Visual Processing Software aids business communication.

Press Release Summary:



SmartDraw VP automates creation of 70 types of business visuals including flowcharts, mind maps, Gantt charts, timelines, floor plans, and data charts. With Microsoft Office® and Adobe PDF integration, users can create and share SmartDraw visuals with click of mouse. Software includes document collections, which allow users to group several documents into single file, and ability to create custom template categories in template selector. AutoSave and recover functions are also included.



Original Press Release:



SmartDraw Enhances the World's First Visual Processor(TM)



Breakthrough Software Adds More Enterprise Support and Increases Ease of Use to Support Widespread Adoption

San Diego, CA - Today, SmartDraw announced key enhancements that increase the usability and adoptability of SmartDraw VP, the world's first visual processor. SmartDraw VP empowers the 95% of PC users who create only written documents to reap the benefits of communicating visually.

Since its debut in June of this year, SmartDraw VP has seen over 50% growth in multi-seat installations in organizations around the world, and dramatic increases in average order size overall. The new features announced today are designed to support this enthusiastic enterprise-level acceptance.

"The rapidly increasing adoption of SmartDraw VP we're seeing shows that companies are starting to recognize and benefit from the broad-based visual communication that a visual processor on every desktop makes possible," said Paul Stannard, CEO of SmartDraw. "These organizations are experiencing real bottom-line benefits-increased efficiency, more effective presentations and proposals, and even improved project management."

"SmartDraw enables anyone on our team to quickly and easily create the kind of impactful visuals that help us better communicate with clients and operate more efficiently," said Victor Bradley, Leadership Team - Information Systems at BBK Worldwide, which has adopted SmartDraw VP throughout the company for both internal and external communications. "We've realized nearly instant ROI since deploying SmartDraw VP, in large part due to the dramatically reduced workload on our graphic arts department. The software integrates easily with our other desktop applications and is very easy to learn, making it a snap to deploy and use on a daily basis."

Numerous studies have shown that visual communication is up to six times more effective than words alone, but until now less than 3% of business communication includes visuals like flowcharts, mind maps and other diagrams. This is because using traditional graphics software to create them is just too difficult and time consuming for the typical business person. The visual processor solves this problem.

"A visual processor is to visuals what a word processor is to words," said Stannard. "Just as anyone can create professionally formatted written documents using a word processor, anyone can just as easily create professional-quality visuals with a visual processor. This is possible because both the word processor and visual processor automatically format your content. When you add or remove text in your written document, the word processor automatically reformats the text and repaginates. In the same way, when you add or remove shapes in your visual, the visual processor automatically reformats the layout. You can even compose a flowchart using keystrokes, just like a word processor."

SmartDraw VP automates the creation of 70 different types of business visuals including flowcharts, mind maps, Gantt charts, timelines, floor plans, data charts and more. Built-in integration with Microsoft Office® and Adobe PDF allows users to create and then share SmartDraw visuals with a single click.

The new features in today's update make SmartDraw VP even easier to use, and easier to integrate enterprise-wide. These include document collections, which allow users to group several SmartDraw documents into a single file making them easier to manage and share. Also new is the ability to create custom template categories in the template selector. Create a custom category for your company's most frequently used templates. Finally, to ensure work is never lost due to system failure, AutoSave and recover functionality has also been added.

By enabling everyone in the organization to create visuals quickly and easily, SmartDraw VP allows an enterprise to cut through today's information overload and communicate more effectively by distilling complex information into an easy-to-digest visual form.

Communicating effectively by communicating visually with SmartDraw VP reduces errors, increases agility and lowers costs. In addition, visuals created with SmartDraw VP can help overcome language barriers common in multi-national firms and the global economy.

"The visual processor, and SmartDraw VP, represents a major breakthrough in the evolution of business communication," Stannard said. "After five years of customer research and product development, we have created something completely new. A visual company, with a visual processor on every desktop, proves every day that a picture really is worth a thousand words."

"More data will be generated this year than in the previous 5,000 years combined," Stannard said. "To deal with the overload, organizations will be forced to sort, distill and communicate information dramatically better in order to succeed in the future. Visual companies are much more agile and able to take action to communicate and enact strategies that help them stay ahead of the competition. Over the next decade, I believe we'll see the visual processor become a business communication standard as ubiquitous as email is today."

For more information about SmartDraw VP, the world's first visual processor(TM), or to try it for free, visit www.SmartDraw.com.

About SmartDraw

SmartDraw helps businesses increase their bottom line by improving communication, refining operations, completing projects on time, and successfully implementing their plans through the everyday use of visual communication. Creators of SmartDraw VP, the world's first visual processor(TM), SmartDraw enables business professionals to easily and automatically create more than 70 types of common business visuals, including flowcharts, project charts, mind maps, org charts, timelines and more. SmartDraw lets anyone achieve professional-quality results in just minutes. SmartDraw is used by more than half of the Fortune 500, as well as thousands of law firms, police departments, health systems and private enterprises of all sizes. Founded in 1994, SmartDraw is privately-held, with headquarters in San Diego, California. For more information or to download a free trial of SmartDraw, please visit www.SmartDraw.com.

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