Customizing DesignSmart
Software that works the way you need it to work
Over the past decade, we have had clients ranging from small residential design firms to medium-sized commercial firms, and large multinational firms.
Even among the small residential firms, it quickly becomes apparent that even though they essentially provide the same services, the way they provide those services can vary widely. The differences magnify as the firm size increases.
For this reason, DesignSmart has been designed to be customizable according to your firm's unique requirements. Here are some examples of how clients have had DesignSmart customized:
- Developed a quality control check to prevent POs from being created if a client deposit has not been received
- Developed countless client-specific reports that clients had been using before DesignSmart and still needed to continue their established workflow processes
- Added and removed fields and features to layouts so the client's staff were not distracted by fields they didn't need or use
Customizations and Monthly Updates
It is important to remember that even when you have your system customized, you will still receive the montly updates to your DesignSmart system.
What you need to know about customizations
1: Learn DesignSmart before requesting any customizations
Before making any customization requests, be sure that you have a good understanding of all aspects of DesignSmart.
Some clients will wait 6 months after going live with DesignSmart before requesting any customizations, while others will request them before going live.
Both methods work as long as you have a good understanding of the system.
2: Create mock-ups when appropriate
Often, a client will have a general idea of what they want. That is a good start, but by creating a mock-up of the layout or report, they will work out a lot of the details involved in implementing the customization.
This is particularly the case for custom reports. If the client already has a report, we can easily replicate it.
However, when a client requests a new report, it can be time-consuming and expensive for them if a mockup is not provided. Your project manager can help with this process.
All proposals for customizations have to be approved in writing
Once the details for the customizations have been determined, you will receive a proposal for the work to be done. It is important to read the proposal carefully.
When all of the details meet your satisfaction, you need to approve the proposal in writing. Depending on the scope of the work you may be required to pay a partial or the full amount upfront.