in outplacement services or compensation packages. Retraining costs money, and can be expensive in some cases, but it is much cheaper than the alternative. Start by assessing your employees’ competency with your Apparel ERP or digital printing system, and investing in webinars or other training options to boost their knowledge and efficiency with your software systems before taking more drastic action.
• It is easier to keep retraining costs down than it is to minimize costs of letting an employee go and hiring a new one. Many companies offer free or reduced cost training options, and you can use training options that you already have access to as a software user. Consider all of your training options and pick the most effective one for the situation before proceeding.

You may also be interested in learning How to Incentivize Employees.

How to Improve Customer Service

You can focus on improving your products and services for months, but if you don’t also make sure that your customer service is excellent, you might as well save the time and money. Take a look at our customer service tips:

• While getting software solutions for businesses may seem like it improves the business side of your company more than the customer service side, it actually improves both. When your business is running more smoothly, you are better able to serve your customers and answer any questions they may have. You also make sure they have a better experience when they are on your site since they are interacting with a sophisticated apparel ERP system or digital printing software, rather than a low-quality website.

• Make sure you always answer your phone. It is incredibly frustrating to call a company with a question, multiple times, only to get a voicemail, so make sure someone is answering the phone at all times during business hours. Along the same line, make sure you reply to voicemails in a timely fashion if you choose to set up a voicemail box.

• Focus on the positive with your customers, even if they are calling with a complaint. Make sure you tell them what you can do to help them out, instead of listing the ways that you can’t meet their needs.

• Listen to your customers when they speak to you. This doesn’t mean just saying okay, over and over again, but actually hearing what they are saying and replying in an appropriate, direct manner.

OnSite 7 Demo – Screen Printing Business Software

Everyone has New Year’s resolutions, and there is no reason why businesses shouldn’t set similar goals for self-improvement as they embark into the New Year. If you haven’t already made the switch to business software, it might be a good idea to make your resolution to test business software and consider moving your company, if you like what you find out.

After watching a Demo for OnSite 7, you are able to access more than 40 hours of training videos to become intimately acquainted with the business software. This enables you learn more about the software before purchasing it and to see if it is the right option for your company and your personal situation. If it is, then there is no better time to move, than at the beginning of a new year when everyone is fresh, motivated, and ready to learn and grow.

Choosing Fonts for Your Website

You’ve written all of the copy for your website, perfected your color scheme and chosen images that perfectly represent your brand. Once your site is designed, there is one important step that many people forget about until it’s time to finish putting everything together: your font.

The font you choose for your website can either complete your brand image or ruin it. The wrong font makes your company website look more like a fourth-grade project instead of a legitimate, professional site. Here are some tips for choosing the right font to use when compiling your website with the help of your on-site software:

• The main distinction between different fonts is serif vs. sans serif. Serif means there are small strokes on the end of each letter or symbol that look like caps or feet. These fonts tend to create greater separation between the letters and make the font easier to read. Many companies will choose a serif font for the larger bodies on text within their website and other software solutions for business.

• Sans serif fonts are fonts that lack the strokes serif fonts have. These are simple, straightforward, and slightly harder to read in smaller sized text. We recommend using these fonts for the larger titles on your website. The contrast between the two separate fonts will help your webpage look professional and varied.

• If you want only one font, choose a sans serif, if you are trying to look clean, cool, technical, youthful, uncluttered or modern. Serif fonts are ideal if you want to look personal, traditional or user-friendly. Also, you should generally try to match your font to your brand. If your website is designed in a minimalist manner, choose a sans serif font.

ShopWorx offers several different types of support, with the two main ones being remote support and phone support. Both are great options if you are looking for help troubleshooting your Apparel ERP or print estimating system, and each have different benefits.

Phone Support

A certain number of support calls are included in your contract, and are charged in 15-minute increments. Having a certified ShopWorx expert on the phone is a great way to get answers to smaller issues you are running into. You can ask direct questions and get answers to the problems you are facing specifically, instead of trying to navigate a dense software manual or deal with an impersonal automated system.

This type of support is ideal for smaller problems or issues that you want direct answers to.

Remote Support

ShopWorx Remote Support software can be easily downloaded for Windows or Mac, and allows ShopWorx support technicians to directly login to your system when you give permission. This can be incredibly helpful, since it allows our experts to access your system, diagnose any problems, and fix them immediately. This eliminates what can be a lengthy education process for you, as you don’t have to learn how to troubleshoot issues that arise, and it can lead to faster, more complete solutions.

Both are great support options if you are having software problems, with phone support being a better option for small issues, and remote support being preferable for larger issues. If you want to be able to troubleshoot your software solutions for businesses on your own, you may want to consider one of the many training options available from ShopWorx.

Record Keeping Software for Business

Tossing out old business information can seem like a huge mistake, but keeping every piece of information for as long as you are in business can create a tangled mountain of information if you are in business for longer than ten years or so. Software solutions for business help streamline your business in part by optimizing your business processes, but they also help make your files and information better organized.

The length of time that you need to keep company information differs depending on the information. For example, you probably want to keep specific job information for much longer. You can learn from successes and failures, and access old jobs and matrix information in your apparel ERP to recreate an order, again and again, and revisit jobs for clients at the touch of a button. You don’t necessarily have to hold onto other types of information indefinitely, though.

If you have employees, then the IRS recommends that you keep all of their tax records for at least four years past the date when those taxes were paid or were due. Choose the later date of the two.

While you don’t need to keep all drafts, it is recommended you use some form of record keeping technology to keep the final copy of your business income return and supporting documents indefinitely. With a good commercial screen printing system, you can store these in one easy-to-access place.

While general business ledgers should be kept permanently, documents such as accounts payable, receivable ledgers, invoices and similar documents should be kept for about seven years. Cancelled checks can also be destroyed about seven years after the fact.

When customers either experience difficulties with their OnSite 7 system and applications, or are having a difficult time finding the function they need, they can either call for support or download the ShopWorks Remote Support software.

The downloadable software gives customers the opportunity to get help from ShopWorks support technicians, without having to call the hotline or inconvenience themselves in the slightest. It also make troubleshooting easier for the technicians, since they can log directly onto your system and see the issue, or direct you to an application firsthand, rather than trying to understand the problem and convey the solution over the phone or in writing.

Versions are available for Windows and Mac, and customers have reported that the software is invaluable when they have problems or questions. Even if you aren’t experiencing difficulties, yet, it’s a good idea to download the software, now, so it’s available exactly when you need it in the future.

Elements of Good Business Software

We provided the first three elements that you should look for when shopping for good business software in our previous blog, including ease of use, help options and training packages. Here are several more essential elements of any successful business system:

1. Comprehensive: The best software solutions for business are comprehensive. You shouldn’t have to buy five different programs to run your business; one for financial information, one for accounting, one for archives, one for production, and one for your website. Your software should be able to do all of these things, and more.
2. Customizable: You should be able to tailor certain aspects of your Apparel ERP or information services software so that it serves functions specific to your business. For instance, if you run a screen printing shop, you should be able to save and select thread count and color, whereas you should be able to hide this option if you make trophies.
3. Reliability: The software you ultimately select should run in a manner that it is reliable. If your software is down multiple times a day, then your business is down, and your margins will drop. If you don’t have the systems to support onsite software, make sure to choose a cloud system, and vice versa.
4. Rich Features: Your system should come with a rich set of features, with the option to add more if they are useful to your company. In this way, ShopWorks offers additional, integratable programs that help you set up customer websites, accept credit card payments, and more.

Businesses are swamped, around this time of year, meaning your onsite software is going to be working harder than usual, if all of your employees don’t know exactly how to use your system. One way to avoid errors in your Apparel ERP software and other software solutions for business is to provide a little extra training before the holiday rush is in full swing. We detailed several pre-recorded webinars in our last blog, including production control and managing your art department. Here are a few more pre-recorded webinars that you may want to consider this season:

• Better Customer Service: Customer service can go a long way towards separating you from your competition. This webinar shows you how OnSite 7 can track sales and orders, and interface with customers to provide an experience that is efficient, considerate and consistent. The system is able to respond to requests from customers much more quickly than your staff could, and, overall, gives your customers a better experience.

• Online Art and Document Proofing: This webinar teaches you and your employees how to complete art proofing much more easily and efficiently. Using your system to improve your art proofing system helps free up your art staff’s time and helps every employee learn how they can better utilize the proofing tools that are available through your on site system.

• Production Touch Screen Interfaces: This webinar helps your production staff to work with the OnSite system better by using more simplified interfaces and touchscreen monitors. This makes the entire process go more quickly and more smoothly.