Avoid Headaches, Manage Your Shop Effectively

Parsec: "If it were a perfect world, in-plants wouldn't need things like job costing and estimation, but since we don't live in a perfect world, they are probably two of the most important features for in-plants," says President Steve Hallberg. Along with other vendors, Parsec is currently preparing a Windows version of its system for more capability.

Programmed Solutions: "In-plants have to report back to management why they exist, and computer management systems give them that speed and ease," says Dennis Stroud, vice president of sales and marketing.

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Instant Benefits of purchasing a system

With corporations making cuts all the time, finding a management system that increases productivity can help you justify your existence.

View the following benefits and determine whether a CMS is good for business—and good for you.

• Follow the flow of the job through the shop.

• Estimate the cost. Eliminate costly errors by providing customers with the right price, the first time and ensure profit.

• Respond to customer's queries while they're still on the phone. Provide the ultimate customer service in instant answers to your customer's questions. E.g.- "When will my job be finished?" "How much will it cost?"

• Chargebacks. Bill your customers accurately and efficiently and produce departmental costs analysis and budget information.

• Scheduling. Ability to list "need it by 9 a.m." jobs and know whether you can fit it into your work load.

• Control inventory. Keep close track of items in stock and have a history usage on all materials.

• Increase productivity. What every in-plant wants. Be able to evaluate the productivity of your employees and determine how much downtime you've had over the year.

Stephen Hallberg, president of Parsec, suggests that your system's success will depend upon three things:

• The system must be capable of correcting the problems.