Bob Hodder, Marketing Manager for Terra Nova Interiors, wrote to tell us how much he likes Highrise:
We run a small urban interior design firm in Vancouver, BC and I cannot tell you how much Highrise is helping me work - better organized, better overall view of projects and tasks, easy access to contacts. We do a few large residential projects, maybe one per quarter, and a series of mini-projects on an ongoing weekly basis. I guess I could be using Basecamp, but Highrise seems to work well for me with the approach of making each customer a case and assigning contacts and tasks and notes to each. I'm very pleased with this service.
We asked Bob to tell us more...
How do you use Highrise and why do you like it?
A little background. We do residential interior design projects in Vancouver (link). Basically, that means after a client consultation, we develop residential design concepts and space planning and source and specify furnishings and finishes. Then we sub-contract a large number of construction trades we have been dealing with for years and we manage the implementation of the design as a project.
We also have a home décor showroom that offers luxury bed collections, window treatments and furniture packages. So we have mini-projects like window treatments and furniture packages on a weekly basis and design projects that average around 3-4 months a piece. I handle marketing and communication/admin. I use Highrise as my project management tool.
What did you use before and why did you switch?
I’ve had MS Project sitting on my shelf since I bought it, gathering dust. I’d take it out every 6 months and give it a whirl and finally give up. We’re only a core team of a few people and have external trades we use on a regular basis. When I went looking for an alternative to MS Project the one thing I kept running into in the design of project software was the Milestone thing. For a larger job with multi-teams I would see that as vital. Milestones are very important to us too, but we usually only have a small number of them and can see pretty clearly if they are on track with Highrise just by the completion of tasks. (i.e. if the framer has not finished putting up the steel studs for a condo-reno, the dry wall is not likely to begin).
Anyway, the set up of projects with the other software I found was complicated by the Milestones rigidity. I just wanted a flexible handle on things, not a guidance system.
Tell us a story about a project or situation where Highrise helped you out.
They are all the same. I’ve just gone from using paper and pen and a rolodex or my email’s address book to having the core tools I use most in front of me as I work, in a minimized window. If I am composing an email I might refer to my notes on that case or I might just compose the draft of it in the note filed and copy it into my email. If I need to attach a picture of a sofa for a client I just go to that case and the file is there. I can look at 3 or 4 projects and see what tasks are going on that day. There are numerous orders for fabrics, furnishings, delivery times, measurements, trade permits, etc that I can quickly know we have addressed. Overall I have a good comfort zone that we are not overlooking anything.
Any tips or tricks for other customers?
I bought the unlimited cases and single user deal for a slight upcharge per month. So I create a case for each mini-project or design project. Then I assign the contacts I usually require for that type of case and begin assigning tasks. I like using the next week or later choice when I don’t have an exact date for completion. Each day I focus on my due tasks or overdue to clear them or re-assign them.
I also keep directions from Mapquest to and from various suppliers and clients that we travel to as we do work throughout a large urban area that we call the Lower Mainland.
Anything else?
I upload the pictures for a design project, the client agreement in pdf, the specs for carpets, appliances, lighting, things I might need in one place (but I also keep a copy in their folder on my hard drive).
Do you use a 37signals product in an interesting or noteworthy way? Let us know.
