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November 2015 | KitchenBathDesign.com | 39 At the Peoria, AZ-based Todd Whittaker Drywall Inc., director of marketing Jennifer Crompton sees a wealth of benefts from today's soft - ware programs. She expounds, "We see the largest beneft being 24/7 communication with our customers and their ability to approve change orders/review documents/photos remotely. The same goes for our sub- contractors, as they are able to accept work orders and change orders elec- tronically as well. [Our software] ties all parts of the job together." Lisa Spriggs, v.p. at the Moorhead, MN M & J Construction, uses software to "keep organized and maintain up- dated records of our clients info." 2020 user Cindy Woyton of the Attleboro, MA-based Attleboro Kitch- en & Bath says, "The benefits are obvious – being able to design and price cabinetry, to experiment with layouts and to allow customers to vi- sualize their space in a diferent way." Ebony Stephenson, of Criner Re- modeling in Newport News, VA notes, "I use Chief Architect X7 on a daily basis. The greatest beneft is showing the detailed renderings to my clients and my installers so that everyone is on the same page." For those who love being able to show clients great renderings, but lack either the time or expertise to create them, there are specialists who can cre- ate these to order, like Nick Miller of Nick Miller Design (see cover image). Miller explains, "The kitchen design- ers I work with are great designers, but do not have the time to learn today's drafting software and methods. I cre- ate a clear picture that can be easily communicated to any homeowner. I get feedback all the time from my custom- ers of not only an increase in their sales rate, but also a decrease in production errors and design mistakes. The object is to stay ahead of the technology curve so my customers don't have to." CHALLENGES Of course software can also present challenges, and designers cite learning curves, ongoing costs and integration problems as current challenges. Mark Miller, president of Total Cab- inet Distributors, Inc., in Sterling, VA, loves the time savings software ofers, but says, "The challenge is fnding the time to keep up with the ever-chang- ing systems." He adds, "I also hate the fact that you buy a design system and then you have to pay way too much to get the training to operate it. Why can't we 'self teach' ourselves with a purchased design package?" Alan Wilson, president of Alaska Renovations in Juneau, sees "expense and the lack of training on the local level" as the biggest downsides to de- sign software, while Terry Harrington, owner of the Urbandale, IA-based In- terior Solutions, sees "Software bugs and glitches" as challenging. FUTURE WISH LIST While today's software oferings are often elaborate in scope, and capable of a wide variety of tasks, there are still some things on designers' wish list. Flexibility, lower costs, an easier learning curve and more integration were cited by many designers as being wish list items for the future. Specifc features are also in de- mand. For instance, Ann Lyons, senior sales specialist at the Scott- sdale, AZ-based Rosie on the House Remodeling notes, "I'd like to be able to take my customers on a virtual tour of their space." Jennifer Gilmer, owner/president of Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath, Ltd. in Chevy, Chase, MD notes, "There should be a good business manage- ment software for kitchen and bath businesses. We have yet to fnd one. It should take the job all the way from beginning to end with product orders being generated from the contracts and a lot of other features." Ronni Fryman, senior designer at the Ventura, CA-based Kitchen Places agrees: "I have not found a business management software that works for us yet and I would love to have some- thing that's accurate, user-friendly and afordable." Andrew Jackson of the Las Vegas- based Mr. Electric wishes programs were more comprehensive. He states, "What I would like to see is easier integration of electrical symbols and wiring diagrams into plans," which could ensure better communication between the trades. Better integration is on the wish list of Elizabeth Zulon, designer at the Fort Lauderdale, FL-based To the Heart of the Home. She notes, "I fnd that, as a whole, diferent industries use diferent software, and a design program that can easily be exported to other programs that don't lose all of the details would be very helpful." Other designers wish for more afordable 3D capabilities for small frms, automatic pricing, simplifed tu- torials and more up-to-date catalogs. More standardization was also cit- ed by several designers as a wish list item for today's software programs. As Stowell says, "The ordering programs are not standardized among manufac- turers (as with cabinet nomenclature), so the use of them is cumbersome if a designer has more that one vendor." DRAWING BY HAND While software programs have be- come an essential tool for many kitchen and bath professionals, not everyone has jumped on the band- wagon. For instance, at Residential Design Concepts, Inc., located in Rochester, MI, president and owner Mark Witkowski says, "I'm still a bit old school when it comes to this. I re- ally need the feel of a pencil/marker in my hand touching paper. Most of my kitchen and bath designs are for remodeling projects with many exist- ing conditions that come into play. I don't feel that current software can take all of the existing elements into account as compared to having to re- member/apply those factors by hand on to paper." Sue Genrich, president/owner of Nelson Millwork in Kenosha, WI agrees: "I use 2020 and love it for the time it saves, but I am still very old school and do a lot of design by hand." Sharon Kovesdy, president of the Dix Hills, NY-based Sharon I. Koves- dy and Associate, Inc. admits that she "loves computer design that can draw up the image right in front of my clients' eyes," but adds that, "I person- ally do everything by hand. I still am an old workhorse pulling the wagon behind me. But, our work is beautiful and noteworthy." For others, the decision to draw by hand is a fnancial one. As one design- er explains, "I have to draw designs by hand because the CAD designs used are very costly. The software for these is always changing, and the continu- ous updates add to the high cost." Others note that with a one-person frm, the volume of work they do sim- ply doesn't justify the cost of investing in design software. As for customer management soft- ware, some dealers love it, but others feel it has too much of a "spam" feel to it. "CRM software is advancing rapidly, but it's still no match for one-on-one interaction with customers," states Howe Clayton, owner of the Mayfeld, KY Custom Cabinet Warehouse. Another dealer agrees: "Until they fgure out how to create programs where you can communicate without losing the personal touch, I'll stick to cards, letters and phone calls." Designer Karen Kupferer uses ProKitchen because she likes both "the way it renders a design" and "that it is also [very] afordable. " Jerry Nodae of the Youngstown, OH-based Jerry Nodae's Cabinets uses KCD Software to enhance his business.