Moving from Excel and Paper to Glass Software: A Smooth Switch in 7 Steps

At most companies, switching to new glass software is put off with "once this busy period is over". Yet what makes a switch hard is not the software itself but the lack of a plan. In this article we explain the move from Excel, paper or an old program to glass order software in 7 steps.

Why is the switch postponed?

• Worry about "what will happen to my old records?",
• Fear that order numbers will start again from zero,
• The idea that accounting will be disrupted,
• Concern that staff will not get used to the new screens.

The steps below answer each of these four worries.

1. Gather your data

The first step is an inventory of the data you have: customer accounts (customers, dealers), products (glass types, extra operations), customer-specific prices, and open quotes and orders. If you use Excel, collect the files in one folder; if you use an old program, find out where its database is.

2. Build your product tree

Think of your products as a tree: type → subgroup → detail group → product. Insulated, single, laminated and processed glass are separate types, each with its own quote and order number series. Codes and prices are kept on the product card.

3. Define users and roles

Write down from the start who will do what: admin, office, production and shipping roles. Each employee logs in with their own password and every action is recorded under their name. Not using shared user names keeps the "who changed this?" question answerable later on.

4. Define production routes

Define the stations each product passes through, in order (e.g. cutting → edging → tempering → IGU assembly). Once routes are ready, the glass reaches the station screens as soon as a new order is entered.

5. Transfer old data and keep your numbering

When you switch to OGTOGLASS, the customer accounts, products, transactions, customer prices, quotes, orders and shipments in your old program are transferred. Most importantly, numbering continues where you left off; the order number your customer has stays the same as the number in the system.

6. Set up accounting integration

You do not need to change your accounting software. OGTOGLASS integrates easily with any accounting software: dispatch notes are transferred to accounting as delivery notes / invoices, customer and item codes are checked and records taken into accounting are marked in the program. Extra operations are transferred with their own accounting codes.

7. Plan day one

1. Pick a quiet day. Not month-end or a heavy shipping day.
2. Start with the office. Enter new orders in the new program; bring the stations in the same day or within a few days.
3. Watch the first week. The change log shows who entered what and how; that is where you see training needs.
4. Add dealers later. Once the office is used to it, switch on the dealer order link.

The switch is a one-off job; the gain repeats every day. A setup where orders do not get lost, production is visible and invoices are not retyped is an opportunity missed for every month you put it off.

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