Ipads vs Notepad

[Dilz]

Considering  getting an IPAD to have in the van. Mostly for doing quotes and work orders, making a client file -  taking photos of trees writing in notes from the meetings. Recording mileage, risk assements etc, also marking on maps various things like quotes to do, quotes accepted, stumps that I'm subbing out. Any one do anything like this? 

 

I usually do everything pen and paper - just used to be a small pocket notepad and the diary, but now its upgraded to a colour folder and separate A4 sheets for everything.  It has certainly improved things planning and organisation wise and I'm not really tech minded, but have a hunch if set up right it would help streamline things even more and cut down on piles of paper. 

[Mick Dempsey]

I use 1 diary to write down everything, phone numbers, clients, maps of gardens, prices, dates to do stuff. It’s all there in one place.

 

Cannot understand what the fook I wrote 1 week later, total gobblygook, still, neither can the taxman.

[JLA1990]

I’ve used an iPad for a while now, especially the notes app - can add pictures, locations and a table. On detailed/large site works I record voice notes and then listen and type up when I’m in the office (got sick of trying to decipher shit hand written notes).

[JaySmith]

I use an iPad whilst on-site with a rugged case around it. I like it as the lanyard goes across the body and holds it in place. Only downside is when it rains and water gets under the screen protector the touch screen stops working. Personally I use notes on it for jobs and writing spec’s. Apps like What3Words help to plot locations and photos for jobs or to jog your memory. 
 

There are apps like Arboro that can streamline things and quotes, calendar, RA’s etc I suppose it depends how far you want to go with it. 

[Squaredy]

11 hours ago, Dilz said:

Considering  getting an IPAD to have in the van. Mostly for doing quotes and work orders, making a client file -  taking photos of trees writing in notes from the meetings. Recording mileage, risk assements etc, also marking on maps various things like quotes to do, quotes accepted, stumps that I'm subbing out. Any one do anything like this? 

 

I usually do everything pen and paper - just used to be a small pocket notepad and the diary, but now its upgraded to a colour folder and separate A4 sheets for everything.  It has certainly improved things planning and organisation wise and I'm not really tech minded, but have a hunch if set up right it would help streamline things even more and cut down on piles of paper. 

I’m not an arborist so can’t really comment specifically about arb work.  But I will say it all depends how well you get on with modern devices and apps.  If you find them intuitive, easy to navigate, and generally effortless to use an iPad may as you say cut down on paperwork and have various organisational advantages.

 

If on the other hand you find yourself getting frustrated with tech and you hate the way modern programs seem to have so many hidden options that only people under a certain age can find; then maybe don’t bother.

[HRG]

I was always iPads but we have now moved to Big Change Job Watch CRM software and that comes with a Samsung tablet and 24/7 tech support it works really well

[waterbuoy]

I'm of a similar view to Mick - I keep a 'day-book' rather than formal diary, as sometimes I need more than a page and some days I don't!  If the proverbial should hit the round spinning thing then it is what a court would regard as 'contemperaneous notes' which can be helpful (don't ask!).  This is complimented by a smartphone which can be used to take photos and dictation for lengthy comments etc, plus an ipad on which we keep all our generic and dynamic RAs and technical manuals as a point of reference.  As a lot of my work is near water then I often use the ipad to take backup photos, although the use of cloud storage is making that redundant these days.

 

I think the key part of your enquiry is your final sentence where you say you are not really tech minded but have a hunch that if it were set up correctly it would help streamline things.  For it to help effectively then I think you might be better to try and identify what processes you actually want to streamline, how they link together, and what software/apps might help with this.  For example, can quotes be prepared using a pro-forma - if so then that is simple to set up on an ipad or similar, incorporating photos etc to avoid ambiguity.  I do the same with inspection reports that I prepare.  However, linking it all to a central 'hub' - be it a PC, server or cloud storage, will require careful thought and is not as intuitive as some make out!

 

In early December I called in at an Apple store whilst visiting the big smoke, and asked for some help with my new (to me) phone.  Long story short - they offer free workshops on all of their devices which can be tailored to your specific needs.  Within a fortnight I had attended a total of three workshops - two on macbooks and one on the phone.  The most popular seem to be the ones relating to ipads.  I think the workshops are 'on hold' for a couple of weeks whilst they deal with the new year sales etc, but will be restarting later this month.

 

A further thought is with regard to compatibility.  If you have an iphone then an ipad makes sense - the ipad should be capable of running most office software and will link easily with the phone.  The big advantage of Apple products is the ease with which they link together.  However, if that isn't the case then an Android tablet, or even a chromebook, might be more helpful.  I used to write source code for mainframes in a fomer life and have worked with PCs for more than 35 years (and still do), but it has taken a lot of effort to be able to work efficiently with both PC and Apple devices.