In this mile-a-minute world, we’re truly inundated with information. Manufacturers are working to create innovative products, maintain customer relationships and manage the day to day operations of their businesses among many other responsibilities. Communications from vendors and service providers like AQ may get filtered out as white noise. So, we will get right to the point. If you manufacture or distribute foodservice equipment, having design content available is important to your customers. For some of your customers, if you do not have design content, they will not spec your product. AQ users have the option to filter product searches by CAD and Revit files. Expanding your library with quality content is a way to manifestly expand your reach into the industry through AQ.
In 2019, we expect the continued expansion of trends like open kitchens, green initiatives and focused quick-service formats to increase the need for detailed design drawings or renderings. The definition of ‘design’ will differ depending on whom you talk to in our industry. For owners, design is cost and space; for chefs, flow; for architects, square footage; for CFSPs, Chapter 3 and a grain of salt.
No matter your definition, the importance of design cannot be understated. Nearly 60% of surveyed AQ customers say that they include designs with every submitted bid and access to design content is fundamental to that process. Good design is and always will be a tenet of our industry. Imagine a designer sitting down with a new customer who has an idea. An idea that is so clear in their head, they can shut their eyes and see it. Now imagine as a manufacturer that you can supply the designer with the ability to realize that vision on the computer monitor with a detailed rendering, walkthrough or floorplan for that customer. The satisfaction gained through design ability is monumental. Done right, you’ve removed some guesswork from the process.
In the AQ Media Department, one of our main focuses for the past few years has been design. Ever since AutoQuotes released AQ Designer, its standard-setting CAD application, the biggest customer requests have been for more and better design content because design is becoming a requirement rather than a “nice to have”. Currently, AutoQuotes participates in an industry-focused panel with other industry experts to devise updated Revit standards specific to kitchen design. This committee includes multi-national representation which is a reflection of the emphasis put on design across the globe. Additionally, AQ is excited to begin offering CAD and Revit creation services to help our manufacturers better support their products and customers with more, better design content.
This next step is the easy one: reach out to the Content Account Manager who handles your firm’s data and request a CAD and Revit report. We’ll let you know which products have content, which don’t and what’s possibly out of date. Hosting design content in AQ is included with standard publishing, so if we don’t have every piece you already had created, you’re not taking full advantage of the system. Let’s start there and see what progress we can make. Together we can build a better industry.
If you would like to learn more about AQ's content creation services please reach out to our sales team.