Time-Saving Tech: Business Management Software Gives Designers More Time To Do What They Love
Original article posted at Designers today by Alex Milstein.
Whether you love it or hate it, technology continues to change the interior design industry every day. From project management software to augmented reality and social media, there’s no shortage of technological tools out there to help designers run their businesses more efficiently and effectively.
One of the most important technologies available to interior designers today is business management software. These tools are built to make things easier for designers and give them more time to do what they love: design. While these tools have been around for years, the choices have increased significantly in recent years. And they all have different functionalities, with some offering limited services and others providing a whole suite, from accounting platforms to client presentation builders.
Mydoma
A design management software with the primary focus of managing and organizing all the documentation and decision making within a project. The software is built for designers by designers, and Daniele says developing the technology has allowed her to personally understand the pain points designers are facing with running and growing their businesses.
The tools and features were built to address these pains directly, and there are two major unique features that help set the platform apart from others. First, they have a client portal, which allows the designers and their clients to log in to their own portal with a specific URL.
They also give designers the ability to create design packages to market and sell directly to their clients. “Designers are looking for a way to stay competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing industry,” Daniele says.” Our design packages tool allows them to do this by selling services, ebooks, rooms to go, and more.”
Key features in Mydoma Studio include project organization, design packages, mood board creation, as well as the ability to create purchase orders and invoices and accept payment through credit card or ACH. They also have an integration with QuickBooks Online so designers can export paid invoices directly into QuickBooks, removing the need for double entry.
StyleRow
In 2015, interior designer and entrepreneur Erinn Valencich decided she was fed up with paperwork. Being a designer and manufacturer, she looked at both ends of the equation and found most other business management software is not built as a team tool.
That’s where she got the idea for StyleRow’s connected portal, which allows all three parties (designer, manufacturer, and showroom) to log in and collaborate around the order in a real-time scenario. Everyone on each team can see the same pertinent data at the same time, which helps prevent confusion. In addition to that unique feature, the software also helps designers with the entirety of their projects — from uploading photos they take in showrooms to clipping products from around the web to curate their own Digital Product Library, which is the foundation for creating visual projects. “It’s like Pinterest with a purpose,” she says.
Studio Designer
One of the most well-known business management tools is Studio Designer, which has been around for over 30 years.
Key features include project management, time billing, and — unique to Studio Designer — a fully integrated accounting platform. They also recently introduced a tool called Studio Capture, which allows a designer to visit any manufacturer’s website, click a few buttons to extract the key information from that site, and then have it automatically loaded straight into Studio Designer.
Ivy
One of the newer players in the industry is Ivy, a business management software company that was acquired by Houzz in 2018. The comprehensive tool is available for interior designers and home design professionals and built specifically to address the needs of this industry.
The Ivy platform enables designers to run their entire business — sourcing products, creating proposals, sending invoices, time billing, vendor purchases, and more — from their office or on-the-go using Ivy’s mobile app. Ivy also gives designers a professional way to showcase the products they’re sourcing and fulfilling for their clients using the Room Boards tool. This enables designers to conceptualize and compile products and services by room for current and potential clients.