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When was Pacific Solutions founded?
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The founders of Pacific Solutions started writing software in 1995 during the time they owned their own flooring business in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1998, Pacific Solutions was separated from the flooring business and a separate corporation was formed. It was at this time, the headquarters moved from Michigan to California. |
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Where
are Pacific Solutions’ corporate
headquarters?
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Pacific Solutions corporate headquarters
are in San Diego California, but we
have sales agents in Atlanta, Alabama,
Texas, Connecticut and Colorado. |
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Why
did the founders of Pacific Solutions
write flooring software?
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Much like our clients, the founders
of Pacific Solutions went searching
for management software to use in
their own business. When the search
ended, they found nothing that was
robust and powerful, yet easy for
their staff to use in a flooring business.
Shortly thereafter, they began to
write FloorManager for use in their
own business. After a few years of
ongoing develop they decided to market
the software, and Pacific Solutions
was born. |
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How
many installations of the software
does Pacific Solutions have?
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A: |
There are hundreds of installations
of FloorManager across the United
States, Canada and Australasia. |
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Will
the software work on a network?
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Certainly. As long as the network
uses TCP/IP protocols the software
will work just fine. |
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Is
the software server based, or peer
to peer?
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A: |
On a 2 user network, the software
will run in a peer to peer environment,
where one computer will function as
both a workstation and the host, and
the other computer will be a guest.
Once 3 or more computers are needed,
a client/server network installation
is required. The server will not double
as a workstation. |
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Do
we need a true server to operate the
software in a client/server environment?
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A: |
Pacific Solutions always recommends
the best hardware you budget will
allow. However, a computer running
either Windows 2000 Professional or
Windows XP Professional will function
as a server and support up to 50 connected
guests. You will need an adequate
way of backing up the software nightly.
Keep in mind, we recommend a true
Windows server, with Windows Server
operating systems, mirrored hard drives
and a high capacity tape backup device. |
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How
many computers will run on the network?
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The software can support over 100
computers if the hardware is properly
scaled for such a large flooring business. |
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Does
the software require SQL?
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Although the software can answer
some SQL calls, it has an embedded
database engine and does not require
SQL. |
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Will
the software work for a business with
multiple locations?
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Absolutely. FloorManager is a
true 32 bit Windows Software written
from the ground up for the windows
environment. This is not a hybrid
DOS/Windows application. Since it
is fully Windows based, you can take
advantage of off site access via Terminal
Services by Microsoft, or Citrix Metaframe
environment. We will be happy to consult
with your network administrator or
IT department and make the proper
hardware recommendations. |
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What
type of network does the software
require?
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FloorManager will operate on a
Windows based network using TCP/IP.
It will also run on an Apple Macintosh
network. It will not operate on a
Unix network. |
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Q: |
Our
Company is small. Will the software
run on just one or two computers?
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Absolutely! In fact many of Pacific
Solutions best clients started with
just a couple of computers. It is
exciting for Pacific Solutions to
see a company grow and increase the
size of the business once the software
is in full use. |
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Q: |
What
size is the typical Pacific Solutions’
client?
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Our average client is a 6 user
system selling between 2 and 3 million
per year. We also have clients selling
below 1 Million and other clients
selling over 30 Million per year. |
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Is
Pacific Solutions’ software
written for retail, contract, builder
or multi-family?
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The short answer is “Yes”.
Over time, we have received excellent
feedback from all industry sectors
and have included features in the
software making it excellent for all
types of flooring businesses. |
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Q: |
Do
the transactions post real time or
batch?
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All transactions post real time.
There is no nightly batch transfer
of information between the client
machines and the server. Even remote
locations will post to a central fileserver
real time. One branch can even see
another branches inventory and allocate
it. |
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Q: |
Will
the software work for a business with
more than one corporation?
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The general ledger in FloorManager
is designed to manage a single corporation.
It will generate branch specific income
statements if the corporation has
more than one location. If multiple
corporations are needed, Pacific Solutions
can install a second set of files
on your network allowing you to work
with multiple corporations. |
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Q: |
What
are the system hardware requirements?
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Any computer running Windows 2000
or newer will run Floor Manger with
no problems. You will need a 20 Gig
hard drive and about 512 MB of RAM
and a CD Rom drive. Pacific Solutions
provides a full system specification
document. |
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Will
Pacific Solutions come out and install
the software on the network?
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Once the network is properly configured,
and the computers are communicating
with one another, the software installation
is a simple process. With each sale,
Pacific Solutions includes up to 3
hours of technical support with your
IT manager. |
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Does
Pacific Solutions sell computer hardware?
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Pacific Solutions sells scanners,
cash drawers and label printers that
work with the software. All other
hardware should be purchased from
a reliable hardware provider in your
area. |
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Is
the software designed for the accounting
and administrative staff, or for the
sales staff?
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The real advantage of Pacific Solutions’
software is that it was written by
flooring people, for flooring people.
We think that the customer order is
the hub of the entire sales process,
therefore we encourage the sales staff
to be at the genesis of the order
entry. The accounting portion of the
database produces good numbers and
certainly has all the reports necessary
to run a successful flooring business.
Certainly it is possible to enter
all orders at the administrative level
while allowing the sales staff to
continue on paper forms, but ask yourself
the following question. When was the
last time you traded with a business
that did not involve the sales staff
in the order entry process? Remember,
every time a sales clerk uses a cash
register, it is order entry. This
eliminates error and captures all
necessary information at the beginning
of the sales process, which also eliminates
the redundant data entry later in
the sales process. |
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Q: |
Many
of our sales people lack computer
skills. How will Pacific Solutions
train them?
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Although Pacific Solutions’
software is feature rich and extremely
powerful, it is probably the easiest
to use management software available
to the flooring industry. The order
entry is unparalleled. Years ago when
the software was written, it was the
goal of the developers to take a paper
form and convert it to an electronic
document. We figured if we could make
the data “Fill in the Blank”
forms, that adoption by the flooring
industry would be achievable. That
being said, it is always helpful to
train people that are somewhat familiar
with a computer. Surfing the web is
great practice navigating from one
area to another and developing “Mouse
Skills” We will work with your
project coordinator to develop strategies
for the challenged members of your
staff. |
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Q: |
My
accounting staff is concerned about
sales people doing data entry. Should
we be concerned?
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Pacific Solutions’ software
has an extremely thorough password
capability and it is quite easy to
configure. Unless you allow it, there
is no way that the sales staff can
access the accounting portion of the
database. Think of a complete management
software solution as a relay race.
In a relay, the baton passes between
one runner and another until the end
of the race. A flooring business is
not much different. The sales staff
starts the race, passes the baton
to the procurement department, who
passes it to the accounting department
and finally everything hits the reports.
You have the power to establish who
and when the baton passes between
one department and another providing
full control and protection of the
data in the system. |
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Will
everyone in my company need a computer?
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The software is such a tremendous
tool and a wonderful asset that everyone
will certainly benefit from having
their own access terminal. Of course
it is possible to share a terminal
among the sales staff. We recommend
purchasing enough licenses to begin
using the software in a business,
then if the need arises, Pacific Solutions
can increase the number of licenses
via the internet. Simply stated, “Buy
what you need, and when you need it.” |
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How
is the software sold?
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The software is sold as a license
for use in your flooring business
on a set number of computers. If you
have 20 computers around your office,
but only 10 of them will need to access
the database at any given time, we
treat this as a 10 user system even
though you have 20 access points.
Later, if you decide an eleventh computer
would be helpful, we will increase
the license by one computer. |
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Does
the data reside on my server, or a
Pacific Solutions server?
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The software resides on your server
in your business. |
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This
is a monumental step for our company,
how can we be assured things are going
to go well?
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There are several factors that
are a part of a successful software
conversion. The most important factor
is the dedication and mindset of your
company. You must understand that
all successful conversions when done
properly take time and effort. You
need to assign a project coordinator
on your end and follow our implementation
plan. In addition to our trainers
and help desk, Pacific Solutions employs
a Director of Implementation to assist
you throughout the entire software
deployment process. We have invested
a great deal of time configuring a
deployment timeline based on our experiences
with our current client base. The
timeline sets realistic expectations
for the staff and ownership of your
company and allows you to work at
a realistic pace considering you also
have a business to run. When all sides
work together we have a perfect track
record for full software deployment. |
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Do
we have to use all of the software?
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The short answer is no. However
the software is a fully integrated
solution and the elimination of redundant
data entry is a huge benefit. We encourage
all clients over time to learn and
deploy the full software solution. |
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Does
this replace our current accounting
system?
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Yes. Pacific Solutions software
contains a full general ledger. There
is no need to post transactions into
a separate accounting system. |
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Can
we get all our old information into
Pacific Solutions?
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Pacific Solutions supplies templates
for importing Customer Files, Vendor
Files, Labor Pricing, Product Pricing
and the Chart of Accounts. If you
current system can export the data
into an Excel spreadsheet, you can
manipulate that data so that it conforms
to our templates and the information
can be imported. |
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How
long does it take to get the software?
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You will receive the software about
a week from the time the software
is ordered. |
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How
long does it take to get the software
up and running?
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The timeline depends on the availability
of your staff. Typically 90 to 120
days is a realistic timeline. |
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How
will Pacific Solutions train my staff?
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Classroom training in San Diego,
California is included in your software
purchase. However at times it is more
convenient for us to send a trainer
to you. Consult with your Pacific
Solutions sales representative for
more details. The ideal training consists
of a blend between classroom training
and onsite training. |
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Our
Company has a lot of work in process.
How will we get this into the new
software?
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Pacific Solutions has prepared
a very thorough data transition document.
In summary, all jobs that originated
in your current software system will
finish in your current software system.
You will simply post journal entries
on a periodic basis to keep the current
system data in line with the old system.
It is quite a simple process and only
takes a few minutes each week. |
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Does
Pacific Solutions staff a help desk
where we can speak with a live person?
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Yes, we have a fulltime help desk
on staff. When a call comes in, we
log it into our call center database
and assign a case number. The question
is documented, along with the resolution.
We strive to answer all support calls
in a very timely manner. |
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How
often does Pacific Solutions update
the software?
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Twice per year. |
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Is
there a fee for ongoing maintenance?
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Yes. The annual contract includes
ongoing and unlimited help desk support
and all software updates. The maintenance
fees are based on the size of the
system. The first year of maintenance
is included with all software purchases. |
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How
do we get our product catalog into
the software?
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Pacific Solutions participates
in the flooring industry B2B initiative.
Any vendor/supplier that also participates
makes their product catalog data available.
However, there are many vendors that
are not yet participating in the B2B
initiative. (Eventually most vendors
will participate). For any vendor
not participating, Pacific Solutions
provides an Excel product catalog
template so that you can import your
own products into the database. |
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How
do we update prices in our product
catalog?
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For, all vendors that participate
in the B2B initiative, the prices
update automatically. The Excel template
that Pacific Solutions provides will
also update prices on the second import
without creating duplicate product
records. |
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What
is B2B?
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The flooring industry has many
suppliers selling all types of product
from around the world. The price books
you receive from every supplier are
structured differently and the electronic
price data is not much different.
A few years ago, a Flooring B2B (Business
to Business) committee was formed
in an effort to standardize all flooring
vendor’s electronic data. This
standardization enables software companies
such as Pacific Solutions to write
a single data interface that communicates
with any vendor who subscribes to
the flooring industry B2B standards. |
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Is
there a charge for B2B?
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Yes, Pacific Solutions charges
a fee for connection to B2B. The charges
are nominal and go toward development
for continual revisions to the B2B
standard. |
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Do
we get to offer suggestions on how
to improve the software?
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We welcome all suggestions from
established clients. Please email
any suggestions to suggestions@pacific-solutions.com.
Pacific Solutions development staff
will discuss all incoming suggestions
at a development meeting, and if the
suggestion has merit, we add it to
the development docket. Much of what
you see in the software today is a
result of great customers and their
ongoing input. |
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Will
Pacific Solutions customize the software?
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Yes. We consider all customization
suggestions and ascertain their impact
on the software. If we can accommodate
a client and build a new feature without
harming the integrity of the software,
we submit a customization proposal
for approval. |
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Q: |
What
is the software database engine?
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The database engine is FileMaker
Pro. FileMaker wins awards annually
for database design and structure,
and is used by major corporations
such as the Associated Press, Banc
One, California Dept of Transportation,
Dunn and Bradstreet, Harvard University
Press and Lockheed Martin just to
name a few! Visit www.filemaker.com for more information. |
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Q: |
We
know you also sell FloorRight estimating
software. Does Pacific Solutions’
software communicate with FloorRight?
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Absolutely. |
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16990 Via Tazon, Suite 122, San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 800.400.4927 - Fax: 858.675.9377
© 2009 - Pacific Solutions, All Rights Reserved. |
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