ECi MarkSystems

We are a small home builder in a small market. Prior to the recession we built an average of 20 homes per year. We wanted to grow within our market and expand into other markets. Over the years we had been running our business with a combination of different software for CRM, scheduling, accounting (Including purchase orders), selections and warranties. We looked at enterprise systems before and didn’t feel like we as a company were ready for one.

In 2010 we decided the timing was right. After a very thorough investigation and selection process we selected IHMS from Mark Systems. IHMS was designed as a single database system which we believed was beneficial. It had been around long enough to have a good track record and most importantly, it was designed as an enterprise system for home building. It was not a product for commercial construction adapted to try to fit home building.

Occasionally the decisions we make turn out to be spot on. We believe that we chose the right system and we also allocated enough resources during implementation to get the conversion done effectively. We brought in temporary help in terms of expertise and extra labor to assist our own team members. This helped keep to our project schedule while keeping the day to day business going.

The system itself is very well thought out. It is obvious that Mark Systems has incorporated feedback from the users to create a robust system. Seldom is there functionality that we need that the system doesn’t provide. Sometimes we had to adapt to a different way than we were used to, but we also learned new and better practices by having to conform.

We knew that a fully integrated enterprise system would require a disciplined approach to running our business and that turned out to be almost accurate. The discipline required far exceeded what we expected. However, far from being a bad thing, the structure and discipline required to use an integrated system like IHMS has made us a better company. We now spend much more time in planning and preparation than in correcting errors in the field. We are on track to close 71 homes this year and having a single system has helped us significantly.

Mark Systems has been a pleasure to work with. They are very helpful and responsive to issues that come up. When we call real people answer the phone. In the year that we've been operational we have created strong relationships with many of the Mark Systems team members.

All in all we believe that we made the right choice in both the timing of moving to an enterprise system and in choosing IHMS from Mark Systems. I would make the same choice today.

Provident Homes Corp is a regional residential builder providing both luxury single family homes and townhomes in conservation communities. Working with our customers is everything and handling multiple customers accurately and efficiently is always the challenge of a residential builder.

Because Provident Homes Corp builds in both larger developments and on custom single lots, Provident Homes Corp requires a central system to manage not only the accounting of our company but all the other critical pieces such as Sales, Scheduling, Warranty, Costing, Budgets and more.... In the past we were learning multiple programs and having to maintain those multiple programs, access those multiple programs remotely, have those programs properly talk to one another and then manage the inevitable discrepancies between all the different programs.

Mark Systems really makes the residential construction process and sales process smoother by centralizing all the critical information into a place where Sales Agents, Customers, Employees, Administrative staff and even subcontractors can go for up-to-date and accurate information that can be accessed at their computer or smart phone.

Mark Systems is very well thought out and constantly improving. The program is robust, so you cannot learn it overnight but it is intuitive and easy to learn. Most importantly, if you do have questions, all of the staff at Mark Systems knows the product and there are specialists and support if needed.

The reporting is amazing and easy to understand. Users have the ability to easily extract large amounts of data into spreadsheets or other databases if needed, or you can just select from the numerous reports already built into Mark Systems. The program is stable and easy to deploy remotely and can be easily accessed from smart phones or other PDA-like devices.

Provident Homes Corp has been overall very pleased with the system, especially since the introduction of the new multiple price-out option. Once you've built the information / database into Mark Systems it is an amazing program, and it continues to impress our users as the information is a great tool for analyzing efficiencies and weaknesses as a company, while keeping your customers informed, on budget, on schedule and happy they chose to work with such an organized and professional company.

When choosing an all in one Residential builder software, Provident Homes Corp would not consider anyone but Mark Systems.