CRAFTMARK/CRAFTSTAR HOMES
TESTIMONIAL
Company: Craftmark/Craftstar Homes
Type: Homebuilder
Projects:
- Created an on-demand, mission critical, management reporting system drawing data from multiple systems
- Created a web-based sales selection and contracting tool
- Created an on-demand transfer of data between web-based system and back-office systems
- Perform intensive data cleansing from vastly bloated database
Dan Crowley, IT Manager for Craftmark Homes says that Craftmark has been leveraging the technical and business expertise of Your Tech Tamer for more than a decade. It wasn’t until Dan Crowley moved into the position of IT manager in 2008 that he had the chance to work directly with YTT. Dan explained that although the company is ranked 48th in the nation as a homebuilder, with more than 100 employees and revenues between $200-$300 million a year, it is not in the position to hire a staff of computer programmers or develop custom software to fit the specific needs of the business and therefore utilizes off-the-shelf accounting and production software to run the business.
Your Tech Tamer has been instrumental in integrating and customizing these more generalized software products for Craftmark to produce mission-critical reports that are more timely and easily understood by the home builder’s management team.
One example is Craftmark’s “Gross Profit Worksheet”. This tool provides the company’s sales managers with up-to-the-minute profit and loss data on each home to help them determine if they should accept a proposal for a home or not. “In the current economy where there is no cushion in home pricing, this tool enables us to accurately forecast whether we will make or lose money on each home we sell,” explained Crowley. “All the information we needed was available in various accounting and production databases used within the business; however, the information appeared to not be available in one consolidated report, and the systems did not give us the tools to garner the information we needed.” Now, with essentially one click, Craftmark can generate a report that helps them make sound business decisions.
YTT also created what Crowley calls an “Unshipped Report”. This report provides details on the homes that are under contract but not yet delivered to the final end user. In a business where materials can be expensive to purchase and store, carrying inventory can be a costly expense. “With a report on the unshipped homes, management is able to see where the next 12 months will put the company in terms of revenue, cash flow and profit and loss,” said Crowley. “We can now accurately forecast what’s in the pipeline and see when revenue is expected and when cash outlays will be needed. This report hits at the heart of our management team.”
“Your Tech Tamer has provided us with tools that enable us to get key information much faster, more accurately and more efficiently than before,” Crowley commented. “The data is also now presented in a format that is clear for management to understand with no additional data fields that mean nothing to us cluttering the report.”
“Sandy Clitter has also helped project management our software upgrades and implementations,” said Crowley. “She acts as a sounding board, problem solves and develops action plans to help us easily get them from point A to point B.”
He added, “Her professionalism is second to none. I don’t know any other IT person that is more professional than Sandy and her level of honesty is very impressive. She always sets correct expectations and does not over promise and under deliver. She has the knowledge and expertise to handle the challenges of many different types of businesses. I would have no reservations recommending her to any of my colleagues.”
