Florida Design and Engineering Consulting Firm Develops System to Align Estimation, Sales and Installation Processes to Improve Dealer Profitability
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — May 2, 2008 — Firefly Design Group, the premier engineering and systems consulting company in the custom electronics industry, has developed the Firefly Project Intake Package Concept for the custom electronics and integration industry, the company announced today. This concept–a system for detailing and documenting the necessary information gathered at the inception of a project–is designed to streamline and standardize the interview process, improve communication between the integrator’s sales staff and engineering departments, and ultimately improve customer satisfaction and dealer profitability.
“Too often, integration businesses are plagued by a disconnect between the customer’s expectations and the system’s capability–resulting in disappointed customers, or off-target proposals,” said Ron Callis, Jr., founder and president of Firefly Design Group. “What’s needed is a coherent, consistent and understandable way to qualify the client, extract the scope of work and develop a realistic budget early in the project lifecycle. Our Project Intake Package is designed to fill that need.”
The Heart of the System: Intake Pads
At the heart of this concept are Firefly’s innovative Project Intake Pads; a simple set of forms that facilitate the information gathering process. Each set of pads includes the following specialized forms:
Project Information
System Notes
Room Specification
Project Directory
Used together, the forms enable the integration firm to quickly and accurately assess the customer’s goals, expectations and budget, ensuring that the three are aligned. The customer initials each form to ensure ‘buy-in.’ These documents then form the basis for a communications system that ensures that the customer, sales representative, system designer and installers are all working from the same documentation with the same final goal in mind.
When the sales representative uses the Firefly Project Intake Package during the information gathering process, he or she lays the foundation for accurately defining the project in terms of functionality, included subsystems, preferred manufacturers, and budget. When used properly, the Project Intake Package allows integrators to develop proposals that are on target and accurately priced, decreasing the time spent in proposal generation and increasing closing ratios.
The Firefly Solution
When used as part of the complete Firefly solution, these project intake sheets are transmitted to Firefly’s team of designers and engineers. Using cutting-edge CAD software and design skills, the Firefly Design Group team produces a polished proposal documentation package overlaying the proposed system, derived from the intake documents, onto the building floor plan. The result is a clear, easy-to-understand document illustrating how the system will operate throughout the home.
The customer can easily see a room-by-room illustration of their new system, and can quickly digest all the information in one appointment. This reduces ‘call-backs’ and enables the sales representative to close the sale on the same day the proposal is presented.
Once the project is underway, the original Firefly proposal becomes a living document, with change order documentation occurring at four specified “refresh” stages. Firefly facilitates this documentation at the critical points in the project lifecycle and provides updated project information, status and deliverable sheets to the integrator. This allows the designer, installation crew, customer and sales staff to operate “off the same sheet.”
The Project Intake Package is the foundation of the Firefly Design Group solution.
Ordering Information
Integrators interested in ordering the Project Intake Package may do so by logging onto the company’s Web site, www.firefly-designgroup.com . The Project Intake Pads are available in quantities of 30, 60 or 120. They will come with the integrator’s logo imprinted in the upper right-hand corner of the pad itself. Each pad contains 50 pages, three-hole punched for easy inclusion in work or project binders. The pads themselves come on a clipboard backing, for easy use in the field.
About Firefly Design Group:
Firefly Design Group, the premier engineering consultant firm in the integration industry, is founded on the principle that “process matters”. Firefly helps integrators systematize their sales, installation and contract management documentation processes to improve profitability, quality, fulfillment and customer satisfaction. Depending on their individual needs, the Firefly solution allows integrators to outsource critically important activities such as design, engineering, documentation and programming, allowing them to concentrate on their core-competencies, thus streamlining operations and increasing productivity. Located in Hollywood, Florida, Firefly is one of the fastest growing firms in the industry. For more information, visit www.firefly-designgroup.com .
