Landscape Management, September 2017

users who would benefit from face toface instruction Once people get into the program and they start to realize how much time it saves them it becomes addicting says DuChene They dont want to go back DuChene also advises contractors to look for landscape design software that can execute multiple tasks within the same program He says one of DynaScapes biggest selling points is that it integrates landscape design estimating and job costing into one program A lot of contractors are designing in one program calculating estimates in another like Microsoft Excel and then typing up the estimate in yet another program such as Microsoft Word It gets very disconnected and inefficient he says The more you can stay in one pipeline the better Practice Practice Practice Ken Henriksen president of Three Brothers Property Service in Farmington Conn says his company investigated different landscape design programs by watching YouTube videos and began using Pro Landscape Design Software last year Before that the company had done all of its designs by hand Henriksen says the decision to switch to a software program was driven by the need to have better visuals to present to clients Since using Pro Landscape the companys job closure rate has increased from 30 percent to between 50 and 60 percent Three Brothers Property Service provides 60 percent maintenance and 40 percent design build services to an 80 percent commercial 20 percent residential clientele We needed to get into the new program because customers love to see visual things and its an easier sell Henriksen says For contractors who are new to landscape design software Henriksen advises them to practice practice practice Designers at Three Brothers Property Service learned the program using photos of their own homes and landscapes before using it on client projects They also used training videos provided by the vendor Henriksen also suggests getting a program that helps contractors better communicate with their clients He especially likes Pro Landscapes proposal builder feature that includes the names prices and care instructions for each plant included in the design The ability to use a photo of the clients house and to add and take out elements gives customers a clear detailed image that helps them visualize the final outcome We wanted to be able to communicate on the customers level through what they see Henriksen says Maybe they see a flower on the DIY Network and now we can say to them This would look good here or with the click of the mouse Here are some different options The proposal builder helps on the sales end by giving the customer a lot of information always uPdate Amber Kurian co owner of Green Inspirations LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET September 2017 28 Landscaping in Whitemouth Manitoba Canada has used Realtime Landscaping Architect software for the past six years She says the company primarily uses Mac computers but after doing some research she found only two Mac compatible landscape design programs both of which had poor reviews They purchased a PC specifically to use their new landscape design software program Green Inspirations Landscaping provides 60 percent design build 25 percent maintenance and lawn care 75 percent tree removal and 75 percent snow removal services The company offers its design build services to a 95 percent residential 5 percent commercial clientele and its lawn maintenance and care services to a 60 percent residential 40 percent commercial clientele We went with this one because it had good reviews and was as close to a professional product that we could get without using AutoCAD says Kurian who does most of the companys designs Kurian recommends contractors take advantage of the programs annual updates provided by the manufacturer which for the Realtime program cost 100 per year These updates ensure theyre always working with the most recent version of the program and they dont miss out on new functions and features For example this year the manufacturer provided an update that made it easier to design on properties with grades and slopes something Kurian says was difficult to do in the past The upgrade provides more points to allow the designer to make the grade or slope look smoother There arent always new features but there are usually new ways of doing things Kurian says They also add more objects you can put into the landscape such as new trees or new paving stones Simplicity also was an important feature for Kurian when selecting landscape design software She didnt want something that would take hours to figure out how to use and she also wanted something that would provide quick solutions for their clients If you want to put together something quickly for a client it has to come together quickly she says You cant be sitting around on the computer while your client is waiting Schappacher is a freelance writer based in Cleveland Continued from page 26 PHOTO green insPiraTiOns landscaPing profit centers Design BuilD installation Ken Henriksen quick fix Finding an easyto learn program is important for some design teams