Category: Blogs

OnSite Screen Printing Shop Software

If you own or manage a digital printing company and are looking for software solutions for business, the best thing you can do is to search for digital printing systems that were designed specifically with companies like yours in mind, like OnSite 7. Here are a few of the features that help set ShopWork’s system apart from other business software suites.

• You can set pricing or gather inventory information based on many different factors, including square footage, square meters, linear feet and more.

• With OnSite 7, you can also store production and design variables, ranging from material types, file location, imprint locations to an unlimited number of custom variables. This gives you the freedom to easily revisit past projects, at any time, without having to conduct complicated searches.

• You can provide quotes and final spreadsheets with detailed job-costing per order, based on many different variables. This digital screen printing system captures detailed costing information through each step of an order, as it flows through your store and its manufacturing process.

We have aimed to create software that pinpoints the specific problems companies in your industry face on a regular basis, while also going a step further, to help simplify your business processes. Information is stored logically, and in one, consolidated space, you can personalize jobs or pricing based on minute, customizable details, and you can access or provide information on the order throughout its manufacturing process.

With a system this specialized, your company will run smoother and more efficiently, and you will find you have more free time to devote to tasks that truly need your attention.

Apparel ERP Software Solutions

Apparel Manufacturing isn’t just about having a great t-shirt design or a great new fashion line; it is also about meeting dozens of government regulations, royalty and licensing management, consumer demands and standards set in the apparel industry. Since American clothing has started using “vanity sizes,” sizing is no longer constant, either, creating one more variable to keep straight.

To help keep track of all of this and make sure your business runs smoothly, you need to have a reliable Apparel ERP system. Here are a few key requirements that apparel manufacturers should use when shopping for software solutions for business:

1. Size and Color Matrix: Apparel inventory systems must use a matrix of modifiers, including size and color, to help you successfully run your business and maintain useful files on past jobs. Once a description is entered, colors and sizes should be available in a list as modifiers to a basic description of your product, and each item should be tracked as a separate SKU in the inventory.

2. Licensing and Royalty Management: If you use trademarks, then you must hold up-to-date licensing agreements. To use these trademarks, you have to pay royalties to the owner of the trademark. Good apparel software will track these licenses for you and calculate the amount you owe to each owner. These amounts should then be automatically transferred to the accounts payable. Business software, such as apparel ERP software, is supposed to eliminate menial tasks such as tracking and calculating payments and eliminate human error.

We outlined several of our most popular pre-recorded webinars in our last blog, including Online Art Proofing, Production Screen Interfaces, Online Art and Document Proofing, and Business Software for Digital Printers. These free business webinars are all useful for helping train you and your employees in different functions that are available through your OnSite 7 software solutions for business.

Here are some more pre-recorded shop management webinars that will help you better utilize your onsite software system:

• OnSite 7 Marketing: This webinar allows attendees to see exactly how our print estimating software can be used to manage company customers, prospects, salesperson activities, and quotes. ShopWorks does more than just manage your business internally; it also helps with marketing and external operations. This webinar helps teach you how.
• OnSite 7 Efficient Purchasing: Attendees of this webinar learn how their system can be used to streamline the purchasing department and control the cost of goods. This helps you use your system to make your company economically airtight at every step of the business process.
• Improve Your Customer Service Using OnSite 7: Our onsite software allows you to serve customers without a hitch and, since customer service makes all the difference in today’s competitive market, it is important that you know how to use these functions. This webinar teaches you and your employees how to use your software to take your customer service to the next level.
• Proactively Manage Your Business: This shop management webinar is meant for management-level employees, and helps demonstrate how our software can help your company reduce expenses, grow your bottom line, and increase revenue.

ShopWorx is available as a client-server software or a cloud-based system and there are many benefits to both options. While there often isn’t a right answer, there most likely is one that is best for your company. Here are some of the benefits of client-server software.

Benefits of Client-Server Software

Software solutions for businesses that are hosted on a client-server are ideal if your business already has a strong IT Infrastructure in place, and the accompanying support resources to administer it.

Having your system and, essentially, all of your electronic files on site can be useful because everything is in one place. This eliminates the threat of hacking and information theft from your sign business software or apparel ERP system, as the easiest way to steal electronic information would be to steal the hardware on which it is hosted. Many people like this client-server software option, as it is consolidated and in-house, which makes it secure. It is run via your own Intranet, making it more secure than using an Internet connection; although, with technology at the point at which it is, the difference in security between the two is diminishing.

Hosting your business software in-house also makes troubleshooting simple, since you can perform it yourself instead of waiting for the host to do so at a remote location should problems occur. The costs are also lower in the long run, since you pay a single upfront cost and then low monthly or yearly costs afterward. Cloud-hosted services typically have higher monthly costs that are required as long as you use your business software. Call us at 800-526-6702 with any questions you have about our client-server software.

How to Incentivize Employees and Staff

Your business can’t succeed if your staff members aren’t working as efficiently as possible, and they won’t be doing so if you don’t provide the proper incentives. They need to appreciate and respect you and your company before they are going to treat it like their own. Here are four ways you can encourage your staff to work to their fullest abilities and ensure mutual success:

1. Make sure you have software solutions for business and an on-site system that both actually work. If you have the right On-Premises software, everyone’s job will be easier. Your employees won’t have to waste their time completing tedious, menial tasks that can be completed more quickly and much more easily by a computer program.

2. If you have a business that operates on large purchases, a commission-based bonus system can be very successful in encouraging your employees to work hard. They still receive a salary to live on, but they get extra help when they work extra hard. This system is fair and often sees results.

3. Target-based bonuses work in a similar way, and work best for industries that make regular sales but not particularly large sales. Your on-site system can keep track of how much each staff member is making, and the system makes it easy to figure out who gets a bonus at the end of each month or period.

4. Make sure you pay your managers enough. If they don’t have incentive to work hard for you, they are not going to effectively encourage the employees beneath them to work hard.

While good software solutions for business simplify your life, poorly designed systems tend to complicate it. Whether you are looking for Apparel ERP or embroidery business software, you need to ensure that you are asking the right questions when you are shopping around, so that the system you purchase is streamlined and efficient, and allows you and your employees to run your business more effectively. Here are some key questions to ask about any business software you are considering purchasing before you make your final decision:

1. How is the price of the software determined? Are you paying a flat fee, or is the price calculated per user or per processor? Software costs are determined in a multitude of ways, and the manner in which the price is calculated can cause it to be too high, or just right.

2. Is there a satisfaction guarantee? Most companies overlook this guarantee when they find software that they think will be perfect for their business, and then when they are unsatisfied, they expect a refund. If there is no guarantee, you are essentially purchasing goods on final sale, which is a decision you will regret if the software doesn’t turn out to be everything you hoped for.

3. How quick is the turnaround for fixing bugs? Make sure the company that developed the software places a high priority on customer service and has a fast turnaround for helping you solve any problems you run into within your system.

4. How do you receive updates? Updates can cause a huge headache, if they are not delivered in a manner that makes sense, so make sure you know how updates are handled, and that you are happy with the method in which they are sent out, before committing.

Running a business is never easy, even when you have the hardest-working staff available. There are simply so many aspects of running a business to address — how can you possibly make sure that every aspect is taken care of all of the time without adding stress to your life? The answer lies in technology. Choosing the right software solutions for your business can help you streamline all the different processes, leaving you with a few less worries on your plate.

Here at ShopWorks, we know all too well what it takes to run a business. We also know how important it is to find different ways to make the day-to-day operations faster and easier. That is why we have worked hard to develop our line of software solutions. Our products include everything you need to take care of different aspects of your business. Then you can concentrate on marketing and expanding your business, as well as simply enjoying your life.

We have onsite software that can manage things such as inventory, production, accounting, and much more. We also offer various applications that can take care of monitoring quality, fulfilling orders, and keeping your customers updated on the latest status of their orders. Imagine going to bed each night knowing that your business is practically running itself. Talk about a stress reliever!

Contact us today at ShopWorks to learn more about our different software solutions and find out how they can help you better manage and operate your business.

Five Signs You Need to Streamline Your Business Operations

One of the most effective things you can do to make your business more efficient is streamline your information and business processes. Here are five signs that your business may need to be restructured and streamlined with the help of software solutions for business, like print estimating software or other on-site software systems.

1. One sign that you need to streamline is if all of your client contact information is not in one place. All of your appointments, emergency contacts, contact numbers, emails, waivers and other documents should be in one place, whether it’s a filing cabinet or a section of your business software. This makes it incredibly easy to find whatever contact information you are looking for the moment you need it.

2. You should be able to find out exactly how many active clients you have at a moment’s notice. If you can’t find the number of auto-pay clients you have instantly, you need to update to a better system.

3. You should be able to track staff pay and progress on the computer, instead of manually. If you have paper sheets on which you keep track of this and add up at the end of the month, then you know it’s time to streamline your business.

4. You shouldn’t dread past due expenses conversations with clients, since they should know exactly when payments are due. An online system takes care of all of this, eliminating the possibility of human error, altogether.

5. If all of your current information is in the computer, but all past order information is in various filing cabinets, it’s time to update your filing methods. All of the information for each account and job should be stored in an easy-to-access, single place in your system.

OnSite Business ERP Software

OnSite is an apparel ERP suite of software that allows you to run your whole business using just this one software suite. It integrates with many different applications within the suite, allowing you to be productive. Each of the applications works with sales and marketing tools, purchasing and inventory, order processing, shipping and receiving, product management, and accounting software, all of which saves you time and money.

1. With integrated software, you do not have to jump between multiple applications. Instead, you are inside of one software program that offers multiple apps that allow you to process orders, check inventory, and complete sales and marketing.
2. Software is made specifically for screen printers, digital printers, and promotional product distributers. If your business fits in this model, you will find this software suite helpful to your business.
3. The software works for both Windows and Mac, which means your business is likely to be compatible. Everything works over the network, which means everyone can access it at the same time with excellent results.
4. You can choose to have on-site or web-based training for the software suite. This makes it very easy to make the switch, since help will be available. In most cases, the training only lasts two days, but you can opt to have more time if needed.
5. OnSite includes accounting software. In reviews placing OnSite’s accounting tools against QuickBooks, OnSite has much more favorable reviews. It also offers more services, such as shipping and order status.

For more information on ERP software, contact us at ShopWorks.

One of the most important things you can do if you want your business to continue to grow and improve is to collect and analyze data about your business through software solutions for business. Using OnSite software to analyze business data makes it easy to answers questions about different areas of your business. Here are a few beneficial areas where you should begin collecting data for analysis:

• Employee Surveys: Your business literally can’t stay open without employees, so you need to make sure that your employees are happy and are motivated, not just to get their work done, but to go above and beyond for your company. You should circulate employee surveys throughout your company, about once a month through your apparel software system, and analyze the answers for areas that you can improve your company and ways that you can increase employee satisfaction. You should still make distinctions between reasonable requests and unreasonable ones, but if there is something you can do to make your employees happier to come to work, you should try to do it.

• Monitor Your Machines: Each machine needs to be working up to its full capabilities if you want your company to be as efficient as possible. Collecting data about your machines’ capabilities and their performance can show you where you need to make improvements when you have the money to do so.

• Customer Feedback: Again, your company would collapse without customers, so you should be conducting active customer feedback surveys and working to provide the best customer service possible.