Does the digitalisation of business processes really make an aluminium and PVC joinery more productive? Yes, provided you start with the right processes and choose the right tool for each. This practical guide starts from the reality of a workshop: the customer’s request, the quote, production, installation and invoicing, then takes CUTTER SOFT as an example.
What is a business process in a joinery?
A business process is a series of steps that turns a request into a result. In aluminium joinery, the most important one starts with the customer’s measurements and ends with windows installed and paid for. In between, several people step in: the salesperson, the technician, the workshop, the installer, the office.
Each handover is a risk: a dimension copied wrongly, a piece of hardware forgotten, a quote waiting on a desk. Digitalising a process means the information travels once, without re-keying, from first contact to invoice.
Signs that a process should go digital
- your quotes wait several days before going out;
- the same take-off is entered two or three times, on paper and then in Excel;
- nobody knows how many offcuts the workshop produces;
- only one person can price, and everything stops when they are away;
- errors are found in the workshop, or worse, on site;
- the latest version of a quote cannot be found.
If two of these sound familiar, pricing is the first process to digitalise.
The process map: from customer request to invoice
- Request and take-off: the customer sends dimensions, often on WhatsApp or in a file.
- Pricing and quote: the technician calculates the units and sends the proposal.
- Order: the signed quote becomes an order for bars, hardware and glazing.
- Cutting and production: the workshop cuts, machines and assembles.
- Installation: the team fits the windows and doors on site.
- Invoicing and payments: the office invoices and follows up payments.
Which digital tools for which process?
| Process | Suitable tool | What you gain |
|---|---|---|
| Request and take-off | WhatsApp, email, the customer’s Excel file | A complete request, in one place |
| Pricing and quote | Joinery software | Accurate quotes, sent the same day |
| Order | Business management software (ERP, such as Odoo) | Purchases in the right quantities |
| Cutting and production | Joinery software, machine export as an option | Fewer offcuts, clear sheets |
| Installation | Printed production sheets, site photos | Fewer return trips |
| Invoicing and payments | Business management software | Reliable payment tracking |
The CUTTER SOFT example: from drawing to quote, then to the workshop
CUTTER SOFT covers the core of the trade, from drawing to quote and then to the workshop:
- know-how turned into profile systems: profiles, hardware, gaskets, glazing, formulas and IF/THEN rules, set up once;
- the quote and documents: 9 PDFs per project, including the quote with your logo, the production sheet and the bill of materials (pricing and quotes);
- cutting optimisation: cutting plans and reused offcuts (cutting and optimisation);
- teamwork: Administrator, Technician and Operator roles;
- data security: sessions backed up automatically to your Google Drive, at an interval you set between 15 minutes and 4 hours;
- assistance: support tickets opened from the software, and training videos.
Connecting management: Odoo, exports and machines
A good tool also knows what it does not do. CUTTER SOFT has neither full stock management nor invoicing: these go through Odoo, thanks to the CUTTER SOFT Odoo connector, available as an option. Machine export, also an option, sends the cuts to your machines. And every project exports to Excel or CSV.
For an overview, read our page on joinery management software. One practical point: CUTTER SOFT needs an internet connection at activation and each time it starts.
Making the switch: data, training, roles
- Prepare the database: your profile systems and prices are the foundation; our team can prepare your session.
- Train the team: the video training shows every step, module by module.
- Define the roles: who sets up, who prices, who approves.
- Keep a fallback: CUTTER SOFT AI answers inside the software, then support answers your tickets.
Measuring productivity gains
Measure before and after, with a few simple indicators:
- the average time to produce a quote;
- the number of quotes sent each week;
- the workshop’s offcut rate;
- the number of errors found in the workshop or on site.
These figures will tell you, better than any promise, what digitalisation brings to your business.
