IdeaRoom Value Proposition

Owned by Dan VanOrden
Last updated: Nov 10, 2022 by Marne Ewing (Unlicensed)
4 min read

E.g., Why should I spend money on a subscription with IdeaRoom?

Design & Pricing of Complex Buildings

If your intent is to have salespeople use the software to support sales and order fulfillment, focus on creating a self-service user experience. To our knowledge, we are the most detailed in terms of supported building configuration and options, and accurate in terms of detailed pricing estimates that do not require an engineering system integration. We've had many customers evaluate other building configurators at a lower price and go with us for that reason. We may be able to set up a conversation with one of our current customers that did this evaluation so you can get an objective perspective on this.

Focus on Business Results not Software

From our perspective, what's most important is IdeaRoom's on-going focus on business results: increase in average sales price, increase in conversion rate for online leads, decrease in selling costs through sales efficiency. We don't just provide you with the software, we understand the practices you can use in most effectively using the software to produce those results. We are happy to track before and after results and set benchmarks by which to measure the success of our long-term engagement, including the potential for discounts in the future if we don't hit those benchmarks.

Customer Experience and Ease of Use

For the specifics in the software (usability, features, etc..), we recommend performing a hands-on comparison with other configurator solutions to determine which you prefer. Subtle differences can make a big impact. Customer experience in the software and in how the software is integrated into your sales process is the most important factor. We have multiple current customers that evaluated or worked with competitors and went with us. We also recommend taking a close look at the quality of mobile device support. Mobile support is critical as more than half of web traffic these days is mobile, and that trend will only increase.

Future Investment in Improving the Software

Being the lowest-cost option isn't our goal, since it would mean decreased quality of service and support. With a higher subscription, and with 450+ clients, we can continue to invest substantially in improving the software and accelerating our lead time. As an example, we recently released additional improvements to our mobile experience. It is our intention to provide the best customer experience in the BTO industry and accelerate that lead through constant investment. For example, we recently developed and released new features including: Augmented Reality, Social Sharing, and Real Landscapes.

Company Focus and Independence

The advantage of working with IdeaRoom vs. a more general digital firm or custom development entity is that 3D Visual Configurators are our primary and only focus as a business. We've been developing configurators for more than 5 years, and we are profitable and growing quickly. We also have no direct affiliations with shed, carport, pole barn or other building companies other than that they are our customers. We are based in the US and backed by a strong community of business leaders and technology investors. You can trust the background and experience of our team: https://www.idearoominc.com/about/

 

Suggested Guidelines for Evaluating 3D Configurators

Customer Experience

  • How high quality are the 3D visuals?

    • Do metal textures appear like metal and have a natural reflection?

    • Are manufactured materials realistic?

    • Does the model have natural lighting with shadows?

    • Are visual attributes and finishes (like trim, roof eaves, roof pitches, and door faces) accurate?

  • How easily can a customer configure their desired building?

    • Can they see a valid building configuration upon first load?

    • Can they select from a variety of building styles?

    • Can they select from any supported size?

    • Can they change structural options like overhang depth, wall height, or the base material?

    • Can they change the color of siding, trim, roofing, trim, and window frames?

    • Can they select and immediately see different door, window, and vent styles and sizes?

    • Can they easily add and remove doors and windows?

    • Can they undo previous selections?

  • Can the customer save their building and return to it later?

  • How easily can a customer share their building configuration?

  • Can a customer express intent to buy or pay an initial deposit?

  • Are multiple payment options available (buy, lease, finance)?

  • How much flexibility does the customer have to place doors and windows?

Sales Support

  • Does the configurator capture customer contact information and intent (save, quote, buy)?

  • Does the configurator produce a quote with all information necessary to close a sale?

  • Does the configurator integrate with a CRM or other sales support system?

  • Does the configurator allow a salesperson to customize the quote with discounts and custom line items?

  • Does the configurator integrate with analytics to track conversions (saves, quotes, etc…)?

  • How well does the configurator reflect the professionalism and character of the brand?

Business Rules and Pricing

  • Is always-current pricing shown based on current selections?

  • Can the configurator price by geographic region or dealer/retailer?

  • Does the configurator support complex pricing rules (e.g., price option based on parameters like style, siding, size, wall, etc.)?

  • Does the configurator support complex business rules (e.g., filter available options by parameters like style, siding type, wall, etc.)?

Technical Standards

  • Does the configurator require any plugins or substantial downloads to function?

  • On what desktop and mobile devices, operating systems and browsers does the configurator function?

  • How well does the configurator support tablets and phones?

  • How quickly does the configurator load and display the initial 3D view?

Project Management

  • How much time and effort are required to on-board for the initial implementation and subsequent updates?

  • How much experience does the configurator company have with the industry and product segment?