HOME BUILDER SOFTWARE TOOK A MAJOR STEP forward this past summer when HomeSphere announced it had released Web-based sales software and an extranet that integrates with its Builder 360 back-office accounting and construction management software.
The two new products, Sales 360 and Jobsite 360, started shipping this fall. Both products are based on recommendations from the Technology Enhancement Project (TEP), a group of home builders that pooled resources to help develop a next-generation home builder software system.
According to Jim Waldrop, HomeSphere's CEO, Sales 360 features prospecting, lead generation, and contract management, as well as options selection for home buyers. Jobsite 360 is an extranet that lets home builders connect with manufacturers and subcontractors. A Web-based warranty management/ customer service system will ship next year.
“This is the first upgrade that came out of the TEP group,” says Waldrop. “The options selection features in Sales 360 gets us on the customer-facing side for the first time. And Jobsite 360 is a tool that connects into the supply chain,” he says, adding that the software runs as an integrated system over a single database, Microsoft SQL server.
