by KMB Communications | Mar 22, 2019 | D-Tools
Major Release of D-Tools SI Delivers Critical New Features – Workflow Management Rules, Project Notifications, and Calculated Items
CONCORD, CA — March 21, 2019 — D-Tools, Inc., the worldwide leader in data-driven system integration software, today announced the company will demonstrate powerful new capabilities to its award-winning, estimation, design, and project management System Integrator (SI) software solution – System Integrator v12 – at ISC West 2019 in booth 34045. ISC West is the largest converged security industry trade show in the U.S., with over 30,000 security professionals expected to attend and with new products & technologies encompassing everything from access control to unmanned vehicles from over 1,000 exhibitors & brands.
Workflow Optimization Made Easy: D-Tools’ System Integrator Estimation, Design, and Project Management Software Solution
Available now, the award-winning SI v12 delivers critical new productivity features – workflow management rules that help business managers maintain control over operating standards and business processes, project notifications that ensure project stakeholders remain fully informed, and calculated items that provide a powerful new method for establishing pricing parameters.
New Workflow Management Rules
SI’s new workflow management rules enable managers to enforce standards and operating procedures by setting admissible thresholds by which employees must comply. Workflow rules provide the necessary checks and balances that ensure minimum profit margin requirements are being adhered to, large proposals and purchase orders are acknowledged and approved by management before issuance, necessary team members are notified in response to customer needs, and more. Workflows can be configured to trigger an action and/or send a notification based on user-set criteria.
New Project Notifications
SI users can set project notifications to inform internal and external team members of specific project- and sales-related activities such as when a proposal exceeds the stated budget or the profit margin falls below the acceptable minimum, when a contract is approved, when a project requires engineering drawings, when a change order has been created and is ready for review, when tasks have been assigned, and much more. Notifications ensure that project stakeholders remain informed so they can adapt, respond and stay on-task as project parameters change. Notifications can be sent to SI users in-app, as well as emailed to both internal and external stakeholders.
New Calculated Product Costs and Labor Items
Cost and sell prices can now be calculated based on user-defined pricing parameters. At the most basic level, this feature allows SI users to calculate a unit cost or sell price of a product or labor item based on some established value and formula. More importantly, system integrators can now use a project’s equipment total to calculate project labor, design fees, freight charges or a budget for installation materials. Additionally, the field labor total may be used to calculate a project management budget, or the project total can be used to calculate pricing for a service contract, and much more. In short, SI customers can now apply percentages, mark-ups, mark-downs and other functions to maintain accurate and consistent pricing across projects.
Free Demo and 30-Day Trial Offer
To see how D-Tools System Integrator can deliver profound visibility and results, sign up now for a free, personal online tour by visiting http://d-tools.com/live-demo-webinar/. A free 30-day trial of D-Tools can also be downloaded anytime at http://d-tools.com/hosted-free-trial-signup/.
About D-Tools, Inc.
D-Tools is a worldwide leader in accessible, highly accurate business software that caters to the unique and diverse needs of systems design and installation firms. The company’s on-premises software, System Integrator™ (SI), and new cloud-based platform, D-Tools Cloud, are robust solutions that help manage all aspects of an integrator’s business, including sales, comprehensive system design, project documentation, procurement, and project management. Today, more than 6,000 companies in over 80 countries use D-Tools’ award-winning software to streamline business processes, leading to improved operational efficiencies and increased profitability.
Find product updates and related information by following D-Tools on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
Tim Bigoness, D-Tools, (925) 270-4102, [email protected]
Katye (McGregor) Bennett, KMB Communications, (425) 328-8640, [email protected]
All products, product names, trademarks, and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
by KMB Communications | Feb 1, 2019 | D-Tools
SI version 12 provides electronic system integrators with a powerful, flexible software solution for improved operational efficiency
CONCORD, CA — January 31, 2019 — D-Tools, Inc., the worldwide leader in data-driven system integration software, today announced powerful new capabilities to its award-winning, on-premises estimation, design, and project management System Integrator (SI) software solution – System Integrator v12.
Available February 4, 2019, SI v12 delivers critical new productivity features – workflow management rules that help business managers maintain control over operating standards and business processes, project notifications that ensure project stakeholders remain fully informed, and calculated items that provide a powerful new method for establishing pricing parameters.
“The advancements provided through this release represent a quantum leap forward in the areas of pricing, team communications and workflow management,” said Randy Stearns, CEO of D-Tools. “Each of the three key features adds flexibility and the potential for new and creative ways to run your business using System integrator.”
Workflow Management Rules
SI’s new workflow management rules enable managers to enforce standards and operating procedures by setting admissible thresholds by which employees must comply. Workflow rules provide the necessary checks and balances that ensure minimum profit margin requirements are being adhered to, large proposals and purchase orders are acknowledged and approved by management before issuance, necessary team members are notified in response to customer needs, and more. Workflows can be configured to trigger an action and/or send a notification based on user-set criteria.
Project Notifications
SI users can set project notifications to inform internal and external team members of specific project- and sales-related activities such as when a proposal exceeds the stated budget or the profit margin falls below the acceptable minimum, when a contract is approved, when a project requires engineering drawings, when a change order has been created and is ready for review, when tasks have been assigned, and much more. Notifications ensure that project stakeholders remain informed so they can adapt, respond and stay on-task as project parameters change. Notifications can be sent to SI users in-app, as well as emailed to both internal and external stakeholders.
Calculated Product Costs and Labor Items
Cost and sell prices can now be calculated based on user-defined pricing parameters. At the most basic level, this feature allows SI users to calculate a unit cost or sell price of a product or labor item based on some established value and formula. More importantly, system integrators can now use a project’s equipment total to calculate project labor, design fees, freight charges or a budget for installation materials. Additionally, the field labor total may be used to calculate a project management budget, or the project total can be used to calculate pricing for a service contract, and much more. In short, SI customers can now apply percentages, mark-ups, mark-downs and other functions to maintain accurate and consistent pricing across projects.
D-Tools to Host “What’s New in SI” Webinar
D-Tools will also host a webinar titled “What’s New in SI” that will detail the latest enhancements and capabilities of this new major release, designed to help streamline the business process for electronic system integrators. The session will take place on Wednesday, February 13 from 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. PST, and is free to all attendees.
Registration is now open here: https://bit.ly/2G18ELv.
To discover how D-Tools can deliver profound visibility, insights, and results, sign up now for a free, personal online tour by visiting http://d-tools.com/live-demo-webinar/. A free 30-day trial of D-Tools can also be downloaded anytime at https://d-tools.com/hosted-free-trial-signup/.
About D-Tools, Inc.
D-Tools is a worldwide leader in accessible, highly accurate business software that caters to the unique and diverse needs of systems design and installation firms. The company’s on-premises software, System Integrator™ (SI), and new cloud-based platform, D-Tools Cloud, are robust solutions that help manage all aspects of an integrator’s business, including sales, comprehensive system design, project documentation, procurement, and project management. Today, more than 6,000 companies in over 80 countries use D-Tools’ award-winning software to streamline business processes, leading to improved operational efficiencies and increased profitability.
Find product updates and related information by following D-Tools on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
Tim Bigoness, D-Tools, (925) 270-4102, [email protected]
Katye (McGregor) Bennett, KMB Communications, (425) 328-8640, [email protected]
All products, product names, trademarks and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
by KMB Communications | Jun 12, 2018 | D-Tools
The latest update to System Integrator offers Change Order, Project, Catalog, and Security improvements to help integrators and technology managers improve system design accuracy and operational efficiency
CONCORD, CA — D-Tools, Inc., the worldwide leader in data-driven system integration software, announced today the availability of its newest version of the award-winning System Integrator™ (SI) software – SI 2018.
D-Tools is the most widely-used and comprehensive software solution available for estimation and budgeting, system design, and project management. Specifically designed to fulfill the diverse needs of system integrators and technology managers, System Integrator 2018 ties project workflows together into a singular, data-driven, connected process that improves operational efficiency while reducing time and costs.
Acknowledging rampant growth in primary commercial integration sectors, the enhancements to D-Tools SI 2018 accommodates the needs of growth-oriented commercial AV, IT and security integrators, as well as technology managers in higher education and other institutions.
Revised Change Order Process
Accommodating an essential component of virtually all projects, D-Tools has re-engineered its Change Order process to enable the creation of multiple and persistent Change Orders, allow users to differentiate between internal and external change orders, enhance change order tracking and accuracy, and facilitate the change order approval process.
Expanded Security Industry Support
D-Tools significantly increases its appeal to commercial security integrators by integrating all PSA vendor partner product data and pricing into the D-Tools Data Library. PSA members can now sign-in to download and update product information complete with member-specific pricing, making it easier to specify products with the most current information available.
GDPR Compliance
To comply with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), D-Tools has enhanced its password rules and enforcement settings to ensure the security of customer data in accordance with the new regulations. Compliance includes forced temporary password resets, increased password strength requirements, scheduled prompts for password resets, and additional system logging for improved individual user activity tracking.
Use Tax
SI 2018 provides users the option to accommodate use tax in their catalog and project pricing. Now, taxes can be applied to the unit cost of products. Margins and markups can include or exclude use tax, providing greater pricing accuracy and flexibility for users in regions where use taxes are levied.
AutoCAD Integration
Improvements made to D-Tools’ AutoCAD integration include support for AutoCAD 2019 and the ability to assign color properties to wires and schematic blocks, making it easier to represent and follow signal flow and connections. D-Tools’ AutoCAD integration leverages the industry standard engineering platform to tie project equipment lists to drawings as part of an integrated project workflow.
Timesaving Enhancements
Project and Catalog improvements allow D-Tools users to clone products and labor items when adding accessories or items to a package, further streamlining the proposal generation process. Service Orders can also now be created for archived projects. Lastly, Mobile Quote has been enhanced to allow multiple packages to be added at once to a project.
To see how D-Tools System Integrator 2018 can deliver profound visibility, insights, sign up now for a free, personal online tour by visiting http://d-tools.com/live-demo-webinar/. A free 30-day trial of D-Tools can also be downloaded anytime at http://d-tools.com/hosted-free-trial-signup/.
About D-Tools, Inc.
D-Tools, Inc., founded in 1998 and based in Concord, California, is a worldwide leader in accessible, highly accurate system design and documentation software platform. The company’s flagship product, System Integrator™ (SI), is a robust solution that utilizes Autodesk® AutoCAD and Microsoft® Visio to facilitate comprehensive system design, documentation and project management. D-Tools enables residential and commercial integrators to streamline business processes and increase revenues while reducing the time and cost associated with the installation and integration of low voltage electronic systems. More than 6,000 leading companies in 87 countries currently use the award-winning D-Tools platform to reduce time, costs and to streamline the system integration process. Product updates and related information can be obtained by following D-Tools on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
Tim Bigoness, D-Tools, (925) 270-4102, [email protected]
Katye (McGregor) Bennett, KMB Communications, (425) 328-8640, [email protected]
All products, product names, trademarks and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
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by KMB Communications | Jun 12, 2018 | D-Tools
The latest update to System Integrator offers Change Order, Project, Catalog, and Security improvements to help integrators and technology managers improve system design accuracy and operational efficiency
CONCORD, CA — D-Tools, Inc., the worldwide leader in data-driven system integration software, announced today the availability of its newest version of the award-winning System Integrator™ (SI) software – SI 2018.
D-Tools is the most widely-used and comprehensive software solution available for estimation and budgeting, system design, and project management. Specifically designed to fulfill the diverse needs of system integrators and technology managers, System Integrator 2018 ties project workflows together into a singular, data-driven, connected process that improves operational efficiency while reducing time and costs.
D-Tools SI 2018 provides new functionality designed to help companies of all sizes increase productivity and improve profitability.
Timesaving Enhancements
Project and Catalog improvements allow D-Tools users to clone products and labor items when adding accessories or items to a package, further streamlining the proposal generation process. Service Orders can also now be created for archived projects. Lastly, Mobile Quote has been enhanced to allow multiple packages to be added at once to a project.
Revised Change Order Process
Accommodating an essential component of virtually all projects, D-Tools has re-engineered its Change Order process to enable the creation of multiple and persistent Change Orders, allow users to differentiate between internal and external change orders, enhance change order tracking and accuracy, and facilitate the change order approval process.
Use Tax
SI 2018 provides users the option to accommodate use tax in their catalog and project pricing. Now, taxes can be applied to the unit cost of products. Margins and markups can include or exclude use tax, providing greater pricing accuracy and flexibility for users in regions where use taxes are levied.
GDPR Compliance
To comply with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), D-Tools has enhanced its password rules and enforcement settings to ensure the security of customer data in accordance with the new regulations. Compliance includes forced temporary password resets, increased password strength requirements, scheduled prompts for password resets, and additional system logging for improved individual user activity tracking.
Drawing Improvements
Improvements to D-Tools’ drawing capabilities include support for AutoCAD 2019 and the ability to assign color properties to wires and schematic blocks in AutoCAD, making it easier to represent and follow signal flow and connections. Visio’s off-page reference shape now includes default options for page number vs. page name, providing further flexibility of project documentation. D-Tools’ Visio and AutoCAD integrations leverage industry standards to tie project equipment lists to drawings as part of an integrated project workflow.
To see how D-Tools System Integrator 2018 can deliver profound visibility, insights, sign up now for a free, personal online tour by visiting http://d-tools.com/live-demo-webinar/. A free 30-day trial of D-Tools can also be downloaded anytime at http://d-tools.com/hosted-free-trial-signup/.
About D-Tools, Inc.
D-Tools, Inc., founded in 1998 and based in Concord, California, is a worldwide leader in accessible, highly accurate system design and documentation software platform. The company’s flagship product, System Integrator™ (SI), is a robust solution that utilizes Autodesk® AutoCAD and Microsoft® Visio to facilitate comprehensive system design, documentation and project management. D-Tools enables residential and commercial integrators to streamline business processes and increase revenues while reducing the time and cost associated with the installation and integration of low voltage electronic systems. More than 6,000 leading companies in 87 countries currently use the award-winning D-Tools platform to reduce time, costs and to streamline the system integration process. Product updates and related information can be obtained by following D-Tools on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
Tim Bigoness, D-Tools, (925) 270-4102, [email protected]
Katye (McGregor) Bennett, KMB Communications, (425) 328-8640, [email protected]
All products, product names, trademarks and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
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by KMB Communications | May 31, 2018 | D-Tools
D-Tools System Integrator 2018 makes it easier and more secure to do business from anywhere, make changes to projects, and get client approvals even faster
CONCORD, CA (May 2018) D-Tools, Inc. has implemented enhancements to the world’s most widely used and comprehensive estimation and budget, design, and project management software platform, System Integrator, including System Integrator 2018. Showcasing new feature improvements at InfoComm 2018, D-Tools continues to find ways to help commercial integrators and technology managers save time and money by reducing redundancies and the chance of errors. Meanwhile, new mobile and web-based features are designed to enhance customer communication and engagement to help projects flow seamlessly from the sales and design stage through project management, installation, and service.
Accommodating significant growth in primary commercial sectors, System Integrator 2018 provides beneficial new enhancements ideally suited for commercial AV and IT, higher education, and security professionals. The Customer Portal and Mobile Quote 2.0 will also be on display for the first time to the InfoComm audience at Booth C3864.
Timesaving Enhancements
Accommodating a key component of virtually all projects, D-Tools has completely re-engineered its Change Order process to enable the creation of multiple, persistent Change Orders while also adding a new approval process for Change order acceptance.
New Project and Catalog improvements allow D-Tools users to clone products and labor items when adding accessories or items to a package – saving time and reducing errors. Service Orders can also now be created for archived projects, allowing multiple packages to be added at once to a project from the Mobile Quote Explorer.
AutoCAD Integration
Improvements have also been made to D-Tools’ AutoCAD integration, which makes it easier for those using the platform to leverage industry standard engineering drawings as part of their project workflow.
Enhanced Security Features
Additional support for security customers has been implemented with PSA integration, providing built-in functionality to update dealer cost information on the fly or on a schedule. Enhanced password rules and enforcement settings ensure the security of customer data per the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) regulations.
Mobile Quote 2.0 App Makes It Easy to Generate Scope and Pricing On the Fly
Redesigned for a more intuitive, efficient, and visually impactful experience, D-Tools’ Mobile Quote 2.0 iPad app makes it easy to walk prospective clients through available technology options and seamlessly generate a scope and budget for customer approval at the sales site, leading to much faster sign-off with fewer meetings. The data collected is instantaneously transferred into D-Tools SI for further design development and project management. Leveraging D-Tools’ extensive product library and workflow concepts, such as the specification of devices by location and system, Mobile Quote 2.0 allows salespeople to obtain signed approval of a project’s scope and budget, and even collect a design retainer, in the very first client meeting.
For in-house technology managers, Mobile Quote 2.0 can cut proposal creation time in half, reduce the likelihood of multiple proposal revisions, and expedite their ability to get sign-off on a scope and budget. Ultimately, Mobile Quote 2.0 improves the tech manager’s ability to select and suggest to management the products and technologies they feel will be most effective for their projects, while also increasing the throughput for system designers.
Customer Portal Increases Client Engagement to Create More Satisfied Customers
The increasingly mobile workforce demands easy access to documents from anywhere and at any time. D-Tools’ new Customer Portal facilitates collaboration and increases client engagement across distances, time zones, and mobile platforms. Users can share proposals, contracts, change orders, drawings, cut sheets, user manuals, and other client-facing documents via the web. To review, comment, and accept (or reject) the documents presented, clients click on the e-mailed link and log in to a secure web portal. This new web-enabled, device-agnostic capability expedites client communication and approvals, to keep projects moving forward and ensure that timelines and budgets are met. The Customer Portal improves efficiency, facilitates better client engagement, and, ultimately, leads to heightened customer satisfaction.
Commercial Integrators Can Learn More About Mobile Quote 2.0 and System Integrator 2018 at InfoComm 2018
To see how D-Tools can deliver profound visibility, insights, and results, InfoComm 2018 attendees are encouraged to visit D-Tools in booth C3864 or sign up now for a free, personal online tour by visiting https://d-tools.com/live-demo-webinar/. You can download a free 30-day trial of D-Tools anytime at https://d-tools.com/hosted-free-trial-signup/.
About D-Tools, Inc.
D-Tools, Inc., founded in 1998 and based in Concord, California, is a worldwide leader in accessible, highly accurate system design and documentation software platform. The company’s flagship product, System Integrator™ (SI), is a robust solution that utilizes Autodesk® AutoCAD and Microsoft® Visio to facilitate comprehensive system design, documentation, and project management. D-Tools enables residential and commercial integrators to streamline business processes and increase revenues while reducing the time and cost associated with the installation and integration of low voltage electronic systems. More than 6,000 leading companies in 87 countries currently use the award-winning D-Tools platform to reduce time, costs, and to streamline the system integration process. Product updates and related information can be obtained by following D-Tools on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
