Offset | Renovation Management Software
Zhi Nan Poh
NOTE: The design files are not available for display due to confidentiality. Please feel free to reach out to me directly for more details about the project or design. Thank you!
About Offset
Offset is a Singapore-based team that deeply understands the local renovation and construction industries. It has started revolutionising how Interior Design and Renovation companies are run.
Previously, the software used to manage renovations was a combination of many different unrelated solutions, mostly revolving around some form of spreadsheet. This required a lot of manual labor which was prone to errors and inconsistencies and difficult to scale.
The main problem Offset aims to solve
Busy renovation companies find it time-consuming to swiftly prepare estimates and variation orders using traditional technologies such as Excel. Disorganised and unsystematic trade pricing and cost estimating are ubiquitous throughout the sector.
Offset helps customers reduce the time required to complete a quotation from many hours to 30 minutes or less. It also enables them to better manage expenses, profit and loss, invoicing, and company finances from a single, user-friendly platform.
Understanding the industry and its users
I first went into 2-hour long meetings with my project manager for one week to further understand the industry's processes - what the general workflow is like, and what customers are looking for when managing quotations. This helps to identify gaps and streamline processes to optimise the completion of key actions and performance within the system.
Based on the meetings, these are the key goals and recommendations that I identified:
Recommended changes for current Offset
Analysing gaps within the system
I took a step back and put myself into the shoes of a user (i.e. interior designer) using the current system. There were many pain points while creating a quotation, and I started documenting the key issues in the current quotation process.
Current Quotation Process
Based on the usability of the system, I concluded that:
Observation of current system
Streamlining the process of Offset
From there, I re-engineered and drafted a high-level user flow to illustrate the linkages from pre-initiation (lead) to the end of a project. The many linkages between the actions meant that it is a flexible quotation management software for users to create project documents at any one time.
High-level User Flow
#1: Secure your customers quickly with Offset. Customer is King.
There may be thousands of leads, but there is no way to organise them and rank high-quality sales. Offset allows users to capture leads directly from their website, or integrate with lead generation apps.
Users can assign jobs to their team, track progress and closing rates, and keep customers engaged from start to finish to optimise sales performance and boost profits.
Customer Management
#2: Supercharge the quotation management process with Offset in few seconds
From information gathering, I understood that Excel is a popular and convenient way for renovation companies to build quotations, keep track of costs, and manage projects.
However, it had its downsides:
❌ Time-consuming to make changes due to many manual inputs involved
❌ Prone to making errors in accounting (such as inaccuracy in calculating total
costs)
❌ Inconsistency in quotations from one person to the next, or even from quotation
to quotation => zero standardisation in formatting, wording, pricing
As such, the revised feature set shown below is displayed to integrate all the processes above into one cohesive platform, allowing users to scale their company easily.
Quotation Management
Offset's unique set of quotation tools has solved several pain points of users by:
✅ Increased efficiency in building quotations
Creation of quotation becomes an automated process, making it quick and fuss-free to make changes. System is also able to refer to line items in pricebook, templates, as well as other quotations in the system for easy duplication.
✅ Increased accuracy
Complete error elimination in totaling prices, spelling, formatting, and customer and company information.
✅ Neat and customised formatting
Complete customisation of documents (be it quotations, invoices, VOs, receipts etc.) to look and feel exactly the way the user wants. The documentation will come out perfect every time with minimal effort from the user.
✅ Flexibility to handle advanced quotation functions
This includes optional, inclusive, and FOC line items. Users can also add reno packages to their quotations. They can do whatever they do in Excel - in Offset.
#3: Be neat. Offset helps to organise all your projects and documents in one place.
Excel is useful, but it has...
❌ No linkage between different documents for the project. Quotations, VOs,
invoices and cost tracking all require a lot of duplication of work.
Project Management
With this feature set, the system has achieved:
✅ Simplification of project planning
All important details and documentation are now organised in one place to keep projects on track.
✅ Improved communication
Includes the team by sharing projects with multiple people to prevent miscommunications and ensure everyone is up-to-date with the projects
#4: Managing finances is no longer painful. Let Offset help you.
Customers complain that...
❌ There is no overall control over the company’s projects and finances. They have to keep waiting for admin staff to do a lot of manual inputs and coordinate.
Finance Management
With Offset,
✅ Improved efficiency in payment collection and easier tracking of delayed payments
Invoices are auto-generated based on payment terms in confirmed quotations. Users can now easily compare projected estimates with actual expenses to subcontractors and suppliers. They will then be sent to Admin to secure approvals quickly and keep the project running smoothly.
✅ Improved clarity in project and financial information
With all projects consolidated in one central dashboard, users can see up-to-date profit numbers (i.e. financial health) for the company at any time with a button. Furthermore, projects and company finances can be gated with Offset’s permission settings so that only those who need to see the information can see it.
Project Outcomes
📈
Faster quotation preparation
Time taken to build a quotation has reduced by 60%. Before Offset, 75% of users spent more than 4 hours per quotation. After implementation, 80% of users now complete multiple quotations in under 30 minutes, boosting productivity.📈
Increased profit margin with fewer errors
Profit margins have increased by 10% due to reduced costing errors and streamlined expenses. Before Offset, 40% of users reported at least one significant costing error per month, impacting profit. After switching to Offset, 90% of users reported full confidence in proposal accuracy with minimal to no errors.📈
Increase in conversion and customer satisfaction rate
Conversion rate increased by 20%, with customers commenting on the professionalism and clarity of the documentation received. Based on verbal customer feedback, a 40% improvement in overall customer experience is observed due to reduced wait times and enhanced project updates.
Takeaways
As the renovation industry is rather niche, it took a lot of time to understand certain terminologies and complex processes in daily life and translate them into simple, easy-to-understand workflows in massive quotation management software. My findings from secondary research were limited, so fully capturing the customer's requirements was key to ensuring the system was a success.
As a designer, I felt challenged during the design phase as I wanted to break out of the usual SaaS product look. I gathered various inspirations from different systems such as Notion, Jira, Google etc. to prove that Offset does not have to stick to a flat, dated design just because it's a functional system. Eventually, the UI redesign garnered the satisfaction of all stakeholders (client, project manager, and customers).
Testimonials from client and users
Samuel Tan, Client:
Really enjoy working with you guys. There were some concerns here and there, but you guys are very responsive and reacted really promptly. Things to do AND also maybe some additional scope or changes were given along the way, but you guys displayed real responsibility and carried it through. Really appreciate.
Vincent, Founder of ID Company:
Offset is a software that my team finds useful to generate quotations within minutes, increasing our efficiency as a company. The tracking function helps too, as I am oversee the whole operation, reducing errors and mistakes.
SC, Manager of Carpentry Company:
The solution met the needs of the company operations and saved time in building quotations and keeping track of costs. Was also useful in saving time consolidating materials to select from the warehouse for projects.
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Posted Nov 5, 2024
A redesign of Offset - software for renovation companies and interior designers to manage projects, track progress, and communicate with their team and clients
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