Michael needed something perfectly tailored to suit his business needs. That’s when Michael decided to try Skuid.
With Skuid, Michael and his team were able to bring together information from different areas within their organization onto one page.
“We needed to see all of this in one place,” says Michael. “With the way that we work, we have information on our clients, we have information on their measurements, on their orders. We needed to see all of this in one place. And we simply couldn’t do that with Salesforce. With Skuid on top, it’s a whole different ballgame.”
They were able to see immediate gains—Michael’s team was able to create customized user experiences for each function within the company so that each employee could access just the info they needed to be able to better do their job. This, of course, made his job even more enjoyable, knowing that he found a bespoke software solution that matched the level of quality as the suits he makes for his clients.
“I take tremendous enjoyment in the fact that we make one of the finest garments in the world. And we do it in a way that isn’t really done this way anymore,” says Michael. “In this world of mass customization, doing something that is really bench-made, handcrafted, bespoke, is almost unheard of.”
Sounds a little like Skuid, doesn’t it?
Head to our customers page to hear more stories about customers who've created bespoke applications with Skuid.
“I always really enjoyed what I did, until I started doing something that I really loved,” says Michael Andrews, founder and CEO of Michael Andrews Bespoke, the largest custom clothier in New York City. “If anything, I was a lawyer by accident.”
After spending eight years in the world of corporate law, Michael Andrews was inspired to move on to a more creative career, all because of a trip abroad.
While visiting India, Michael discovered the art of bespoke suit tailoring. He fell in love with the process of it all—getting measured, picking out the fabric, designing the details. And though the suit he bought there still wasn’t quite the right fit, it sparked an idea: why don’t I make my own?
That was more than ten years ago.
“Transitioning from law to custom clothing was actually pretty simple because they’re both in the client service business,” he says. “As a lawyer, you’re trained to make sure you do the right thing by your client, every time. This is exactly the same thing. The only difference is that instead of drafting contracts, we’re drafting patterns.”
Though Michael doesn’t actually do any of the tailoring, he is still very involved in every aspect of the suit making process.
“When we started the company, one of the things I did was I took tailoring classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology, not to become the tailor, but to understand the process of what goes into a handmade suit.”
And it’s evident in the clients he serves.
Michael’s studio is located in the trendy Great Jones Street neighborhood, snug between the West and East Village and Soho. His clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, foreign dignitaries, and award-winning actors, as well as professional athletes and famous musicians.
Michael takes great pride in the art of bespoke suit making. There’s a process to it. And part of that process is building a relationship with the client.
“The first thing we do is we sit down with a client and have a drink with them, we get to know them, we ask them some questions, and we understand what it is that they need,” Michael says. “It’s not about selling them as much as we can right there. It’s about building a relationship.”
And then comes the actual suit making. It’s not a quick process, though Michael and his team can deliver a product in a hurry if the need arises. But typically, it takes 6 to 8 weeks, from start to finish, working with clients on picking out fabrics, colors, textures, design and measuring, then remeasuring, and, finally, fittings. The end result is a custom-made suit that’s one of a kind, specifically made from scratch for each client. It’s bespoke.Excellent customer service is only part of running a good business. The details behind the scenes are just as important. Maintaining an organized workflow—record keeping, materials and business trends—is something in which Michael is keenly aware.
When it came to managing his clients, orders, and supplies, Michael and his staff started out by using spreadsheets but then moved to Salesforce's customer relationship management platform. And though it was a huge step forward in the way they were able to run the business, it still lacked the customization Michael needed to work more efficiently.
The screens didn’t look the way we wanted, we couldn’t present the information that we wanted on one screen. We were constantly clicking back and forth, up and down within the system. And we knew we needed something better.
