(Park City, Utah) QFloors customers gathered in Park City, Utah for the flooring software company’s biennial Users’ Conference, held September 13-16. A large portion of the meeting was dedicated to showing attendees the current development of QPro POS+, the company’s new browser-based home improvement cloud software. After discussions and demonstrations were held, attendees were given their own individual log in codes, and charged with the assignment to meet back up on the last day of the conference with suggestions for improvements and “what if you were to…” ideas.
The collaborative nature of the meeting was a theme throughout. Many of the sixty-four attendees commented on the “family” feel to the conference, and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to be heard and have a voice in future development.
That was one of the primary goals of the Users’ Conference, according to QFloors CEO/President Chad Ogden.
“We hold these conferences every two years, and they are open to anyone who wants to make the effort to come. Many of our best users attend. Customers learn from one another. They share ideas. These conferences are not just us standing in front of the group, saying “Click here to do this.” It’s very much a collaborative thing. They learn how other people use and apply QFloors to various scenarios. They learn good business practices. It’s a time to talk together and understand the best ways to apply QFloors to their needs as a company, and how they can get even more benefit from the software. And it’s also an opportunity to define what the future of QFloors holds. These conference attendees are the ones who are determining what features are put into the software. We of course get suggestions all year long, but in these meetings, attendees prioritize future development. The conference is not a vacation. We cram a lot into each day. But everyone who attends always walks away saying, ‘I’m so glad I came. This was so worth it.’”
In spite of being a longtime QFloors user, attendee Dan Dorman felt he learned much at the conference:
“The conference was both rejuvenating and motivating. Having used QFloors to run our business for the past 14 years, I thought I knew it all. But I was wrong. I am taking two or three pages of notes home to incorporate. These are things that will really help us.”
Training classes, guest presenters, and peer advice panels covered both technical and business training. Phil Zolan, Executive Director of fcB2B for the World Floor Covering Association, conducted a group discussion on the current state of fcB2B. At the conclusion of the conference, Zolan commented on the benefits of the conference:
I met some really great people, and learned a lot about how our retailers do business using the QFloors tools they have, beyond just the B2B functionality. I thought that the mixture of topics between technical and business was excellent, and it kept people engaged.
QFloors Director of Training Ron Cluff explained the philosophy driving the agenda,
“We wanted our classes at this conference to provide our customers with ideas for improving their businesses from top to bottom, and It seemed like our they really soaked up as much as they could. And we always enjoy hearing their input on what we can do better in our support and software features – we have brilliant customers with brilliant ideas!”
Conference attendee Deanna Alexander of Carolina Carpets was enthusiastic.
“This was my first QFloors conference, and I loved it. I particularly liked the balance of the conference. We had free time, and we had time to get to know each other. We had group activities, and one on one activities.”
She noted the value of sharing ideas between users.
“The information I gained from the other QFloors users has been extremely helpful. For instance, they are using aspects of QFloors I didn’t even know were available to me. I can apply many of these to my own business, and it will make things flow even easier.”
She was eager to get back to her business and apply what she’d learned.
“It’s common to feel overwhelmed with information after training conferences such as this. However, I don’t. Instead I feel energized and excited about future possibilities.”
President/CEO Chad Ogden expressed the same excitement about the future.
“These meetings are definitely a win/win for everyone. They are beneficial for us as a company because we realize we don’t know everything. We are not the ones in the trenches, using the software all day long, every day. These conferences give us invaluable feedback by some of our best users. We listen to what’s going on, what the issues are, and then we brainstorm together on how we can make QFloors better. Our software is always a work in progress. It’s about continually getting better and better, year after year.”
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