SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS Matthew Froggatt
Cyncly
Cyncly’s Matthew Froggatt, National Sales Manager – UK Bathrooms, looks at how choosing the right software can help improve your workflow, save time and simplify your business.
W
hile the way we use the bathroom has changed almost beyond
measure – evolving from the purely practical space of yesteryear to today’s extension of our living spaces and home-spa sanctuary – the actual process of designing these rooms has also shifted. This is of course coupled with the very real fact that retail in general has evolved, with growing online competition and retailers of all sizes having to embrace an on-demand, need-it-now culture that shoppers have bought into. Technology is driving this culture and offers
many benefits for both consumers and retailers, but it has also fostered a culture of impatience. While a new bathroom can’t be delivered and installed within just a few days, the initial design phase must be highly efficient to capture and maintain the consumer’s buy-in. For showrooms with relatively small teams,
this on-demand culture can be particularly stressful, as the design process takes time. Kbb retailers need technology that enables them to respond to customers’ needs quickly and comprehensively. Being ready to present a customer’s designs at any time not only eases stress, especially when handling multiple designs simultaneously, it also reduces the risk of losing customers to competitors. Virtual Worlds software is a good example of
where this is happening, with retailers judging it to be the Best CAD Software at the recent BKU Awards for this reason. In addition to an all-round pleasant design
experience that satisfies the shift towards experiential retail with the use of virtual reality and real-time interactive, editable 3D presentations, the latest software solutions save time without cutting corners. This timesaving ultimately streamlines the design and sales process and gives you as the retailer the support you need to grow your business. In the case of Virtual Worlds, this streamlining
comes in many forms, including ending the ‘trial and error’ process of generating photo-realistic renders of bathrooms designs thanks to real-time rendering. A powerful graphics engine works hard behind the scenes as you design, showing texture, light, reflection, shadow and sheen as the space is being constructed.
34 BKU AUGUST 2024 It’s valuable to bring the design process to life
and ensure buy-in from customers at the early stages. Equally important is the ability to identify and rectify specification errors that may otherwise result in product returns. Instead, material mistakes grab the attention straight away, woodgrain depth in furniture comes to life, lighting schemes can be adjusted, and colours and paint finishes can all be fully appreciated in a true to life way.
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With the right tools, you can streamline your workflow and simplify managing your bathroom business
The retail experience goes beyond the design
of the bathroom itself, with other factors of the customer experience influencing their decisions. Right from the start, customers want to explore available products and get inspired. Products like eStore enable designers to easily maintain a beautiful website that showcases their stunning designs. Add or change images and content with ease using a selection of simple layouts, and in one click of a button, update your website with 4,500 catalogues from across the kbb market,
ensuring all the products you sell on your site are completely up to date, 100% accurate and ready to sell instantly. Another factor in the customer journey is
pricing and ordering, a necessary task and important to get right, but something that consumers often want an instant answer on: how much is their new bathroom going to cost and when can you deliver it? Integrated pricing software ensures this is not only possible but part of the workflow. For example, designers can create a plan in Virtual Worlds and import all the products into an EQ Flex or One Price quote for fast pricing and ordering, without the need to manually re-enter products. This enables retailers to seamlessly integrate pricing into their bathroom designs, reducing errors and saving time. While change can be unsettling and technology
daunting, retailers must embrace the right software to grow their business and retain customers beyond the showroom window. Effective software can support everything from captivating designs that provoke emotional responses to accurate pricing, ordering, and installation. With the right tools, you can streamline your workflow and simplify managing your bathroom business.
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