We are living in an ever-more digital world. Businesses ranging from restaurants to delivery companies to retail shops are relying more and more on software that helps them get their work done faster than ever before and with more precision and fewer errors. When used well, software and apps can help make employees more productive than ever, not more replaceable than ever.
This is very much the case in the window tint business, where more and more tinting companies are turning to window tint software and tint apps to help them do their work better than ever. When it comes to the best software for a window tint business, there are a few good options out there. For window tint apps, one option has proved itself to be the best: Tint Wiz
As the roles different types of window tint software play are quite different from one another, let’s take a close look at each type in its own turn.
Table of contents
- What software do I need for a window tinting business?
- The best software for window tint cutting machines
- The best software for a window tint business
- Is there a window tint app that works across all platforms?
- Does tinting windows make money?
- How Tint Wiz helps you manage your window tint business
- What tools are needed to install window tint?
- What tools are needed to install window tint?
- Is plotter cutting window tint better than hand cutting window film?
What software do I need for a window tinting business?
Simply put, there are two types of window tint software: the program you’ll use to help run your business, and the program you’ll use to actually help cut physical window film. As there are several viable options for the latter, we’ll talk about that first.
The best software for window tint cutting machines
Window tint software uses pre-loaded patterns and the specs you enter into the program to control a tint cutting machine. It can make your work more efficient and precise than ever, and there are several good programs available, including:
- Tint Tek 20/20 Window Film Cutting Software – This program has a huge database of auto window templates and also offers users the tools to create custom logos, signs, and graphics
- DAP by XPEL Design Access Program – This software is ideal for companies that work with both window tint and with paint protection film
- ComputerCut Integrated Business Systems – This program makes it easy to download and use new patterns, so you can be ready for any unique and/or custom jobs
- TintDepot Film Cut Tint & PPF Software – This is a particularly user-friendly program ideal for the company that will only do some of its tinting using a window tint plotter and will still cut plenty of tint by hand
- DigiCut – DigiCut revolutionized the way Auto Dealerships build profitable window-tint and paint-protection-film programs. Innovative Management Software, Unsurpassed Template Precision, World-Class Material, Industry-Leading Training
- Core Cutting Software for Window Film and PPF – Core offers time-saving features and a pattern verification process for more accuracy and efficiency than ever before, going beyond film-cutting software to serve as your base of operations. Core has a sleek desktop with shortcuts to save you time, but you aren’t tied down. A seamlessly integrated mobile app puts pattern lookup, installation notes and more in the palm of your hand. This is just the beginning, so get ready. The automotive film industry has never seen anything like Core before.
The best software for a window tint business
When it comes to the actual managing of your business, you may wonder if there is one program that can manage everything from billing to scheduling to inventory and more, and the good news is that yes, such a thing exists, and it’s the app Tint Wiz.
Is there a window tint app that works across all platforms?
Yes, and it’s the very same one. Tint Wiz is available for Apple and Android phones and tablets, and it can be accessed via a computer as well. Thus no matter what technology your tint company is already using in terms of hardware, even if that tech is simply your personal smartphones, you can start using Tint Wiz and fully integrate your business operations with ease.
And the integrated business is the more efficient business, also known as the more profitable business. Don’t worry if you have reservations about trying a window tint app, because Tint Wiz offers a free 30-day trial that has no obligation to pay a thing if you decide not to use it. And if you do start using Tint Wiz, there’s just one price per company no matter how large that company is, so it really is a good investment for your business.
Which brings us to a question many people ask about the window tint business: is it a good line of work in the first place?
Does tinting windows make money?
Window tinting can be a highly profitable career. As in an easy way to make a six-figure income as a window tint business owner, provided you are ready to work hard. Why is window tinting a good way to make money? One simple reason: everyone has windows in their lives, from their home to their car to their place of work. In other words, anyone can be a potential customer. And every window can benefit from window film, whether it’s for UV protection, added privacy, reinforcement of the glass, added style, heat reduction and insulation enhancement, and more.
Window tint can be a volume business. The more customers you can get and the bigger the job each person wants completed, the more money you will make. The key to a successful tint business that can make you a lot of money is managing your costs well. If you keep too large an inventory of tint on hand, that means you spent too much on supplies that may never even be used. And if you hire too many people, you may cut into profits what with paying out hourly or salaried employees. On the other hand, if you employ just the right number of workers, you can say yes to every job a customer asks you to take on, and when you have a manageable but varied supply of window films at the ready, you can make almost any job work.
How best to manage the balancing act of staffing and inventory for a window tint business? Tint Wiz.
How Tint Wiz helps you manage your window tint business
We have already covered the basics of how Tint Wiz helps keep your team on the same page and how the app helps you generate all the specialized correspondence and paperwork you need to manage client relationships and job specifics. Now let’s briefly take a closer look at the major services Tint Wiz offers one by one so you can truly appreciate just how much more efficient and reliable Tint Wiz can make your tinting business be.
- Lead Capture – Tint Wiz gives you myriad touch points with leads, which are previously identified potential customers, such as email and text outreach with specifics to their needs noted in the correspondence. Proper lead capture makes it easier to convert a maybe to a client.
- Quoting – The Tint Wiz app can let you generate customized quotes for your leads that incorporate all the specifics of their potential job and that can be enhanced with extras like positive reviews from past customers of your shop.
- Scheduling – Tint Wiz makes it easy to create and maintain a schedule of all work you and your team have on the books. By making these calendars shared, Tint Wiz keeps everyone on the same page, which is especially important when the schedule changes. Features like color coding based on assignee make the calendar even easier to quickly check.
- Appointment Reminders – If a client forgets his or her window tint appointment, you don’t do the work and you don’t get paid. And if you forget to reach out with a confirmation and reminder, that’s rather on you. Tint Wiz can be set to send automatic appointment reminders at preplanned intervals so your customers never forget an appointment.
- Project Management – When you know who is assigned to what job, what the specs are, what the timing is, what the budget is, where the tint work is taking place, and all of those other details, that’s called proper project management. Tint Wiz keeps all those specifics and more at your fingertips.
- Invoicing – If you don’t bill you customers, you’re not going to get paid for your work. Tint Wiz not only makes it easy for you to quickly generate professional looking custom invoices with all relevant customer info included, but the app also makes it easy to follow up on unpaid invoices and to log which bills have been settled.
- Get More Reviews – Good reviews of your business by past customers are about the most powerful tool you can leverage to get new customers. Tint Wiz can be programmed to automatically ask customers to leave a review at times data has proven are most likely to get a response, so you can count on more good write ups you can use to get more work.
- Notes and Tasks – Tint Wiz makes it easy to create, assign, and monitor tasks so everyone on your team knows who needs to do what and when, and knows once it’s done, too. And the Notes feature lets people add as much info as needed so everyone is clear on the requirements and expectations, too.
- Documents – Tint Wiz can generate all sorts of documents that will be customized to reflect that they come from your shop, including purchase orders, proposals, and memoranda of all types.
- Inventory – As noted, running a tight ship when it comes to inventory is just absolutely essential for your tint shop. Tint Wiz lets you create QR codes that can be applied to every roll of tint you have, so you can keep a close eye on what you have on hand and how much of it, so you know when to order what and when to hold off because you are already well stocked.
And speaking of inventory, even the best window film for sale today is worth nothing without the tools you need for window tint installation, so let’s talk about those next.
What tools are needed to install window tint?
There are a lot of tools that a professional window tint installer needs to have on hand, especially if he or she works for (or runs) a tint business that handles all sorts of different applications, from auto window tint to paint protection films for cars to residential window film to commercial window tint installation.
The most basic window tint tools you need to have on hand include:
- Squeegees with Replacement Blades
- Scrapers
- Triangle and Circle Templates
- Precision Knives with Spare Blades
- Heat Gun
- Measuring Tapes
- Lint-Free Cloths
- Spray Bottles
- Detergent
- Hard Card
And of course, there are myriad other specialty tools and pieces of hardware that can help you prep, cut, and apply window tint and PPF products, but those are the basics. As your business expands, a window tint plotter may well be a good investment for your company — in fact, if you grow big enough, a window film cutting plotter will be a necessary tool for keeping up with demand! So let’s make sure you know exactly what this machine is and what it can do.
What tools are needed to install window tint?
A window tint plotter is, essentially, a computer controlled cutting machine. It has a very sharp blade that can move from left to right and a roller that can move a sheet of film forward and backward, thus allowing the tint to be cut in all directions, allowing for highly precise and customized cuts.
A window tint cutting plotter is controlled via specialized software. Much of this software can be customized by the tint shop as needed, while tinters can also pay to license exact plans for various types of vehicle, so when a customer comes into the shop, the team can often simply punch up their make and model of automobile and then focus on choosing the right type, color, and darkness of tint, the specs all available right away thanks to the tint software.
Usually a window tint plotter for a car tinting busines will measure at least 42 inches across in terms of working space, as this can accommodate window film for almost any vehicle, 40 inches being a common size for large rear windows. Plotters usually have a basic LCD screen on the device itself to let you know it is on and receiving data and is ready, but most all of the calculating is done by window tint software running on a Mac or PC.
Is plotter cutting window tint better than hand cutting window film?
The best window tint installers in the business can cut and apply window film by hand with such precision it’s almost like they are computer guided themselves. That said, hand cutting window tint always has the risk of the tint being slightly imperfect, not to mention damage to a vehicle’s glass, paint, or seals if the tint is being cut while it is on the auto itself. Even the best window tint installer alive is still human and thus is fallible.
On the other hand, a window tint plotting machine that is kept in good working order and controlled with good window tint cutting software is almost never going to make even the slightest error. Yes, this type of hardware is expensive and may not make sense for your shop initially, but as your business grows, it is worth the investment. A window tint plotter can churn out perfectly cut pieces of tint rapidly, so you can spend more time applying tint to more cars (or homes or offices or boats) and less time agonizing over precise hand cut window tint.
There will always be a need for hand cutting window film, and the best shops will have both a window tint plotter backed by great window film software and a team of tinters who have the touch to do great work by hand.
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