Dream Doors & ArtiCAD: A partnership for growth

Dream Doors has invested in three products:  ArtiCAD-Pro, the company’s flagship KBB CAD design software, Room Styler (the visualisation tool) and Pan360º (panoramic viewer).

At the company’s headquarters in Hampshire, the use of ArtiCAD-Pro will enable the company to build a kitchen for each of its doors, in each different colour so that customers can much more readily see the different styles and effects.  The photorealistic quality of the visuals will also allow them to be used in the company’s printed brochures.  ArtiCAD Room Styler is used as a “teaser”, to generate sales leads for the franchise network.

Mark Kennard, SEO Executive at Dream Doors is responsible for, amongst other activities, the company’s web site, online search visibility, digital marketing – and how to automate and streamline processes and activities for the benefit of Dream’s franchise network.

“We are keen to push CAD as a sales tool to our network of franchisees.   Although all our franchisees are independent businesses that are free to make their own choice of software, the ones already using the ArtiCAD-Pro software are ranked amongst our top performers in terms of their sales success.  We were also acutely aware that those using a different CAD package had received extremely poor levels of support from the supplier, with several of them giving up using the software altogether.  ArtiCAD was clearly a company that could provide great support for our customers, combined with a product that was extremely simple to use. ”

From now on all new franchisees will receive ArtiCAD-Pro as part of their contract with Dream Doors, with an option to take on RoomStyler and Pan360º if they wish.  All training and support for the Dream Doors franchise network will be provided directly to them by ArtiCAD.  A programme of education and promotion is also being put in place to encourage existing franchisees to adopt or change to ArtiCAD-Pro as the company’s chosen CAD solution.  “We see CAD as an important sales tool and want to make sure our franchise network really appreciates what it can deliver for them.”

Founded in the late 1990s, Dream Doors now has seventy franchisees in 2016 and a target to increase this to one hundred In the near future.  Dream Doors’ primary business is the sale and installation of replacement doors.   Last year the company sold to its 40,000^th customer; this year the number is already at 50,000 with an estimated turnover of £40m.

Spotlight on Dream Doors Chelmsford:

Husband and wife team, Paul and Denise Reeder,  have been running  the Chelmsford franchise of Dream Doors for many years.

The software was installed in 2014 and is used on the majority of projects, unless it is a simple door swap. Following a visit to the customer’s house to discuss what they’d like to achieve in their new kitchen, various design options are prepared and then presented in the showroom, where any ‘tweaks’ can be made whilst the customer is there. We produce quite detailed designs including appliances, if required, and lighting.

Denise Reeder “I do find ArtiCAD-Pro much easier to use than the previous system. For example it is easier to build walls, to put in cupboards and it is faster to find items in the catalogues.”

Spotlight on Dream Doors Oxford:

The Oxford franchise of Dream Doors is run by Mike Hurley and his wife Elaine, who started the business in 2009. And within just a few months of opening their doors, the couple had installed ArtiCAD-Pro software to produce the designs and plans for customers’ kitchens and bedrooms.

Mike Hurley: “I come from an IT background and knew exactly what I was looking for. We assessed four different CAD packages and ArtiCAD-Pro was the obvious choice because of its ease of use. It didn’t require you to know any special codes, the drag and drop facility was excellent, all you have to do is click on an icon so there is absolutely no need to wade through long lists of items. It is completely intuitive.”

Spotlight on Dream Doors North Wiltshire:

ArtiCAD software is used on full refit projects for Dream Doors to provide customers with an easy to understand design of their new room, but also on occasions for simpler door replacement projects to help customers choose between different styles and colours.

Showroom Manager Rebecca Howells: “We were really impressed with its ease of use and the quality of the images. The decision was taken to make the move from our existing CAD system to ArtiCAD-Pro in mid-2015.”