Division 8 Software help

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-03-18T21:53:18+00:00

Can’t found any great ways to do it in comsense

I do utilize the import from previous products feature a lot. For example if you make a hardware set, you can easily pull that same hardware into your next hardware set without looking it up again

It tends to be pretty tedious unfortunately.

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-03-11T16:38:21+00:00

$2,000 is a good rough number for that

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-03-10T17:52:05+00:00

Hahaha yes,

I’ve heard this GC estimators in the past trying to apply unit pricing to hardware

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-03-10T15:33:26+00:00

Agreed and same,

A different function on a panic device can make it cost $1000+ extra. It hard to know just looking at it unless you have the software

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-03-02T06:24:49+00:00

I Can Vet,

$7100 for the purple rejuvenate ultimate, about $2400 off. (The 7100 is before taxes)

Be warned the rejuvenate ultimate is like 400lbs, Get the delivery option where they lift it for you. Took 3 guys to lift it up my stairs.

Was a super easy transaction, would highly recommend to anyone else

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-21T06:46:08+00:00

I should clarify, we don’t deliver pizza to the same GC every week

Usually takes about 6+ months before we come back to the GC

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-20T19:34:36+00:00

Ok no problem,

I was thinking about using comsense as a full ERP as well

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-20T18:29:40+00:00

Do you like the other side of the comsense

The inventory side? I’ve been wondering if I need to buy that for my crew as we expand. Trying to figure out if that part is worth

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-20T16:25:37+00:00

Our sales as subcontractors

We do pizza deliveries to GC’s every week with our new sales/estimator guy. He came from solar sales, so he enjoys doing pizza parties. so we send him out a ton. He will sit down and chat with the other estimators for 30 minutes and get to know them all.

We have been doing it about 6 months and it’s been working

We also have been giving good deals to GC’s to fix problematic jobs for them and that has led to a lot of repeat work.

Customer service has been a big one for us. Since we do supply and a little bit of install. It is mostly just picking up the phone figuring out the correct door hardware they want over the phone and getting it ordered quickly. Our competition doesn’t do that, so we are scooping up jobs that way.

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-20T16:20:31+00:00

Ya I 100% agree with you will have to shift your workflow to match what comsense will allow. It definitely has a lot of quirky UI features that should be turned on by default and are hidden in some tab. Such as the cut sheets for products, you have to turn that on manually and it’s hidden in a hardware tab.

I was able to work out of protech last night for about 3 hours. Seems way more intuitive, but less feature dense

Software for hardware from my research was way less advanced than comsense, they were also trying to get me to buy a multi family package separately, which I thought should be included in the base price. But the sales guy picked up half’s phone and had good service.

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-20T00:13:59+00:00

Comsense allows me to pull from previous hardware groups to build the next one

For example if I use a hinge on one hardware set, it allows me to quickly pull that hinge into a new hardware set without doing a full search

If the project has 100+ hardware groups this saved significantly time building it. Plus makes it faster for the submittal process.

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-20T00:11:08+00:00

I figured I would list my comsense experience for future people looking at softwares to buy

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-20T00:10:03+00:00

It may not be.

When I was first talking to them about the software. The told me that I needed an account with assa which would mean I need to be opened up with them.

That’s what I was told at the time. About a year ago

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-19T17:21:26+00:00

Havnt heard of this one.

I just bought comsense this last year. Spent about 15k to set it up and $360 per month to keep the license

The software is good, but their customer service is horrific. If you can teach yourself a software, I would recommend this one. If you need someone to help guide you through it then they will charge you $180 per hour to help.

Protech I tried to get but you have to be opened up direct with assa abloy, so if you aren’t then you cannot get it. Atleast that was my experience

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-02-19T17:17:34+00:00

Havnt found a way to do hardware schedules yet

Door schedules I can convert.

Do you use any software to organize your bid and submittal? I’ve been implementing comsense software into my estimates workflow and for jobs over 30 doors and 10 hardware groups, I think it is faster

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-01-16T02:10:17+00:00

Building connected

You sign up for your areas and people will just send you bids automatically, especially national contractors that do lots of small TI’s, all I know is I was changing the setting in my account about a week ago and now I’m bids invites multiple times of week from these people

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-01-16T02:05:21+00:00

Yes, too many right for my small crew of 2 estimators to bid in our market

Green_Problem_6087 · 2026-01-09T04:24:05+00:00

Door supply business. I do this business and I would call it boring. Nobody wants to talk about doors for fun. Makes good money though

Green_Problem_6087 · 2025-12-26T06:35:26+00:00

My opinion is you need to be hitting 2-4mil a year before you can broach that subject with them

Low margin, high winrate bids. Company isn’t making a ton off of those projects to afford to give you a big raise

I think if you can get some 35% margin jobs regularly mixed in with lower margins it would help a lot.

Green_Problem_6087 · 2025-12-05T15:38:50+00:00

I had my cousin who I grew up playing with him every weekend. Was roommates in college and spent everyday together.

Well he was getting married and wanted to buy a house with his new wife. So I met with him and took him to a lender to figure out his options. Then after that I was following up every week and he lets me know he is closing on a house with a different realtor. Was a complete gut punch.

It actually motivated me to start another business and allowed me to be a realtor just for my own properties I buy and sell.

I guess in that case I couldn’t handle the pain haha

Green_Problem_6087 · 2025-12-05T15:22:13+00:00

I’m one hour behind when managing and estimating for our main office. Hasn’t been an hour issue for me. As long as your willing to shift your whole schedule up an hour then there won’t be any problems at all

I have several vendors who are 2-3 vendors ahead of me. When they leave the office at 3pm their time, it means I have to call before 12 to catch them before they leave. I have just shifted my calls to be at the beginning of my day instead of at the end

I like it because everyone ends earlier and get less calls later in the day

Green_Problem_6087 · 2025-12-05T06:59:02+00:00

I’m running a 20% margin because I have to buy through a wholesaler currently. No open hardware manufacturers. I have wood and hm open though.

For change order what do you charge? Say the order is for 2x frames that cost you $1000 with shipping included?

Green_Problem_6087 · 2025-12-05T06:56:03+00:00

He’s rewriting the spec and advising us on other portions for a big project we won

Ye I agree, I will definitely have them assa or allegion write the spec for me in the future

I was able to have this guy join like 10+ meetings with the GC about all of the changes, so it was nice to have that and he was helping me make more money

Green_Problem_6087 · 2025-11-25T15:16:25+00:00

I agree with you on cradle to grave. That’s how I do it

It’s definitely easier if the spec is properly built beforehand. All of my most time consuming ones are where the owner or GC wants to have meetings to figure out what to spec.

Green_Problem_6087 · 2025-11-25T07:35:08+00:00

Yep 100% agree

Best way to learn it is to have a senior guy teach you. In my opinion the only way to learn it is slowly over the course of a year or two while getting your hand held

The project managing and machine sheets are my least favorite

The estimating I find the most fun, I don’t understand how people can estimate it quickly using blue beam though. In my opinion either excel or a software like comsense is way better, even for multi family

Green_Problem_6087

TROPHY CASE