Company’s name: Awake Window and Door Co.
Founded: 2020
Headquarters: Gilbert, AZ, US
Awake Window & Door Co. is a U.S.-based manufacturer with a strong social mission and a focus on combating mass incarceration and recividism rates in the US. Founded by Scott & Maria Gates, John Engelstad, and Andrew Darr, the company is not only about engineering state-of-the-art windows and doors but also about providing employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals. The founders, with deep roots in the fenestration industry, were inspired to take action after learning about the challenges of mass incarceration. Their goal is to create innovative, beautifully designed products while making a real impact on society.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Erin Troy, Senior Data Architect at Awake Window & Door Co., who shared how they’ve integrated the Pics.io DAM system into their daily operations.
- I’ve looked into your company, and I have to say, I’m really impressed by the social mission. It’s inspiring to see such a strong focus on combating mass incarceration. Could you tell us a bit more about Awake Window & Door Co.?
Here in the U.S., it can be really tough for people who’ve made mistakes in the past to find employment. That’s why our company is focused on reducing recidivism—helping people avoid falling back into bad decisions simply because they can’t get a job or support their families. It's an incredible mission, and the people running the company are brilliant. They’ve put together a fantastic team, and the products we create are top-notch. Everyone takes pride in their work, especially those who’ve had a rough past. They often feel like they have something to prove, which is really inspiring to witness. We’re constantly improving, and we genuinely care about our customers and employees.
- That’s amazing. Can you tell more about your role in the team? What do you do day-to-day?
My official title is Senior Data Architect. Mostly, I help build our inventory management solution. It's "homegrown" but uses Microsoft products, so it's flexible. I created a database, the apps we are using to track inventory and some production processes, found Pics.io for media storage, I handle all of our business intelligence reporting, and basically anything our leaders can think of I try to bring to life in regards to data management and reporting. That’s my day-to-day in a nutshell.
"What won us over was Pics.io’s detailed user permissions. We could assign specific roles and permissions and the custom field requirements prior to uploading the media, which was a huge deal for us."
- If I’m correct, you’ve been using Pics.io since the spring, right? How’s that been for you?
It’s been great! It took us a little while to get everything rolling—not because of the system itself, but just getting everyone on board and figuring out exactly how we wanted to use it. Now, we’ve been steadily using it in two of our departments. In shipping, we take pictures to ensure the products are packed properly and sent undamaged. In manufacturing, we take pictures to document the quality of our work.
- Was it easy to integrate Pics.io into your workflow, especially across different teams?
Once we set up the custom fields and the required info before uploading, it was super easy. The team found it simple to use. They can upload one or multiple pictures at a time, and videos too. The only thing we’re missing is the ability to take pictures directly within the mobile app—it would be a nice-to-have, but not a dealbreaker. Otherwise, it's been a breeze to use, and searching for pictures later on is really straightforward.
- I know your team needs to take pictures of tags, products, and services, and there was a need to name the files before they hit the system. Did Pics.io help with that?
Yes, we found a great way to work around the actual naming of the media file. While we couldn’t name the picture file itself, we created some custom fields where they’re required to upload the order number and part details before submitting the pictures. It’s been a solid solution.
- Can you give me an idea of how much time Pics.io saves you, whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly? Are we talking minutes or hours?
I’d say it saves us at least an hour a day, if not more. Before, they were taking pictures, connecting the tablet or phone to the computer, and then uploading. That process was slow. Now, they can just take the pictures and upload them right away without having to sort through them. It’s definitely a time-saver.
- That’s nice to hear. Which teams in your company are using Pics.io, and how many people are involved?
We’ve got three departments using it. In manufacturing, one person handles quality control photos. In shipping, one person takes pictures of the products being shipped. Our service department has three individuals who take pictures when they’re out on service calls. We’ve also been using the inbox feature for customer support. If someone has a service request, we can send them a link to upload pictures or videos, which has been super helpful.
"I’ve had great support from the Pics.io team whenever I needed help."
- I’m curious, how did you first hear about Pics.io?
Honestly, through Google. I was searching for ways to store and organize media. We looked at a few companies, but it came down to you and another one—I can’t remember their name. What won us over was Pics.io’s detailed user permissions. We could assign specific roles and permissions and the custom field requirements prior to uploading the media, which was a huge deal for us. The other company couldn’t offer the flexibility we needed. Pics.io was just the best fit for our needs.
- Do you use Pics.io only internally, or do you share assets with external contacts, like customers?
Right now, it’s just for internal use. As we grow our service side, we’ll probably start sharing assets with customers—for example, pictures of products before they ship. But for now, it’s mostly internal.
- And now, for the big question—what’s your honest feedback? What do you like, and what could be improved?
The biggest improvement would be the ability to take pictures directly in the app. That would be a game-changer for us. Otherwise, it’s been really easy to use and navigate. It took me a little time to get used to it because I hadn’t worked with a full asset management system before, but once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. The permissions are easy to manage, and I’ve had great support from the Pics.io team whenever I needed help. Overall, it’s been a really good solution for us.
- Thanks again for meeting with us, Erin!
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