sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Recommendation for CRM/Recordkeeping Software

All,

I'm excited to report that I've just received my State of Washington business license.

I want to make sure my business gets a smooth start by making sure everything is as organized as possible, so I'm reaching out to those of you with many years of experience to ask how you manage your client information and service call records. I've looked at CRM software, but they are all very different, and many vary greatly in price.

Should I just use an Excel spreadsheet to start off? I obviously don't want to get in over my head with a huge system right off the bat, but I just wanted to put some feelers out to see what you guys recommend.

Thanks in advance.

Scott

Congratulations Scott

I suggest you start with Quick books , the whole point of the business is to collect funds

As the customer base grows and you settle into a business model you will be in a position to see what you need to fit your business/management style

Lots of good advice to be found here. Congrats Scott!!!

Congratulations, Scott!

Do you have a lot of work lined up? Does this look like it's going to take off like gangbusters?

If it does, then certainly go for Quickbooks. Get started and you won't fall behind and be buried when you need to go with a professional product.

If however, it looks like it'll be slow going - a job here and a job there, then maybe save some money that you might need for upfront capital and just start with a simple spreadsheet.

Sam

I've used QuickBooks for years, even though I only do a handful of jobs each month.

I used to have a free version but switched to QuickBooks Online. Less than 15 bucks a month, you can access it from any computer and there's also an iPhone app.

For CRM, we've used ACT! for years. We've also used Quickbooks for probably 20 years. I'm hoping to upgrade to something else later this year.

Whatever you decide for a CRM, make sure that you can access it via a mobile. It will make your life easier.

Xero accounting is looking good to me. Freshbooks doesn't look to bad either.

There's a million CRM's, most of which are too complicated for our needs. Today, I'm looking at AceRoute, which is more of a field service app than a CRM.

Good luck!

For many years I used Word for proposals, and Excel for quotes and billing invoices. Create a folder structure for storing these files, plus documentation, etc. by customer name. The last few years I've used Dropbox for easy access to the files.

I went to QuickBooks several years ago after recommendations from folks on this site. Great product. I also started emailing invoices (create the invoice, save as a pdf, email as an attachment). Amazing amount of time savings and postage.

Good luck!
Jim

Congrats for sure!

MY recommendation for accounting is QuickBooks Desktop. For a one-man show the on-line version might be better,However if you have several employees in the office and the internet is down, so is your accounting which means employees will be playing solitaire the old way and you're paying for that!

For a client data base I use a free program from the makers of File Maker Pro to keep track of invoices, dates, line #'s ext. I'll send you a copy if you want.

I also have an excel file for keeping track of where I've been and doing what. Real handy when you forget something somewhere but can't remember where you've been. Takes only seconds or minutes each day to post where you've been.

LOL! Looks like I need to look at Quick Books. Seems like that's the industry standard

Sam:

I haven't been trying hard to build the business, but the universe seems to be sending people my way anyways. I've fixed about 6 laptops for people at work, and I still have more to follow up with. The word has really gotten around, especially since my rates are very fair, and my work quality is very high (not to brag or anything, I follow up with people regularly and they've spoken accolades about how their computers are running). I've also gotten several calls from people and businesses that have seen my website and phone number on threads on this forum since I've been away!

-----
Here's how I'm getting myself set up for success:

PAPERWORK/RECORD-KEEPING:

I've copied some of the Navy's way of doing paperwork. I've created some standard numbered forms for myself so I'm able to find them easily within my files. I just used MS Excel to create two forms so far--an invoice form and work estimate form. I think that will do for now. I've ordered a credit card terminal from eBay which I will use for giving customers cash receipts, considering a lot of the work I will be doing will be locally on base with people in the barracks, paid in cash. This way I can staple the cash receipt to the invoice and my customers will have a record of the repairs, especially since I warranty my computer work for one week after they get it back. It's only a week, because you know how some people are about what they download from the Internet, and the havoc it wreaks fairly quickly.

Most of the paperwork I put together will stay digital, saved as PDF and emailed, like Jim said he does, so there won't be a lot of paper.

ADVERTISING:

I've had business cards since before I had my business license, to get my name out there. I had 500 of them that came from Vista-Print. I've given out probably around 30 of them so far.

There's a sign outside my barracks door with the business name, website, and phone number, and a brief gist of the services I provide to catch anyone walking by, and to help my barracks clients find my office/room when they come to pick up their computer.

I've ordered three magnetic signs for my trusty '94 Nissan Hardbody. One for the tailgate, and one for each door. I'll post some pictures when I get back and get them on the truck.

I plan on posting a Craigslist ad on skagit.craigslist.org, the site specific to my area, with a basic introduction to my services, and my flat rate fees for my consumer computer repair services, which will probably end up being the majority of the work I do. Craigslist seems to be the primary way of advertising micro-home businesses in the area.

I'll be putting up flyers in all of the barracks buildings, which should bring me a decent amount of business, or at least announcing my presence and getting it in the back of folk's minds that I'm there if a problem arises that they can't fix themselves. Almost everyone I know has a laptop, so giving it a month or so should get things moving at a steady pace. My new roommate is savvy too, and he's agreed to help me out if it's needed. I'm going to bring him up to speed on some of my troubleshooting skills.

MY WEBSITE:

I'm working on my website still, but I'd sincerely appreciate some constructive criticism on what it needs or what needs editing/rework.

www.premiertelecom.us


Thank you all for everything. I've been a member of this forum for about 8 years (I had another account), and I can't say that I'd be where I am today in terms of experience if it wasn't for the endless patience and relentless pro-bono help I've gotten here.

Keep up the good work! I started doing wiring and computer repair in high school, and even though I work fulltime in IT, I still do some work on the side.