Database Update or Tailored System

[Tim Ashburner]

Hi

Could anyone advise what systems they are using to log a job from customer enquiry through to submission / payment of invoice etc.

We currently use a basic database format to store all of our clients etc and the financial side of things is completed through SAGE.

I was wondering if anyone uses a tailored system for arboriculture ??

 

Many thanks in anticipation of your replies / advice

[Steve Bullman]

Doesn't Sage have a quote/estimate feature that can be raised as an invoice?

[Tim Ashburner]

Hi Steve

 

Thanks for your reply, yes, I think you are right but we want to link the financial side of things to the tree database we have built instead of the two systems standing alone. I have seen one piece of tree business tailored software which gives you drop down lists on your menu for works description etc and relevant information for all tree related jobs (obviously you can have this drop down data as you like.).

 

Could I ask what system you use yourself for the day to day running of your business?

[Steve Bullman]

Quickbooks. I'm far from running a tree business though and never was.  It does everything I need to do and I have my own systems in place for tracking orders etc, but if someone had to pick up where I left off they'd struggle

[Tim Ashburner]

Ok cheers Steve [emoji106][emoji41]

[mike t]

Hi All, I’m using Quickbooks for crm, and now it’s set up pretty happy with it.
But need to sort out , (sorry a bit tech illiterate) software , hardware, device, tablet for keeping records, risk assessments, MS and all records, training , etc and particularly a solution to allow RA signing on site. Been looking at the Microsoft Office suite but £60 a year .... thinking that Word could offer a signature box to its documents....
Wandering if any one found google drive useful? It’s particularly the signature box that allows Actual signing I’d be really grateful to hear about ?

Cheers

[Arb Pro Software]

Software tailored for tree surgeons in business are few and far between Im afraid, hence why I started my own journey into software development 15 years ago and then leading to starting a business called Arb Pro Software 11 years ago. 

 

As far as I am aware, there are few Arb specific software programs available, I am aware of the following ...

 

1) Arborgold  USA

2) Not sure of name but there is a new one popped up in New Zealand 

3) Europe None that I am aware of ... Apart from Arb Pro Software 

4) Some others such as Jobber and powered now for example, but neither are Arb specific

 

Sophieo did an excellent review (On ArbTalk Forum) of some software available and you can view Sophieo's comments by clicking on this link and scrolling down to view. 

 

It is my experience working with a software developer as a business partner a few years back, our industry is considered small when compared with many other trades. Software developers want to make big money! hence the lack of software developers involved in our industry!

 

In my experience developing software, can cost from £300 a day for a junior developer and up to £600 a day for a senior seasoned developer. Yep you heard that correct, that is what software developers can and do charge. Compared with what we earn for working so hard with so much kit, it brings a tear to your eye, it is quite unbelievable the massive disproportion in costs! as I have discovered along my own journey..

 

There lots of really good accounting programs, to name a few obvious ones ...

• Sage
• Quickbooks
• Xero

These are not the only ones but are very commonly used ones and all are very good! but not tailored to any specific industry and are very generic. This is why Arbs in business look for an alternative or a tag on to software they are already using. Its because there are so many other things we do that are all linked to the customer workflow that these programmes cannot tailor for.. 

 

Undertaking things like for example...

• 1APPS
• Permit applications for work on a road for example 
• Method statements
• Site specific risk assessments
• Booking diarising and managing the booking (Often missing from Accounting packages)
• Tools for a job 
• Hired in Plant 
• Mapping 
• Tree Pictures 
• The list just goes on as there is so much we do (Arbs) that is linked to a job or customer ..

This where so many software programmes fall a bit short for an Arb Contractor. Im not for one minute suggesting they are not sufficient or useful. However as soon as a user has to navigate into another software package or to a folder on a shared server or drive, they are using admin time to find and correlate data. If a user can have most common tasks associated with a job in one programme and quickly recalled by a user user with a few clicks, this logically saves time spent on admin and improves efficiency, thereby adding value to your business.  

 

I don't think any software programme will ever fulfil every task a user wants, we all work a bit different!! but if you are fortunate to find something that fulfils most of your daily tasks. If you can make daily admin simpler and more efficient, that is the goal for any business regardless of trade or software programme you choose!

 

Hopefully sharing my experience of software development may cast light on why there are so few Arb specific software programmes available. We certainly are not perfect either and still developing after 11 years and will probably always be developing, just hopefully less in the coming years ! 

   

 

Edited January 15, 2019 by Arb Pro Software

[treevolution]

Can the ARB pro app be used on Android yet or is it only available on the iPad/iPhone.

[Arb Pro Software]

26 minutes ago, treevolution said:

Can the ARB pro app be used on Android yet or is it only available on the iPad/iPhone.

No sorry same as before for the same reasons, money! it will cost us loads to convert one app (we have 2) from IOS to Android and the requirement is very low, hence using available funds to drive other work. Sorry if thats what you really wanted, but there are no plans for an Android version in the short term...

[treevolution]

1 hour ago, Arb Pro Software said:

No sorry same as before for the same reasons, money! it will cost us loads to convert one app (we have 2) from IOS to Android and the requirement is very low, hence using available funds to drive other work. Sorry if thats what you really wanted, but there are no plans for an Android version in the short term...

Just wondering.

 

Really like the idea but just have an Android phone.

 

What iOS does the app run on as I have an iPad 2 that I could use.

 

Thanks