In his 2015 book The Hidden Life of Trees, German author Peter Wohlleben uses the playful term “Wood-Wide Web” to describe the incredible underground network of fungi found in forests that connect trees and plants together.
Scientists, not quite as prone to puns, refer to these connections as a mycorrhizal network. While they may be lacking when it comes to word play, scientists more than make up for it through their research. They’ve found that this network of fungi transfers water, carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients between local plant life, and is even responsible for biological communication throughout a forest. In other words, the connections underneath a forest help determine its overall health.
Window and door manufacturing
Fascinating, for sure, but what does the so-called Wood-Wide Web have to do with fenestration manufacturing?
The manufacturer is often an unseen participant in the building process. While designers and retailers deal with clients face-to-face, it’s only through these conduits that manufacturers learn about what the end customer wants. That makes the relationship between manufacturer and dealer incredibly important. And yet this connection can seem tenuous at times.
Unfortunately, the overall health of the fenestration industry isn’t cared for by an underground network of fungi connecting all aspects of the building process in real time – between manufacturer, retailer and designer. There is, however, a means for window and door manufacturers to connect with dealers to the benefit of both.
Dealer Module
Soft Tech’s Dealer Module is a web-based solution that brings manufacturers and their dealer networks together. As a Configure, Price and Quote tool, it works by allowing dealers to select items from a supplier’s catalog, and then configure frames to suit their customer’s requirements. From there, they can create custom quotes and automatically generate orders using real-time pricing.
For window and door manufacturers, that means a massive increase in quoting capacity because the work involved in creating high-quality custom quotes is done on the dealer’s end. And because it’s all handled through an automated process, there’s only one point of data entry – leading to fewer errors and faster turnaround time on quotes and accepted orders. On top of all that, Soft Tech’s Dealer Module offers access to dashboard analytics that allow manufacturers to view their order pipeline, providing the information needed to plan smarter for the future.
While it’s not quite as natural as an underground mycorrhizal network that connects a forest, the software is so easy for both manufacturers and dealers to master that it quickly becomes second nature to its users. To see how straightforward it is to operate, check out our latest Dealer Module webinar that covers a range of topics including complex products and dynamic option changing validations.
Or, if you’re ready right now to empower your dealer network, expand your sales reach and increase your close rates, reach out to us for a free demonstration of all that Soft Tech’s Dealer Module can do for you.
