Home
>
Software
>
Builders Beware

Builders Beware

Which Type of Shop Can Rely On A Home Built System?

Not all shops are at a disadvantage when it comes to building their own system. To determine which avenue a shop should take, owners must know what type of shops benefit from a self built solution and what type is better off purchasing one. Companies with a small number of people, where only 1 person estimates, producing very few quotes daily, with little to no re-orders, and selling a small number of products with few options, may do fine using Excel or a home built shop management system. But if and when one or more of these variables change, the need for a better solution increases and owners should look else where.

How Much Does It Cost To Build Your Own?

Many times an owner thinks it is less expensive to build a system then to buy one. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of a self built system. I recently spoke with Steve Gillispie from Acorn Signs who spent 6 months creating a program from scratch before he ultimately stopped when he found a solution that did everything he needed and more. Steve said looking back "It's idiotic to try and build your own system. The time involved and the programming knowledge required is too much. Trying to build a system internally, when other software systems are currently in the market, is idiotic." He stated that "Software companies, such as Cyrious Software which he uses, already have hundreds of development hours invested into their programs; therefore building a system yourself starts you off with a time and knowledge disadvantage."

Software for the Future of Your Business

If you are looking to be a competitive force in your market, grow your business, and increase your sales, creating the right infrastructure in the most economical way is key. In an industry where time and money, building relationships, and staying competitive is vital to a business' success, having a system in place that assists with these areas is extremely important and hard to achieve on your own. This is why many owners today like Steve, are halting the production of a self-built system and looking towards other solutions.

How Much Is Your Time Worth?

If you spent twenty hours a week developing your own system, assuming it takes you only 6 months to create, how much money does that system end up costing you? Let's assume it would cost you $100 an hour to get a homemade system built. For six months of work that's 480 hours for a grand total of $48,000 for a homemade system. Whoa! That's a rather large investment. But it could be worth it if you get what you need, right?

What You Get

With a self-built system you get a custom system developed specifically for your shop, with your pricing, cost structure, and business methods. The only problem that exists is that all of this is obtainable without building a system yourself. The company that Steve decided to go was Cyrious Software. Cyrious gave him the personalized software system he needed including his own custom pricing, cost-structure, and business methods in addition to what he wouldn't have with a self built system, such as technical support. Steve said if he would have kept with his self-built system not only would he have to support it himself but he wouldn't have been able to take advantage of features like reports, invoicing, CRM, and the Activity Manager.

What You Don't Get

With most estimating and business management systems on the market today, you usually have the option of purchasing support. This is a major aspect you can't get with a self-built system. Most software users believe that support is extremely important, and as Stan Yamamoto from FASTSIGNS? said "Software is only as good as the support system behind it?The support offered by Cyrious surpassed all of my expectations." A good tech support staff is there to help solve questions, problems, or issues that arise, when using the software. Who would you go to in order to get answers to software issues with a self-built system?

Buying Software Includes Perks!

Being a software customer, usually entitles you to additional perks. For example, Cyrious Software offers customers on support, software upgrades at no extra charge. These upgrades include many different advancements and improvements to the software. If you choose to build your own system, you become the one responsible for developing, testing, and supplying upgrades. Unless you plan on staying with the same old system year after year, upgrading your system will cost you additional time and money. If you are unable to provide continual support to enable your software to grow with your shop, is it really wise to go forward with building a system yourself? Think about it.

Danny Tangredi Cyrious Software Marketing Representative

http://www.cyrious.net "Your Leader in Estimating & Business Management Software for the Sign, Graphics, and Printing Industries"

shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

The FBI has issued a warning that scammers are impersonating doctors, police and banks using spoofed numbers as "smishing" texts surge nationwide.

Communities with unreliable internet service stand to gain after Amazon's Project Kuiper launched its first full batch of satellites into orbit April 28.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says unsubscribing from spam might actually backfire. Learn when to avoid it and stop junk effectively.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how the first nonstop beating heart transplant, called zero ischemic time, at Taiwan hospital changes surgery.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: FBI warns of "time-traveling" hackers.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called SPROUT that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings.

Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California confirmed it had been sharing private health data of 4.7 million users with Google for three years without even realizing it.

Delta and JetZero’s blended wing body aircraft marks a meaningful step toward a cleaner, quieter and more efficient future for air travel.

Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.

Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.

There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.

These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.

Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.

Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.

Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.

With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.