Events @ GTS Blog

Social Media to Help Your Business Thrive

kevinj — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:08:20 GMT

At first you might dismiss this. You might say, "Web 2.0, Social Media - These are all buzzwords that don't have anything to do with my business. I am not going to waste my time on this." But, then again, the economy is tough and ANYTHING that can help you is worth a look.

These companies may have thought the same thing - until they tried it...

CoffeeGroundz in Houston Texas almost doubled their clientele with a few simple steps.
Within 6 months, Ace Hardware saw a 500% increase in ROI through increased sales by connecting dispersed distributors. Ace got them 'talking' through discussions - something that geographically spread out stores were not able to easily do. Once they did, sales, cost savings and collaboration rose dramatically. Plus, new hires get up to speed much more quickly.
Home Depot uses video to quickly and simply explain how to perform some common DIY projects.
Each year, RehabCare looks for the best college grads to hire. To help them, they turned to social recruiting. Whereas their limited staff of five had only so much outreach, now they are in constant contact with thousands of students each day.

Each of these examples will not directly correlate to your business. No real example will. But they can give you some good ideas of how to use Web 2.0 - or Social Meda - to better help you collaborate better within your company, connect with your customers or reach new customers. Use these and other examples and then brainstorm how you can use it to increase your business and keep a solid foundation through these rough economic times.

THE BASICS – How to Select the Best Business Management Software Application

kevinj — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:49:09 GMT

(This was written by Arnaldo Garcia - Sales Manager for GTS)

THE BASICS – How to select the best business management software application for the organization?

In the last 15 years I have seen many organizations going through the process of adopting business management software applications with the idea of maximizing productivity and profitability and increasing competitiveness.

A position organizations often take is to believe that they are too small to plan or have a long-term vision for the business. They therefore believe that taking close attention to the business management software applications they adopt, or not, is not that important.

On the previous fact, my thought is that whether or not there is a long-term growth vision for the organization, the adoption of a business management software application is an investment that requires evaluation if the organization is planning to remain in business.

Now, to do it successfully, shopping for software that appears to have the features and functionality necessary will not be enough. The smart adoption of a business management software application that works for the organization is NOT a complex process. It does, however, require a clear understanding of the importance of THE BASICS and how they affect the long-term plan/vision of the organization.

So, what are The Basics?

The Basics are the four areas of initial analysis or consideration when adopting business management software applications to avoid a fiasco. And they are:
•    Architecture
•    Openess
•    Adaptability
•    Partnership

Architecture – Provides the platform to deliver the other Basics. It is the DNA of the software application. The architecture ensures that everything works together (i.e. software features, report writing, database management, remote data entry, integration with other applications, etc.)

From database management to report writing to adding custom features and functionality; it would be faster, safer and more cost-effective with the right platform.

More importantly, the architecture ensures that when the time is right to migrate the application (features and functionality) onto the next best architecture the path to a successful upgrade is there.

Openess – Often misrepresented, it is NOT only about the database engine utilized by the application. Frequently, we hear or read that as long as the application runs on an industry standard database, such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server the data can be extracted anytime. Well, not really.

Essentially, the level of openess is going to be determined by how quickly and accurately data can be extracted by other utilities or application, such as report writers without having to dig deep into the functions of the database engine itself.

Adaptability – This is a two-way factor which can, and probably will, determine if the application is the right one or not. It refers to how easy it would be for end-users to initially learn and understand the flow of the application and then adapt it to the current business processes. Then, (and perhaps more importantly) how the application can adjust to the new business requirements necessary because of growth and diversification, sometimes imposed by the ever evolving market.

Partnership - “You can adopt a mediocre software application, but if you have a good partner that understands your business and knows the application, you’ll be fine. You can adopt the best application, but if you partner with a mediocre consulting firm you will fail”. This has proven to be true so many times.

The partnership you create MUST have clear answers about how the software application will serve your business now and in the future without reinventing the wheel.

So, before partnering with any organization that claims to have the right application for you, make sure THE BASICS are covered; and if you have doubts call my direct line. 503-968-4721

GDS Estimating and GlasPacLX: Building Solutions Through Partnerships

erikm — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:17:53 GMT

GTS takes another big step in delivering complete business management solutions for the glass industry with our partnership with GDS Storefront Estimating. GDS Storefront Estimating has been a leading provider of commercial glazing design and estimating software for many years. With the release of WinBidPro v15 , GDS has taken the drawing and estimating capabilities to a new level.

GDS presented WinBidPro v15 at the GTS Client Conference in Las Vegas back in September. I was impressed by the excitement shown from our customers as GDS highlighted the differences between v14 and v15, a true CAD design engine and no restrictions on project size to name a couple.

With GlasPacLX Glazier Edition, you can import the material takeoffs for parts and glass generated by WinBidPro v15 directly into a job estimate. This is another step in providing a complete end-to-end solution for commercial glaziers; a seamless flow of information from estimate to GlasPacLX for contract management and billing, and finally to Microsoft Dynamics or QuickBooks for accounting.

LXStorm: Let Your Ideas Be Heard!

kevinj — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:02:17 GMT

We have now officially launched Not authorized to view the specified community 2123! We are excited about this one because it gives you, our customers, the ability to let your ideas be heard. We want to know how we can make GlasPacLX better for you.

LXStorm allows you to submit ideas / enhancements to GTS. We welcome feedback and ideas from you, the people who use it every day.

This also gives another level of customer service that you did not have before. Now you are given a place where not only can you submit an idea, but if you like an idea someone else submitted, you can comment and thus cast your 'vote' on it. As this gets used more and more it will allow us to have a fresh perspective into what you need.

Each idea will, in the least, be responded to by someone from the GTS Support department. In addition, we welcome anyone to post on any other ideas. Would you like to see an existing idea, but modified a little? Add a response.

So, let your voice be heard! Submit your ideas and suggestions today!

We are....Pittsburgh Glass Works!

mikej — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:58:26 GMT

After 15 years of bleeding "[PPG|http://www.ppg.com/]-Blue" I woke up on October 1st working for a new company....[Pittsburgh Glass Works|http://corporateportal.ppg.com/na/PGW/default.htm]. It has been many months in the making and after a lot of hard work we have reached this important milestone. Since the purchase by Kohlberg and Companyis now official, I can share with you my thoughts on the Company's path forward.

Bottom line, I am more excited about the future than ever.

Kohlberg & Company brings with it a wealth of knowledge and experience in the automotive industry. Our new Chairman and CEO, James D. Wiggins, has been affiliated with Kohlberg & Company since 1996. During his tenure with the firm, Mr. Wiggins has held the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of five Kohlberg portfolio companies in the automotive and industrial sectors. Prior to becoming an Operating Principal at Kohlberg, he was Group President of the Stant-Schrader Group of the Gates Group of Companies and then President and Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Group, a $3bn automotive and industrial subsidiary of Tomkins PLC.

The executive leadership of the business to support Mr. Wiggins has remained in tact. Although this is a time of unprecedented change, the core philosophies, vision, and strong leadership that have enabled the company to deliver superior products and services to the market remain stable.

From a focus perspective, it is a win for both PPG and Pittsburgh Glass Works. Clearly, PPG is shifting its' focus to be a coatings and specialty products company. As stated in the July 8, 2008 press releaseon the sale:

"This transaction is another positive step forward in our portfolio transformation," said Charles E. Bunch, PPG chairman and chief executive officer. "It enables us to focus more on coatings and specialty products, and significantly reduces PPG's exposure to the U.S. automotive market."

Whereas Pittsburgh Glass Works will be making significant investments in the business to grow, compete and deliver superior value to our customers.

For GTS customers specifically, our strategy remains the same. We will,

Maintain our leadership position in the auto glass software market
Grow by enhancing the value we bring to the residential and commercial flat glass software market
Diversify with new products and services in new markets

Internet Marketing Services for the auto glass, flat glass and collision markets
Partnership wtih Microsoft Dynamics "best-in-class" financial applications specifically tailored for the glass industry

And with the new Company I am more confident than ever that we will deliver on our promise.