Chicago, September 2004 / --
After years of managing property through handwritten files, H.A. Langer & Associates decided to advance their customer service and effectiveness by calling in Chicago Software Solutions (CSS).

"We recognized that we could better serve our customers if we integrated technology into our business practices. Previously, we were forced to write maintenance requests and renewals by hand. This caused numerous problems, such as illegible handwriting, wrong addresses and wasted time," said Jenny Steven of H.A. Langer & Associates.

The company sought to eliminate these seemingly small problems to improve turnaround time and customer service. Initially, Steven considered some of the shrink-wrapped property management software on the market, but found that they didn't solve many of their problems.

Steven called on Chicago Software Solutions to see what options there were in terms of custom software and soon after met with CSS IT Consultant, Daniel Phillips.

"First, I asked Jenny to identify her company's needs. Initially, they just wanted an application to manage their work orders. After spending some time with her, we identified other inefficiencies that could be improved with a simple application. The goal was to eliminate duplication, to streamline office procedures and to make information gathering easier so that their customers would be better served," said Phillips.

After that first meeting, Phillips designed simple blueprints of what the application would look like and how it would work. In creating solutions for Steven and her company, he was careful to propose a modular design that could be developed piece by piece. This way, Steven had the freedom to choose the functions that would make the biggest impacts while keeping to her budget.

The company decided to go with most of the suggested design.

"This software has revolutionized how our office operates. Productivity has increased ten fold, and we are able to access information and status reports within seconds, instead of dredging through endless files. More importantly, our customer service and client satisfaction has improved dramatically. The streamlined procedures allow us to better serve our clients," she said.

Steven found that the software has not only met her needs, but also surpassed her expectations of what customized solutions can do.

"Being the largest rental property within the company, we face challenges that our smaller counterparts don't. Chicago Software Solutions offered us a number of advantages over the generic applications we were investigating. We needed custom software. CSS took the time to meet with our staff regarding the problems we faced to help design specific solutions to improve our organization and client satisfaction," she said.

Phillips says time, effort, and money are quickly recovered with tailoring software to each company's needs. Custom software is common sense software.

"Companies buy complex, shrink-wrapped software too often when simple customized solutions fit their needs exactly. We pride ourselves on building powerful, custom software without nickel-and-diming on the price."

About Chicago Software Solutions

Chicago Software Solutions is a full-service, custom software provider focused on improving business practices through technology. With experience in database applications, office tool customizations, Internet development and PDA applications, Chicago Software Solutions works closely with each client to provide the solutions they need.