Category: Blogs

The longer you do something, the better you get at it, and ERP business software is no different. In order to cultivate a reliable, secure system, you must test and develop the software you are developing for an extended period of time. ShopWorks has done just this, building software solutions for businesses and adding features as business leaders have submitted feedback throughout the past several years.

Through this feedback, the expert developers have been able to create features that personalize the OnSite 7 system for a range of industries, including embroidery companies, promotional productions manufacturers, screen printers and more. In order to continue developing and improving the system, the ShopWorks experts continue to welcome feedback from clients and are always looking for new features that they can add to make the system even more user-friendly.

Explore the rest of the site for more information as to what the software system can do for your business.

If you are trying to expand your business, you are most likely looking at how to expand your line of products and services. However, a new study suggests that sales increase when customers are given fewer choices, particularly if you are a new company.

One example of this is Smuckers Jam. Instead of offering customers 40 different flavors and flavor combinations, they tend to stick to the classics: grape, strawberry, raspberry, apricot. While customers think they like choices, research shows they purchase more without any negative feedback when you do the thinking for them and offer them fewer choices.

In fact, one of the most important considerations for customers while shopping is decision simplicity, meaning people are more likely to purchase when the ease with which they can get information they consider to be trustworthy is high. This is why you will find you get more impulse business when you offer already made designs for custom t-shirts, instead of asking your customer to decide on each element and color for their t-shirt within your Apparel ERP system when they place an order.

Another element of decision simplicity is having software solutions for business that make your website very user-friendly and easy to navigate. If items are too difficult to purchase from your site, customers will find a website that is easier to navigate. Having a strong promotional products business software and helpful applications integrated with that system will help draw customers to your website and keep them there. Beyond that, it’s up to you to offer the right amount of products and services to tempt them without confusing them.

When you finally do implement an apparel software suite, there are many different applications rolled into it that you can use. Explore the software and figure out the best ways you can use all of its functions to make your business run more smoothly. Consider using the following tools if your ERP software has them:

1. Calendar. The ERP software should have a calendar built into the email application. Use the calendar to outline work goals, deliveries, and business meetings. You can even make your calendar available to the whole organization, to streamline important events.

2. Backup and recovery. Make use of the backup and recovery software every day to make sure you do not lose anything important, such as orders, customer designs, and contact information. All your files should go to an external server, just in case anything happens to the computer systems.

3. CRM. Customer relationship management software is useful to track orders, track leads, and issue follow-up emails and calls. Use this software in the sales department of your company for better success than keeping your own records.

4. E-Commerce. You should have a part of the sales software that automatically processes credit cards and collects sales tax. This removes one major step from the sales process that you do not have to do, which means you are saving time and money.

5. Email marketing. You should have a program that allows you to create templates and marketing materials, such as newsletters and other emails for those who opt in. This equates to more sales per quarter.

For more information on how software can help your business, contact us at ShopWorks.

How to Run a Business Smoothly as a CEO

Running a successful business is challenging, and there is a lot of stress that comes with the title of CEO. Here are some tips that can help you run your business smoothly as a CEO:

• Make sure you delegate. If you hire the best employees you can find, you shouldn’t have to worry about doing everything yourself. Make sure you hire competent individual leaders who have a sense of who they are, and who mirror the company’s ethics and goals.

• Whether you need a print estimating software, apparel ERP or other software solutions for business, find one that you trust and use it. Software is one of the greatest tools for reducing stress and paperwork at a business, and can help consolidate and streamline your business. You still need a competent staff to work with the software, but your program will help keep information stored in a logical place and make it accessible again when you need it.

• Make sure you love the company you work for. If you don’t believe in what you are doing, then you are unlikely to do it well. Similarly, if you don’t like the company you work for, this will show in your work ethic.

• One of the most important qualities you can have as a CEO is being adaptable. Make sure you are listening and paying attention in any situation, so that you can change and adapt. This will help you make better decisions for

Digital Printing System Software for Business

If you own a digital printing company, it is important to get digital printing system software that has been specifically designed for businesses like yours. ShopWorks has built their office printing software solutions for businesses in the digital printing industry by hiring people who have worked in your industry for years. They then work together with companies that are currently in the industry to carefully develop features and applications that exactly meet your needs.

Among the digital printing applications are the ability to enter units for each item in an order, being able to store design and production variable information for each job you process so that the information can be recalled easily in the future and easily capturing detailed job costing information for every order you run.

Many of the applications work towards giving you greater flexibility, allowing you to enter information for individual items in each order instead of having to enter information once and have it apply to every item that is ordered. They also enable you to save information for years to come, helping your business to build on its past successes and failures.

If you need support or additional information about your ShopWorks system, there are several avenues that are open to you. First, you could call for phone support, and if you don’t get what you need, there, then you can schedule remote support. If you are looking for more general support or information, though, then ShopWorks Technical Support is likely what you need.

ShopWorks Central Support center is a web-based resource center that is automatically available to all ShopWorks customers and is the main method that ShopWorks uses to distribute upgrades and training resources to all customers. Storing things in the cloud not only opens up space for more videos and material but also allows countless customers to download from one location. This then saves money, because ShopWorks doesn’t have to invest in creating discs and other physical upgrade materials to send out to each client.

Each customer is assigned a single username and password, which can be used by all employees at the company to access materials on a wide range of training topics. Also, the same password login can be used to access upgrades, which can be downloaded and installed easily. This helps customers stay up to date on their all-in all-in-one business management software.

Clients who are considering expanding or changing their business also find ShopWorks Central Support to be a useful tool for finding out how they can use their current system as a print estimating software, a sign business software, or another software solution based on the products and services they are planning on offering.

In our previous blog post, we looked at a number of problems that confront a growing business in the decorated products industry. We can sum them up in one question:

How can you streamline your processes to keep up with growing business demands?

The answers are simple: organization and communication. And the most viable option for a fresh, seamless organization and communication structure is to have a single solution for all the multi-faceted demands of your business:

• Sales and Marketing
• Order Processing
• Purchasing and Inventory
• Production Management
• Shipping and Receiving
• Finance and Accounting

When Kathy Customer calls and orders one, ten, or even 10,000 units of your product, you need a solution to handle her request in a systematic, timely, and cost-effective manner.

Your most valuable asset, your customers, deserves a better solution; and today’s dynamic business environment demands an all-in-one option.

Enter OnSite 8 by ShopWorks.

Developed by specialists in the decorated apparel and promotional product industries, OnSite 8 offers everything you need to run your business — all in one powerful software package. By consolidating your business, you make your life easier and your profits higher. Furthermore, OnSite 8 fully integrates with other leading industry tools, thereby offering you a sleek, consolidated business management tool that’s unlike anything your business has ever used.

OnSite 8 effectively eliminates the need for nearly half a dozen software programs that you currently use to run your business. Additionally, OnSite 8 is totally compatible with both OS X and Windows.

“Most of our customers come from environments in which they are using four or five different pieces of software to run their business,” said ShopWorks president, Jay Malanga. “Being able to do most of the same functions in a single application enables them to work faster and more efficiently.”

OnSite 8 business software is highly advantageous to a number of business markets, including apparel screen printers, embroidery companies, promotional product suppliers, promotional product manufacturers, digital printers, and those in the award and trophy industry.

So whether you needs revolve around art, customer, and document proofing, screen printing and production software, or anything in between, OnSite by ShopWorks helps your business excel by offering:

• Efficiency — data is entered once, and available to all users
• Clear Order Instructions = fewer mistakes
• Fast customer response via email or a voice call
• A design centered around company growth

With a seamless flow of information that facilitates production, planning, lower costs, less stressed workers, more informed leadership, and happier customers, OnSite by ShopWorks gives you an edge in today’s competitive business environment.

Now when Kathy Customer places her order, it’s handled by one robust software application — from beginning to end. When she calls for an update, instead of fumbling through multiple pieces of software, frantically searching for an answer, you’ll have all the information you need, at your fingertips. Your customer will be served. Your business will profit.

Run your business better with OnSite 8 from ShopWorks Business Software.

How to Spark Innovation Within Your Company

Innovation is commonly defined as the combination of new ideas, implementation, and action. Once these three ingredients come together, they often yield a great improvement, profit, or growth in some way. This is something every company strives for, though many don’t know exactly how to go about initiating innovation. Here are a few tips to help you spark your creative side:

• Innovation is not something that happens in a bubble. It happens when everyone works together, collaborates, and delegates to get something done. Encourage your employees to work in groups and teams to come up with better ideas, and help them delegate tasks within by assigning a group leader to oversee the project. Also, make sure your leaders are calling or emailing workers on your plant floors to get ideas from all levels.

• Make sure you invest in software solutions for business, information services, or other print software that allows you to conduct surveys and solicit feedback from your employees in all departments and at all levels of your company.

• The key to ultimate success with innovation is trial and error. If someone comes to you with an idea that sounds partway decent, make sure they pursue it. If it fails, at first, help them correct the errors and try again, instead of scrapping it and moving on. Many good opportunities are lost because people don’t pursue them past the initial failure.

• Make sure you educate your employees by sharing stories that started out as failures and indicating how they became successes. This will help give them tools and experience that they can apply to their own attempts to innovate.

Learn more about How to Be Innovative in Business.

Digital printing systems, such as OnSite, are becoming more and more popular within various industries. These systems make the entire process from marketing to shipping much faster and easier. They do this by automating the system. Let’s break it down into smaller steps.

When your customers place an order, OnSite can instantly process, manage, and track that order. As the business owner, you can check on the order, too, in just a matter of clicks. At any point from ordering to shipping, you can see exactly what is happening with the order. OnSite also assists in the artwork and design process. You and your designers can make changes until the design gets client approval. The system can even notify the client of the design proof when it’s ready for approval.

OnSite can take care of pricing, too. The calculators help you establish fair pricing for your products, as well as stay on top of vendor pricing. OnSite can even assist in the production process and the shipping process. Every step of an order, from start to finish, will be tracked and monitored through the software. Everyone on your team can check on the order, make changes, and ensure that it is processed in a timely manner.

OnSite is made for printing business, including apparel, embroidery, and other similar industries. This type of system leaves you free to focus on your business and making improvements, rather than worrying over each and every order. OnSite has the orders under control — all you need to do is fulfill them.

Contact us today at ShopWorks to learn more about this useful suite of software and how it can help your business.

Secure Business Software

In mid-2012, Microsoft released a statement urging businesses not to underestimate the importance of making sure that the software solution for businesses they are using are secure. having secure business software. While business software can make your life immeasurably easier, if a hacker is able to access your database, then you’ll wish you still had everything on paper.

There are things that you can do to ensure your information is safe, though, and it all starts with choosing business software that is secure. If you purchase a cheap program and don’t check into it, then chances are it is more open to hacking. Even if a friend recommends a program, do the homework yourself, to double check.

OnSite 7 is one of the most secure software packages on the market, and the software experts who work at ShopWorks are constantly updating security and monitoring potential threats to ensure that your information is absolutely safe. If you are still looking for safe business software, join one of the few networks that has never experienced major breaches, today.