This article was originally published in the July/August 2026 issue of N.I. Builder.
When your business software is no longer keeping up, you know it is time for a change.
But replacing it does not have to mean replacing the knowledge, judgement and ways of working that have made your business successful to date.
The right system will strengthen what already works and give you a better platform for growth.
For Buildland, that balance was a key part of their decision. Satty Jutla-Kalsi, Director at Buildland, said “As a family-run business, we wanted a system and a supplier that understood our world - the people, the pace, and the practicalities of running a merchant. GenetiQ delivers exactly that balance of performance and familiarity. It gives our team the tools to work smarter, without losing the way we like to do business.”
Over the years, you’ve built valuable knowledge about your customers, suppliers and operations. That’s something you want to protect.
The right partner and system can help you capture that knowledge and put it to work in your new system, so your business isn’t dependent on spreadsheets, workarounds or what’s stored in someone’s head.
Euro Sales had previously relied heavily on one person’s knowledge to manage stock. After moving to their new system, that knowledge is now captured within the software, giving the wider team instant visibility of stock across branches and reducing dependence on a single individual.
A partner who understands the building materials supply, wholesale or distribution industry will recognise many of the challenges you’re facing and know how to address them.
Just as importantly, they should listen, understand your goals and be invested in helping you succeed. Trust your instincts. Choose a partner who makes you feel confident about the move, not overwhelmed by it.
Helen Martin, Project Manager at Celuplast, says: “GenetiQ understood our industry, understood our business, and could provide us with a system that specifically helped us.”
You’ve probably developed manual processes to compensate for system limitations.
Your expertise is valuable. Your workarounds often aren’t.
A new software project is an opportunity to simplify how things get done, while protecting the knowledge behind them and drawing on consultants who understand best practice across your industry.
Tim Payne of South Coast Building Supplies has similar advice: “Be open-minded to process changes recommended by your knowledgeable consultants during implementation. We felt this open-mindedness resulted in a better quality implemented system overall.”
The people using your systems every day understand where the bottlenecks are, what’s working well and what could be improved.
Their input can help you separate what’s essential from what’s simply familiar.
As GenetiQ CEO Justin Lawless recently put it on The Construction Leadership Podcast with Bradley Hartmann, customers often “learn more about their business than they ever did” during implementation, because looking closely at how work really gets done can uncover processes and workarounds that aren’t always obvious from the top.
That was the experience at Specialist Tiling Supplies. Sam Herd, IT Manager, says: “Our initial, close work with our consultant really helped us to understand our business needs better. With them on-site, we could give feedback as they built the system, making it more suited to our requirements. We also involved all our staff in testing which ensured a smooth transition and led to minimal changes afterwards.”
Start with business software built specifically for your industry. It will already reflect many of the processes, pressures and requirements of your sector, giving you a stronger fit from day one.
Then make sure it can grow with you. The best solutions let you quickly and easily adapt dashboards, reports and workflows as your business changes.
At Coomers, Charlie Stuart explained: “Accessing what we need will be so much faster than before. The ability to customise views so staff don't see irrelevant clutter is extremely important.”
Don’t just preserve your strengths. Build on them.
A new system should not force you to leave behind the things your business does best.
The right partner will help you turn years of knowledge and experience into a stronger, more consistent way of working across your business.
So if you’re reviewing your current business software or looking for something new, it’s worth asking how well it will really fit the way you work, both now and as your business changes.
Ask questions. See things for yourself. Get vendors to show you how the system would handle the things that matter most to you.
Ask us the same questions. We’ll show you what GenetiQ Cloud can do, and if there’s something we can’t do, we’ll be straight with you about that too.