A View From Above

We have been working on the online help for Elms Advantage Online.  It has been interesting to get feedback from everyone involved.

I find myself getting caught in the details and the technology.   I really enjoy getting different perspectives from other users and associates.

Sharing Costbooks

The new version of ELMS, still in development, includes functionality that allows companies to import and export their costbook data. This gives users many options:

• Multiple versions of costbooks (i.e. Handyman, Design Build, etc...)
• Mass updates using tools like MS Excel. 
• Data backup and recovery. 
• Import subscription updates from costbook vendors (i.e. HomeTech, Craftsman, etc..) 

One unattended consequence of the ability to import and export costbooks is the possibility of sharing costbook data among peer groups.   This can especially be true where there is no competitive advantage or disadvantage in doing so.

Imagine a repository of costbooks available for download. A contractor can quickly go to the web and download a specific costbook (i.e. painting, roofing, etc....), and turn around an estimate very quickly.

 I can see any number of industry specific services wanting to be this repository and drive additional users to their website, and ultimately become the Napster of Costbook Data.