Looking for digital tools that actually save time? We asked Nicole Zarr to tell us what’s in her tech stack. By committing fully to a single project management database, she shares how she eliminated administrative guesswork and boosted profitability.

Nicole Zarr
Nicole Zarr & Associates, Houston
Years in business: 29 
Team size: 7

Project management: About five years ago, Nicole Zarr encountered Studio Designer. “My accountant, who [works with] interior designers, had several other clients that had been using it—and she said, ‘Well, it’s going to change your life.’” It didn’t take long for Zarr, who switched over from a combination of manual tracking and QuickBooks, to become a full-on convert. “I call it the bible,” she says. “It does everything for us.” In the past, the firm’s days were full of busywork: poring over client files, typing up proposals, running to and fro to cross-reference fabric samples. Today, her team can receive a room design from her, then plug in products, and the software will autopopulate the items in proposals. “There is no wondering, ‘Is this accurate? What did we pay for this versus what are we charging the client?’” she says. “It runs reports for the employee who oversees procurement, and when you do installs, you take the proposals with you and it shows you exactly what we’ve received and when.”