By Eric Busche, Product and Software Specialist

As we finish out another year, we have made a lot of improvements to strongware based on your feedback. We want to thank you for your constant vigilance to make the software the best in the industry. And in appreciation, we’ve put together a list of the top ten improvements you have made this year.

1. Added the Work Order screen in the software to create a point of interaction with the customer and give them a fuller sense of ownership in the designs because their information is connected to each design.  
   
2. Created a freedomRail By the Job version that allows you to only purchase what you need and have it cut for you.  This not only decreases time at the job site, but it also means you don’t have to carry inventory. Great ways to save you a lot of money.
3. We have a new Send To Feature that allows users to take a work order and convert it to a PDF and send it to a customer’s home email address.
4. Added a Combined Parts/Price List. The software now automatically combines all of the parts from all of the selected drawings in a work order to one Combined Parts/Price list, which is an easier way to quote.
5. Created a way to import designs into a Work Order. Users can now easily import closet drawings from previous designs into a current Work Order, therefore reducing time designing multiple and/or duplicate closets
6. Created an automatic and intuitive path to save strongware files on the user’s hard drive. Creates a Folder in My Documents to store all strongware files. Although, the software remembers what folder you were last in so that you do not have to use that specified folder if you already have a filing system in place.
7. Revamped the Edit Product Finish view so it is easier to find the product. The old Edit>Product Finish bunched up the product finishes and made it hard to discern which finish went with which product category. The new method is easier to understand and make a finish choice.
8. A recent Parts List Conversion Update allows you to save your Work Order Combined Parts/Price list as a .csv file so that you can then edit and change any part of the Combined Parts/Price list.  It also allows you to import the combined parts/price list into other software programs for inventory management.
9.  The Design Copy Update gives you the ability to save individual closets from a Work Order, allowing a designer to easily add upgrades to existing closets simply by accessing their current or archived designs.  This will save you time especially on large closets since you won’t have to redo the walls and offsets.  And, it allows you to take designs that you like from previous jobs and reuse them for samples or design solutions in a new customer’s home.
10. The Projects Grouping Update creates a file that allows you to create and add files just like in a Work Order, but the file also lets you increase the number of times that the closets parts list gets added to the combined parts/price list.  This update allows you to create one file for an entire complex of different closets and control the parts/price list so that you can give a more accurate and faster quote to a builder.  

Be sure to renew your strongware license in 2010. As you can see, we are committed to continual improvement, which means a great sales tool for you!