Arb Pro Software

Arb Pro Software Ltd - Take a look and give us a call for a no hassle chat about what we offer Tree Surgeons in business. www.arbprosoftware.com You can also take a look at how we have helped others here: www.arbprosoftware.com/testimonials

Hi Matthew You can undertake ARB Specific site specific risk assessments on our app and upload method statements to the clients online quote/job page. So sharing documents with your client is easy. You just give them a link to their online quote page and they can view the risk assessment, method statement, T&C's Insurance etc. The web link gets automatically sent to the client when you email the quote from site using the app or from office if you choose to email from your office instead. www.arbprosoftware.com

We had one Husq saw with ongoing oil issue, we replaced oil pump, cleared out all the tubing from pump to bar and turned out it was the Worm Wheel, which costs a couple pounds ! Might not be the same for you but worth mentioning .. https://www.ransomspares.co.uk/parts/chainsaws/husqvarna/worm-wheel/725110.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuLPnBRDjARIsACDzGL2-weDmn-PLeX6keAdCOKtMWE3bGC-U1kmaiOYAgZUKigkS5hZ3qsYaAm4uEALw_wcB

Arb Pro Software allows users to undertake risk assessment on iPad/iphone at quote stage and work stage. Allowing the user to undertake a pre-assessment of the risks and then again on the day of work by the tree team. All staff on site can digitally sign the risker on iPad/iphone. Users can also duplicate and create a new risk assessment if that is necessary/required.... Risk assessment is also customisable and users can build their own set of risks for consideration. Arb Pro provides users with a paperless system from first enquiry through to invoice, with a quoting app, app for work and office version for general management.. Added a couple screen shots, don't forget this is just an example as users can build their own set of risk considerations and detail their own generics to reference control measures.

Hi John, Wow nearly 5 years how time flys! Glad you are still enjoying it and theres more great stuff to come! New versions out this week, hopefully Friday !

Glad you are still enjoying the software Ian, we have a new Desktop and Quoting app out this week, will email all users as normal when its released and summarise all the new features on both desktop and app..

Hi Carlos, taking multiple pictures from different angles and marked up to emphasise work, really does help. I think most, if not all contractors in business have learned the hard way, to be specific as possible when writing a specification of works! As you say "Prune Back" is one example where the contractor will on occasion fall into avoidable client disputes!

Drawing combined with spec, thats is as clear is it gets and client knows what they can expect ! Great example...

Hi Ben, You can look at street view from within our mapping app, no need to navigate away! the google map loads from with the quoting window...

Hi Khriss For our purpose Google works just great.... I take your point from a surveying point of view where someone else might be looking for a tree mapped in the past. For our purpose the client calls to work on a tree that exists, we map the tree on site and send the quote the same day, then hopefully we return to work on the same tree..

Hi Mick, this is great and the same again, we do this too on the app whilst on site .. heres an example of a map with two trees mapped.

Exactly my point, looks great ! and how could your client not understand what you are proposing with that picture ! Our users use a finger to draw straight on the picture, its really useful and when you have 5 or more trees to do, its very quick and easy ! Great to see how other people are doing it, thanks for sharing ..

Whenever is good for you get in touch Ben ...

Hi Ben - You can also have a free demo of the Desktop and the apps syncing and working with the desktop. Im not interested in pressure sales, if you want to see the software with no obligation whatsoever, get in touch and we will arrange a demo for you. We will just screen share and chat over the phone so no need to leave your office or for me to come to you...

Hi Ben - Do you mean we should add the fact that people can download and try the app for free to our FAQ's ?

Hi Khriss, With our photo editing there is more than just drawing a line, the user can undo, rub out, use different colours etc. You can download our app for free from the app store and use in demo mode, give it a try !

I guess the main point here is the use of pictures really does help illustrate the prescribed works regardless of method. The point I was making in relation to our app, is ease of use. A user takes a photo using their camera and illustrates the photo there and then, often whilst stood with the customer to help explain expectations. Then with a few clicks they send the quote to the client, whilst still on site and includes annotated photos, a site plan, and other attachments such as T&C's, insurance, risker etc. On top of that the client has access to all this data online and they can receive the quote by email whilst you are still onsite.. We are not trying to re-invent the wheel here, just using modern technology to help our users improve efficiency and save time spent quoting for work..

I never said it was better, worse or that there wasn't another way to take and or edit a picture! I was purely illustrating a small part of how we help users, this single part drawing on picture relates to a very small part of our software. Furthermore and obviously you are using pictures to help emphasise work spec, others may not be and whilst we do offer software that can do this, it may be useful and food for thought helping others consider complimenting something they already do well. Maybe they use an iPad, maybe they use google street view as you have, may be they don't! The point is illustrating tree pictures is very helpful, you are obviously doing the same to further demonstrate how useful illustrating pictures is, however you choose to do it .. Thanks for taking the time to comment Mick..

"A picture is worth a thousand words" Refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single picture. An annotated tree picture conveys its meaning or what will be achieved more effectively than just a description of work, particularly for the laymen or your client! When I first started 30years ago I well remember getting used to arboricultural terminology! Adding pictures to your written quotes will only help your client more clearly understand the work description. Arb pro users can take 5 photos of every tree, annotate them and save them on the app. These photos are uploaded and your clients can view them online, along with the quotation for their job. Here are a few pictures to illustrate some different types of work, Tree Felling X - Crown reduction - Reduction of selected branches to achieve a specific clearance - Trimming the height of hedges or Bay for example .......

You could try these people too ... Company Name: Sylvagen Telephone: 01892 280290 Contact: Natalie Cottingham they are looking for Woodchip and logs in volume for Biomass.. In terms of value it will not be with much but if you can get someone to clear out your yard for free! or a small return thats a good win for you .. Good luck ...

Any ipad or iphone ! Why dont you download the app for free from app store and have a play in demo mode ?

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...

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 !

Tendering for term contracts is not straightforward, it takes a lot of effort just to be successful and then you have to honour the crazy prices you may have submitted for the term of the contract! In my opinion having gone through quite a few myself and in reverse managed from the council side, you are better off getting in a professional to work with you and guide you through the process. You can and often do, spend weeks putting a grade A PQQ & if successful, ITT (the pricing bit) together. If you are not used to tendering or its new to you, its like when you first started climbing, you didn't teach yourself did you? get some help if this is new to you... A really experienced individual that specialises in tendering (and there are lots out there) will advise you how to score more points in other areas. you may look at a particular section scoring 5 points and just skim through it, but this section coupled with scores from other sections all add up at the end. An expert in tendering will know the sections that are generic and where you can score maximum or at least your best possible score's. They will give you the tools and probably documents to re-inforce why you do something particularly well. Furthermore and this is important in my opinion, the areas that an expert realises you need help in, can provide documents and policies/procedures to reinforce how you manage something, you can then actually incorporate these new policies and procedures into your business and improve how you operate day to day. whilst tendering is a lengthy process your business can also benefit from an injection of knowledge and improvements in how you manage certain elements of your business too! Whilst rates £ are key! rates still only equal a certain percentage of the overall score. Furthermore if you know the contract and geographic's do some homework on pricing. For example if you are tendering in London you can bet the majority of the work will be reductions and pollards amongst other less required works. Look at what type of works you expect the council to order on a regular basis! For example we have reduced rates for a certain work operation guesstimating the requirement will be very low, whilst increasing rates for other operations that we know will be a more regular type of work. the truth is as you probably already know, if you have good rates for crown lifting for example and there are plenty of street trees, you can undertake a lot of crown lift in a day! As I said though an industry expert in tendering (Paul Elcoat is one such example) can be really useful when tendering for work .. Tendering really is a minefield!, my best advice is get some help from an organisation or an expert in our industry that specifically helps organisations with tendering for term contracts. Whilst you may end up spending a couple grand, the experience of working alongside someone that knows what they are doing will really help you. When you get involved in another tender, you will have allot of the documents in place already, as well as using their industry knowledge to help you formulate a pricing structure that works and is sustainable during the term of the contract. To win a long term contract that provides sustainability for 3-5 years will take a few attempts at tendering before you finally win one! For whats it worth thats my experience of tendering for Arb Contracts ....

So far the main one consistent is the Arb Magazine AA, whilst there are others, this seems to be the one most like to read ...