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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.

ShopWorks Print Track Software

Print track software is important for promotional product and textile companies. It doesn’t just make your job easier by allowing you to track an order form conception through to delivery, but it can also help your customer by allowing them to track their order once it is placed to see when it is printed and shipped.

The digital printing software from ShopWorks was created with companies like yours in mind, and has been carefully crafted to help solve the problems that you encounter on a daily basis. These include allowing you to price and inventory based on square meters or square feet, linear feet or one of several other variables, allowing you to calculate detailed job costing per order as products are pulled from inventory or purchased, and allowing you to store production variables, design information, material types, and more in your system for a long time to come.

Software such as this doesn’t just allow you to streamline your files and simplify your work place, but it also helps your customers have an easier, more pleasant experience.

While the software solutions for businesses in the promotional product industry have some similar features, there are also slight differences for each. For instance, if you run a commercial screen printing business, being able to input size matrix and have print estimating software is important. These functions would be entirely useless for an award company, however.

Your award company business software should help streamline your business, from consolidating your record of past jobs to estimating prices for future ones, help you sell kitted awards or completed awards, allow you to attach digital files to any work orders and transactions, and much more.

Here are a few of the most important functions of software solutions for award companies.

• Your system should allow you to sell items individually or with components, allowing for replacement or repair orders and other sales.

• You should be able to track jobs that are on production based on specific machines or departments so that you can easily strengthen the weak points in your business. This helps you manage your production schedule, and thus your business, much more efficiently.

• All information from past orders, including design, matrix information, pricing, time spent to complete and more, should be stored in one place on your system. You shouldn’t have to pull documents from multiple locations to get all of the relevant information about a job, since software is meant to streamline.

• Your software should do pricing and job price calculations instantly for you, taking into consideration all of the variables specified, such as number in the order, materials used, model used and more. This frees up labor and time, and eliminates human error.

How to Save Money on Your Screen Printing Project

Print estimating software is used to give you an accurate estimate of the cost, time, and materials that your custom shirt order requires. This is a great way to know what you are spending, but the initial sticker price might be a shocker. To avoid the surprise high costs, there are a few things you can do to ensure your order stays on budget:

1. A helpful piece of money saving advice is to buy larger quantities. When you are ordering bulk items, the per item price tends to go down as the amount you order goes up. Therefore, you’re getting a cheaper item when you order more. The per item price includes the cost for materials and overhead. However, with larger orders, the overhead and materials become a lesser cost. This means a company can quote you a better price.

2. Ask for fewer ink colors. More colors equal more time and raw materials. This means your order is going to come out costing more. To reduce order costs, ask for fewer ink colors, or go with just one color for the lowest cost. This savings really reflects when your orders are larger. In addition, you’ll get your order faster.

3. Buy white shirts. Colored shirts require dyes, which cost more to produce. This additional price might only be $1 per shirt, but when you are ordering 100 shirts, it does add up. Ask for white shirts to save the most money. This savings will factor into bulk orders and single shirt orders.

For more information on our software apparel solutions, contact us at ShopWorks.

To help clients better utilize their software, a ShopWorks training center is available at the West Palm Beach based offices. The facilities allow as many as 16 clients to train on different subjects at the same time, and various workshops are offered, throughout the year, to cover a wide range of software needs.

The next workshop is Core Training, from January 30 through February 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. This class takes place over the course of three days and is an introduction class for new companies who have chosen to use OnSite 7, from the start, onward. Everything, from setup to advanced running, is covered in this class, which costs $495 per person. The fee includes the courses, materials and three days of breakfast and lunch.

To find out more information about the courses and training offered, visit the training center homepage on a regular basis.