Maximizing Potential with ActionFlow
Peter J. Marcucci
Graphics Courtesy ActionFlow
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The ActionFlow team at the 2022 TISE show. ActionFlow facilitates communication within the entire shop by managing and streamlining production. It can create a schedule of jobs ready to be installed and confirmed with the customer, among other valuable features. |
There was a common narrative that came from the stone countertop shops the Slippery Rock interviewed in 2021. Most admitted they had a phenomenally good year in the residential market.
Many concluded that sales of natural stone for both indoors and out was primarily due to their clients spending lots more time in their homes, over the last few years. It’s logical to presume, with COVID variants still on the loose, that 2022 will be about the same, with folks staying close to home.
If your company has also experienced this phenomenon, you may be thinking about where to invest your hard-earned bucks for the most return this year.
Maybe it’s a container of the trendiest exotics or the latest robotics. How about a facelift of that same ole, same ole showroom to up your game and hold your clients’ attention?
These are all great options, but have you looked closely at how well your current system flows from sales to installation? Where are the bottlenecks – and every company has them – and will these bottlenecks get worse with higher production, causing frustration to team members and clients?
It was with these considerations in mind that the folks at ActionFlow created an app that has your back.
Reese Watt, founder and creator of ActionFlow, has a solid background in computer programming as well as the stone industry. He combined his accumulated knowledge into one great package, recalled Watt. “ In 2004, I was hired as a contractor to write software for Hallmark Stone in Saint Louis, Missouri. The software they were wanting was similar to what I had created for other companies in the past, and I took those foundational pieces and created a product called, ‘JOT,’ short for job tracking.”
The company liked the product, and Watt was soon hired as the IT manager, where he learned even more about the industry.
By 2011, Watt decided it was time to move on. He had learned all he needed to continue his quest for an even better way to run a fabrication company, he continued. “When I left Hallmark Stone, I created ActionFlow from the ground up, based on everything I had learned over the last seven years. I felt like the existing applications out there were not meeting the needs of fabrication shops. ActionFlow is a cloud-based, scalable app, created to help manage and streamline countertop production. It is a clear, colorful and intuitive way to pinpoint any job at any stage of production, because you have the ability to map out your processes and automate the flow of actions, from the quote all the way to the installation.”
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ActionFlow scheduler from the desktop, admin view. This custom dashboard carries a lot of information, including personnel, outlined projects and responsibilities, and the timeline to complete installation. |
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Above: The view in the field. ActionFlow creates a shared schedule, and allows you to plot the most efficient route and share the destination with install teams. |
Keeping Shops Ahead of the Curve
The first release of ActionFlow was in 2012, and by 2016, it was in use by a dozen companies. According to Watt, one of the key components is the account manager. This manager is there from the beginning, getting everyone up and running, as well as for the duration, he explained. “When a customer signs up, they get a dedicated manager here at ActionFlow. We’ve put a lot of effort into this transition period, where our account manager gets to know them by first name, and they get to know the manager by first name. We also request a whole set of data, such as how they cost, how they price, what their processes are, and who is doing what. We then enter that initial configuration information, test the system, and train and guide the users through the transition process to get them over that hump. Going forward, that account manager remains dedicated to that one account throughout the life of the account, and is the one person the fabricator will call when they have a question or a request.”
Kyle Hunt, head of sales and marketing added, “We’ll work with the fabrication company, asking, ‘What steps do you take to complete your jobs?’ When they tell us, we teach that to Actionflow, and then ActionFlow is able to assign tasks to those employees, so they know exactly what they’re supposed to be doing , each step of the way of each job. When finished, the job can be marked complete.”
Another key component of ActionFlow is what’s called the “Do Now List.” In a nutshell, it’s a list of priorities that must be completed by a certain time. For example: every user has this list, and when a person comes to work, he or she might have ten items that need to be done that day. When one of those items is completed and is dropped off the list, this triggers other actions for other users to complete, and if everyone does their part, nothing falls between the cracks, and everything gets done. Additionally, schedules, reports, estimates and pricing are also viewable by those who have overview priority clearance to do so. Basically, everyone sees only what they need to see, alleviating complications and confusion, and streamlining operations.
There is also a feature called, “The Paperless App”, that’s used for jobsite visits. For example: You’re sending your templater somewhere out in the boonies, internet service is questionable, and he or she needs all the info. Before the templator leaves the shop, all the info is downloaded into the app, and is there for them when needed. Additionally, information acquired when on the jobsite, such as electronic template info, notes, photos, or a customer’s signature can be placed in ActionFlow, and then uploaded upon returning to the shop.
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Above: ActionFlow quoting tool sample shows the flexibility built-in to suit the user’s needs. This screen includes job layout and pricing information, and allows the user to assign inventory to jobs. An additional feature allows you to see your margins on each job, and to duplicate the parameters for similar projects, like a multifamily job. Substituting a different material is easy, for managing upscale jobs. |
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Above: ActionFlow Fabrication Scheduler calculates time needed for each step of the fabrication process, and works in sync with the install schedule to pinpoint bottlenecks. |
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Above: ActionFlow has an inventory system available with the Enterprise package. Search your inventory by different criteria like manufacturer, color, and type of stone. Determine availability in your inventory. Create purchase order and send to vendors to order the stone specified for a job. ActionFlow also can link with other inventory and labeling systems like Slabsmith.
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Above: ActionFlow data can be exported to Microsoft BI, a data visualization program. This allows you to see your data and create reports through a custom dashboard. Individual and company performance can be tracked through sales, jobs completed, and more. |
Built-In Benefits
Watt: “ActionFlow offers peace and productivity. We wanted to reduce stress, and believe that people are more productive and enjoy life more when they’re not stressed. By organizing these processes, we can improve the peace and productivity of employees, and those two go hand-in-hand in creating higher profits.
“We do this through offering powerful features in this automation tool. We offer three different tiers of features, from basic to full featured, making it scalable to whatever size company is using it. We are also constantly upgrading our features, and typically publish a new version every week. All versions have a robust technical foundation built on Microsoft technology, including redundancy.”
Hunt: “The scalability of Actionflow is very important. Shops are able to start with the basic package, get good processes going and get the data into a system. Then, as you grow you can step up to our Enterprise Package and have the tools you need to make better business decisions. I think this is crucial, because if you’re scrambling through a bunch of different papers in different places, early on, it’s harder to see that data, and make good business decisions. ActionFlow is ready to grow with your company every step of the way.”
To recap: ActionFlow allows any size shop to consolidate all information within a single source. It’s like a hub on a wagon wheel, the hub being the information and the spokes being the people. You can draw graphs and reports using Microsoft Power BI, quote in it, schedule in it, see profits in it and store pictures in it, and then share them with team members or clients where applicable. With the click of a mouse or the touch of a finger, ActionFlow’s flow chart will keep your company on track, all the way from sale to sign off. It is fully customizable, and integrates with Quick Books and similar software, thereby elevating bookkeeping redundancy. There is also a feature called “Red Flag Report” that alerts managers when a job is stalled in production.
The basic version of ActionFlow has a reasonable monthly subscription fee, and is a great way to start putting solid procedures in place.
There’s an additional benefit, announced just this year. ActionFlow partnered with a credit card company to create a feature called “Action Pay,” giving the customer a button to push in their email quote to make a deposit, making it easy to get the ball rolling. Pretty slick, eh?
For more information, go to www.actionflow.net and try the demo, or email Kyle Hunt at kyle@actionflow.net .
If you missed ActionFlow at The International Surface Event in February, they are hosting a Peace and Productivity seminar at ActionFlow Corporate this April in St. Louis, Missouri. Lots of learning, lots of fun.