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iSqFt Officially Unveils All-new Platform

March 13, 2012 – Cincinnati, OH–iSqFt, the leading source of information and tools for commercial construction professionals, announced today that it has finished converting all of its hundreds of thousands of registered subcontractor users to its next-generation Web platform, iSqFt 10.

“I’ve had a lot of people in the industry ask why we chose to move our subcontractors to the new platform first,” says Henry Purdy, Vice President of Product Management for iSqFt. “The simple answer is that it was best for all of our users. The longer answer is that the new profile in iSqFt 10 lets subcontractors provide more information about who they are, what they do, and where they do it. By transitioning general contractors after subs, they have access to better information and can make better, more targeted invitations. That’s one example of many that illustrates why subcontractors had to transition first.”

The new platform has actually been in development for a number of years, and began beta testing in 2009. “Years of planning gave us a pretty good roadmap,” says Purdy, “but the beta period was invaluable because it allowed us to involve and get feedback from our users, and make refinements that have made the difference between good and truly innovative.”

When asked for examples, Purdy demonstrates a number of features he refers to as “differentiators.”

Customizability: “iSqFt 10 is surprisingly customizable, letting you choose what columns you’d like to see, drag them around to change the order, and even the ability to hide tools you’re not using, like the filter panel and project preview pane.”

Web viewer: “One of the things our users told us is that having to download software in order to view plans was inconvenient. That’s one of the reasons we gave iSqFt 10 a Web viewer, which gives users the option to view plans without having to download or maintain anything, or view and download them in PDF, which most users will already have installed.”

Track projects: “The ability to track projects isn’t new for us, but the ability to put projects in other people’s folders, and even see what’s in their folders is a big deal. It’s really a rudimentary project management tool in and of itself.”

Export data: “Because having access to project information on iSqFt isn’t always the most convenient, we’ve made it easy to export that information to an Excel spreadsheet.”

Send RFQ: “Request for quote was designed to make it easy to, well, request a quote from a vendor. But it can also be used to share projects with others.”

Savable searches and filters: “Once users have found a combination of filters and search criteria that give them great results, all they have to do is save them. From then on, using them just takes a couple clicks.”

Auto Search: “This is an optional feature we just added to the application, and the response has been fantastic. It searches specification documents for key words or phrases subscribers have chosen, and it automates the process of finding projects that match their scope of work.”

“I could go on and on. The list of upgrades is long,” says Purdy. “But the thing I’m most proud of is that our customers tell us that iSqFt 10, in spite of its amazing capabilities, is really easy to use. I can think of no higher compliment.”

Greg Hrubes of Lakeside Construction in Forest City, Iowa, agrees that iSqFt 10 has a lot to offer a business like his. “iSqFt with Auto Search is a tremendous time-saver that has allowed me to be more responsive and work more efficiently, doing in minutes what used to take hours.”

iSqFt CEO Dave Conway recognizes that the best Web platform is nice, but not the most important thing. “The platform is just the tool customers use to get to the information we provide, and connect with others in the iSqFt network. It’s got to work right, but it’s the plate, not the dinner; it’s the TV, not the show. The great news for us and our customers is that even as our platform has seen a major upgrade, our project information remains the best in the industry.”

To learn more about iSqFt for Subcontractors, call iSqFt at 800-364-2059 or watch the video.

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