Tree Contracting Software

[hinser13]

I would like to gauge how many tree professionals, who are in business, think specialist tree contracting software could benefit their organisation?

 

Currently there is nothing available on the Uk market designed to provide tree contractors with a program to produce quotes, invoices, manage their clients, produce mail merge, analyse sales figures etc, etc etc.

 

I should imagine most use a combination of word and excel to manage daily office tasks?

 

Thank you to all that take the time to reply.

[treesnakey]

i think a template for contracts would be a good idea. In terms of legal stuff etc

[Stephen Blair]

a tree contractor is no diferent to any other trade when it comes to this, some folk are organised, some are not. I simply make a note in my iphone, and have diferent headings. I can cut n paste them from note to note. eg. enquiries become quotes, quotes become jobs, jobs become invoices, invoices become receipts. Its very simple and cuts down on paper work. On an iphone, even in notes when you put in an address it recognises this, and highlights it, you can then get directions from maps and touch the number and it then calls it, saves you jumping from page to page. I would be VERY surprised if there wasn't an APP to help this even more.

 

I have tried taking a laptop to work but it is too climbersome and too slow to turn on and off.

[Andy Collins]

I have a little diary book thing and a stubby chewed-up pencil, does the job for me. Technology.....pah!!

[Paul Jenks]

We have just developed a software system for all our compliance work, LOLER, PUWER, vehicle checks etc that links in with the quote, customer data and the SSRA. This is all stored on a web portal so the office and the client can view it, whenever required, this is very important to some of our clients.

With the system, for example, if an arborist signs out his climbing kit and he hasn't completed his weekly checks, the system won't let him progress through to the SSRA until the checks have been recorded. The same goes for plant, vehicles and chainsaws. What's great about it is that the office knows exactly what has and hasn't been completed. We just program in the maintenance/inspection cycles and the software does the rest.

The CRM helps with timetabling and marketing.

[jaime bray]

now thats a impressive system, does it result in lots of downtime for the company if staff do not carry out full proceedure, i like the thought but to what extent is it based on number of staff employed, are you a large co. then for this to be implementable.