Joinerysoft software streamlines paperwork at Churchview Joinery

Swamped with paperwork and working all hours is a common dilemma for many joinery manufacturers. Churchview Joinery decided there had to be a better way and explain how software has given them more time to move their business forward.

Based in Wimborne, Dorset, Churchview Joinery employs 7 people and is run by Phillip and Karen Kebby. Philip, having been in the joinery business since he left school, decided to set up for himself in 1993. Supported by his wife Karen, who still worked full time, they developed their business until it was big enough that it needed her full time. Everything they manufacture is purpose made, including windows, doors, furniture and CAD designed and CNC manufactured staircases. They are well known for their work in the Listed Buildings sector and are proud to work for the National Trust. Karen says, “As well as traditional custom made joinery we have over the years been asked to manufacture some more unusual items including two coffins for someone's faithful hounds - we really don't mind what we make. We also take on specialist jobs, such as curved work which quite often comes to us from other joinery shops.”

“Customers hear about us by word of mouth” says Karen, “and being active on social media really helps to showcase the company. We offer tours of our factory which allows people to see the quality of our work; it speaks for itself.”

When Karen joined, she set up spreadsheets to calculate their pricing but each job had to be drawn individually onto a job sheet. As business continued to do well, that came with its own challenges. 

“We were drowning with the amount of paperwork in the office. Everything we do is one off so Philip with his joinery expertise would need to do most of the quotations. To keep up with them all we would be working well into the night and being a married couple we felt it was taking over our lives”, she explains.

So, in 2015, Karen set out to look at how she could make things better. She explains, “We were getting a bit desperate at this point. With the advent of modern technology quotations are needed quickly and efficiently. Emails need to be answered instantly and customer service has to really shine. You have got to be able to get the prices out to the customer, follow them up, get the jobs out on the shop floor and out the door. It was taking a lot of the joy out of running the business.”

This is when they contacted Joinerysoft. Once they’d had a demonstration and seen Joinerysoft’s Joinery Management Software (JMS) working, they became a customer the very next day.

Both Karen and Philip have found the software easy to learn and Karen has been able to take over the majority of quoting with Philip just providing technical joinery advice as needed. This has meant Philip has seen huge savings in his time, roughly 3-4 hours a day enabling him to get on with more customer facing work.

“All our jobs are processed through JMS now. With consistent and clear pricing, customers have been impressed with our quotes and our quick response helps us to win work" says Karen.

JMS has made a huge difference to Churchview Joinery and improved efficiency in the workshop. The joiners trust the software and the clear cutting lists with automatically drawn diagrams have improved confidence and helped bring on their youngest joiner. The JMS generated reports and the ability to email directly from JMS has led to time savings. With easy access to jobs in JMS, paperwork has been reduced and everything is filed electronically.

JMS has helped their business grow and expand. Karen says, “JMS has definitely been worth the investment. It has helped us to control man hours more thoroughly, examine margins, quickly up date costs, adjust quotations and generally streamline the business. We’ve been able to take on an adjoining unit and recruit a fulltime spray painter/glazier thus allowing us to offer the complete package under one roof.”

She confirms, “JMS has allowed our business to move forward in an ever-changing environment, with superb back up and support from Joinerysoft. It’s second to none.” She adds, “You can’t afford to stand still in business. Philip and I are so closely intertwined with our business that we were vulnerable. Now everything is on JMS, if one of us is off, everything can keep going.”

Churchview Joinery Ltd

Tel: 01202 848752

churchviewjoinerysales@gmail.com

www.churchviewjoinery.com/

Joinerysoft Ltd

Tel 01608 643302

enquiries@joinerysoft.com

www.joinerysoft.com