Windward Software Blog

Visit us at Dallas FINDS show (June 20th-24th)

Come visit Windward Software at Dallas FINDS June 2012 Show, booth #520, World Trade Center 6th floor.  You may also want to attend our workshop during June 21st and 22nd at our Addison training facility.

The International Home of Lighting offers more than one million square feet of light fixture resources, you’ll find fixed and portable lighting for residential and commercial projects. Around 3,000 buyers from across the globe head to Red during lighting markets each January and June.

In conjunction with with the Dallas FINDS show we are conducting some HANDS ON  workshops in Accounting and Inventory. Please register soon, the spaces are filling up quickly.

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We are very pleased and excited to announce the debut of own web series. Windward Software TV is our latest endevour to bring our clients and prospects the information they need to run their business.

A number of different thoughts precipitated the development of our own web series. We have been using videos for in-house and customer training, so it seemed natural to extend our reach with video. We also have many video testimonials from satisfied customers so, to change them up a bit, we’ve been asking customers “HOW” Windward Software helps them run the business. The result was that our customers began giving very useful tips and advice – even knowing that their competitors will be watching the videos! That generosity stimulated us to do likewise. The intent of Windward Software TV is to bring you How To’s.., Advice, Tips & Tricks and some Best Practices – EVEN IF – those items have nothing to do with our software. WHY? Because if you succeed, we succeed! We’ve out lined some great episodes that introduce our great staff and, very soon, some of our great customers. You’ll meet our CEO and founder Dennis Jacobsen and learn how we got our start and also why the customer is so important to us. We’ve already recorded two episodes of Bob Arklie speaking about bar coding and bar code collectors; now and in the future. You’ll soon meet Tanya who will speak about implementation, Eugene will discuss inventory control, Phil wants his say about what to look for in a vendor of any type of software, Rick will show how he uses his iPad to access Windward System Five (and how you can too).

Without further ado…see http://windwardsoftware.com/tv/

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It has cost Canada 1.6 cents to produce each one-cent coin. After years of discussion the Canadian government has finally decided to stop penny production later this year. With businesses ready to throw away their “save a penny, take a penny” boxes, it leaves many wondering what it will mean.

In other countries that have eliminated the penny such as Australia, it was done at the cash level. Your retail software or cash register will need to round to the nearest nickel on sales paid by cash.  You can still have the pennies on accounts receivable or credit card transactions.

Windward Software has penny tender rounding solution ready for Canadian retailers.  Is your software ready?

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Many merchants are asking themselves how they can win new and existing customers returning more often; the answer is RENTALS. Adding rentals to your business is a way to reinvent your business without a makeover. Windward System Five Rental POS is the perfect solution for business people parachuting into the rental business. The software is fast, easy to use and is already the preferred software solution to many common rental businesses such as Audio/Video (sound equipment) and musical rentals, Heavy Equipment (diggers etc.), Party Rentals (tables, tents, etc.) and the hardware store rentals of small tools and equipment.  It even allows you to sell and upgrade your rental equipment to customers who might be on a budget.

Ask yourself if your business is similar to those in any way? For instance, a furniture store could have a rental inventory for Real Estate staging. With Windward System Five RentalPOS, sports stores can easily get into sports equipment rentals, computer dealers could easily add rentals for seasonal businesses, garden centers can add small equipment and tool rental. Once you think about the potential, all sorts of possibilities come to mind.

Helping you realize the potential and possibilities is where Windward Software really shines. We are dedicated to helping our customers run their business so we made sure that System Five Rental POS is fast easy to learn and easy to use. For instance, in our visually appealing rental interface, to reserve an item for rental you locate the item in the rental menu (many ways to find the item) click on the item(s), click COMPLETE, select the customer from your database, click OUT and take the money! Returning items and renewing rentals is also a breeze.

If you are in the rental business, or just considering getting into it, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve made it easy to start your day. With the click of a few buttons you will quickly see your Current Rentals and Overdue Rentals; the two most important pieces of information you need each day.

Let us show you how fast and easy your rental business can operate.  Call 800-663 -5750 and ask for a free demonstration.

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WINDWARD SOFTWARE TV debuts in 2012. Host Kevin Schilter will be interviewing System Five experts to share advice, best practices and How To’s…Windward Software 800-663-5750

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They’re back! WEBINARS on our most requested subjects

Register ASAP for these important courses

SUBJECT                                                10 AM (Pacific) START

Wemail                                                       January 12

Labour/Productivity Tracking                  January 26

Unit Capitalization                                    February 9

End of Day                                                  February 23

Integrity checks                                         March 8

Payroll                                                         March 22

Windward Software Inc.
#200 – 3547 Skaha Lake Rd
Penticton, BC V2A 7K2
Toll Free: (800) 663-5750
Phone: (250) 492-8888
Fax: (250) 492-8886
E-mail: sales@wws5.com

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Cebu Office Manager Sidney Blaza says…

It’s the Cebu office 3^rd year anniversary. CONGRATULATIONS on a great 3 years of hard work and significant accomplishments Cebu team!  Through the years you have been productive and we are blessed to have you guys in Windward. From all of us in the management team THANK YOU and HAPPY 3^RD YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

I would like to make a special mention of some people who have been working at Windward for 3 years now.  These guys were the first batch of Support Techs I hired who started last December 1, 2008. Congratulations on your 3^rd year Jane, Mitch, Jess, Joe and Doby!

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It’s official. We’re opening an office in Brisbane, Australia. Actually, it’s in Springwood which 15 minutes from downtown Brisbane. We are on the second floor of the pictured building and our address is 203/2 Murrajong Road, Springwood QLD 4127.

Australia, and especially the Brisbane area, has been good for us. Windward has been represented in Australia for many years by Wright Way Business Systems owned by Phil Wright. Phil has been instrumental in working out the the issues and aspects of our Australian customers. When the need arose to rebuild the office after last years floods in Brisbane, we decided it was time to create a larger presence.

Phil is in charge of Implementation Services and for help with training of both customers and staff.   Phil will also be creating training videos, especially targeted at Australia issues to begin with. Simon Wingett will be available for Advanced support and Lawrence Wright is our local business developer. Last but not least, Mark Rutter will be moving to Australia for a year to help with the transition and take on the responsibilities of general manage.

In the new year we will be organizing product and training seminars at our new offices. We’ve always had a great time getting to know our customers during and after training seminars at our head office, and now, meeting in Brisbane, it’s going to be more fun for everyone because there are more choices of places to go after seminars.

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It’s official. We’re opening an office in Dallas, Texas. Actually, it’s in Addison, Texas which is a small town on the edge of Dallas. Because of the number of businesses in Addison, the population during the day is about 100,000 whereas at night its only about 15,000. Our address is Addison Park Place at 4560 Belt Line Road.

The Dallas area was chosen because it is a vibrant area with a lot of young talented people. With so many of our customers based in the US we have been planning to invest in a US office for sometime; now seems to be the right time.

Beginning roughly in February 2012, we will be organizing product and training seminars at our new offices. We’ve always had a great time getting to know our customers during and after training seminars at our head office, and now, meeting in Addison, it’s going to be more fun for everyone because there are more choices of places to go after seminars. Unlike Penticton BC, the hometown of Windward Software, restaurants are really hopping at 9:30 rather than getting ready to close up. Our office is right smack in the middle of about 170 restaurants in the immediate area.

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Nestled within the beauty Cebu City in the Philippines and the Cebu IT Park, formerly the Asiatown IT Park, Windward Software has a 344 sq.m. office where 35 eager individuals offer software support, implementation, sales, programing/QA/testing and IT. Under the guidance of General Manager Sydney Blaza, Windward Software’s second largest office has, for the last three years (anniversary Dec. 1) has extended the hours we’ve been able to offer support and help grow our business into a truly international offering.

Though it’s a half a world away, the Cebu office looks remarkably like HQ, brightly colored walls, open spaces with low cubicle walls, family pictures and the Christmas tree is already up!

Originally thought of as the perfect ‘call-centre’ location, the Cebu office has turned out to be much more. Owing to a wonderful local population of smart, hard working and creative people, this one time branch office is more of a mini-HQ where all the departments within Windward Software are represented. Just like HQ, there are always lots of people willing to have a group lunch with the CEO.

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