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More Sales with Multitouch Application

August 04, 2010

3 Day Blinds chose to redesign its existing sales application and deploy it on a Tablet PC running the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system.

Irvine, CA  - 3 Day Blinds differentiates itself through fast delivery of custom window coverings. Recently, it moved to a home consultant sales model, so it needs a mobile sales solution. 3 Day Blinds plans to redesign its sales application, using the multitouch capabilities in the Windows 7 operating system. Consultants will carry unobtrusive Tablet PCs and use the application to foster collaborative customer interviews and drive home-based sales.
 
Business Needs
3 Day Blinds manufactures and installs custom window blinds and shades made to be a perfect fit. Recently, the company changed its business model from operating brick-and-mortar showrooms to employing in-home design consultants. The move has been a success, helping the company grow its revenue while saving capital expenses. However, the company’s proprietary sales application used by sales staff serving customers in a store proved to be unsuitable for a mobile sales force visiting people in their homes.
 
“We needed to redesign our sales program and think about what technology tools would work best for our design consultants,” says Scott Hurtik, Vice President of Information Technology at 3 Day Blinds.
 
Design consultants carry an armload of sample books, a laptop running the sales application on the Windows XP Professional operating system, and a mobile printer to produce sales orders for the customer to sign. To upload their orders and check sales reports, consultants log on to a virtual private network (VPN) using a Cisco solution. “Our sales force consists of skilled decorators and sales-people,” says Hurtik. “However, many are not as adept at working with technology. Interacting with the computer or working with the VPN is a burden for many of our design consultants who are focused on providing expert design services.”

Also, the laptop, with its intrusive lid and keyboard, impeded the connection between design consultant and customer. 3 Day Blinds wanted to deploy a different IT platform to help its design consultants make more sales. “We began thinking about the right software to build a new, user-friendly sales application that we could deploy on a secure, easily managed mobile device,” says Hurtik.

Solution
3 Day Blinds chose to redesign its existing sales application and deploy it on a Tablet PC running the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system. “Windows 7 offered us much more than just an operating system for an application on a mobile device,” says Hurtik. “With advanced data protection capabilities, streamlined network access, and integration with our existing system management software, it’s a complete, business-enabling platform for our design consultants.”
 
Hurtik and his team plan to take advantage of several new and improved capabilities within the Windows 7 operating system:

• Multitouch. “Windows 7 offers sophisticated multitouch capabilities, so when we redesign our application, we can do away with the keyboard and take advantage of the slate Tablet PC form factor,” says Hurtik.
  
  
• DirectAccess. Design consultants will be able to take advantage of the DirectAccess feature to gain easy access to the 3 Day Blinds corporate network, without using the virtual private network. IT staff will be able to use DirectAccess to remotely configure and manage design consultants’ Tablet PCs.
  
  
• BitLocker. Improved for Windows 7, BitLocker will provide full drive encryption on a design consultant’s Tablet PC. “Improved security with Windows 7 will be a huge relief for me, because we process credit card information and plan to enable digital signatures on the new application,” says Dan Lyle, IT Operations Manager at 3 Day Blinds.”We are planning to use BitLocker To Go to encrypt files on our design consultants’ removable data drives.”

The IT team plans to create the new sales application by using the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate development system and .NET Framework 4, which includes Windows Presentation Foundation for building interactive user experiences. Rollout for the first pilot test is scheduled for August 2010. When the Tablet PCs are deployed, Hurtik will connect them to the corporate domain and use an existing Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 solution to manage them centrally.
 
Benefits
By creating a new version of its sales application running on Windows 7, 3 Day Blinds can offer its design consultants technology that’s well suited to the company’s current business model. An intuitive application on a mobile device that doesn’t intrude on the sales process adds up to a better sales tool for in-home design consultants. “By using a Tablet PC running Windows 7 and a multitouch sales application, our design consultants can focus on customer service without worrying about technology,” says Hurtik.
 
With the new sales solution, Hurtik envisions a more effective sales process whereby design consultants have all the information that they need, quite literally at their fingertips. “The multitouch capabilities in Windows 7 are going to be huge for our design consultants,” says Hurtik. “I can see them using a pen to unobtrusively tap their way through configuring and measuring blinds in a much more collaborative process to sell our products. They could manipulate images and designs, toggle between colors and fabrics, and work with other visual elements to show customers how the window coverings will look in their rooms. It’s going to be a powerful sales tool.”
 
3 Day Blinds expects to reduce the support costs that it incurs troubleshooting technical issues, such as using the virtual private network, for its remote sales force. The company also expects to reduce paper, storage, and portable printer costs by enabling digital signatures on the Tablet PC. “When you look at the sheer number of paper invoices that we currently create, ship to corporate, and then store, capturing a customer’s signature will save us in excess of $60,000 a year,” says Hurtik.
 
Looking at the bigger picture, customer service has always played a key role in 3 Day Blinds history, beginning with the company’s pledge to deliver finished products in days instead of weeks. “By using Windows 7 to deliver a sales experience better suited to the home, 3 Day Blinds can ensure that our customer service lives up to our promise ‘You’ll love the treatment,’” concludes Hurtik.

About 3 Day Blinds
3 Day Blinds is a leading manufacturer and full service retailer of custom designed and fitted window treatments in the United States. Supported by state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and leading edge product design, 3 Day Blinds offers a wide selection of custom blinds, shades, and shutters. 3 Day Blinds serves their customers through full time Design Consultants that provide professional in-home design consultation, service and installation.

Contact:

Karin Miller
3 Day Blinds
25 Technology Dr., Suite B100
Irvine, CA 92618
949-705-5473
karin.miller@3dayblinds.com