# Software for scheduling, etc.



## rjmiller15 (Jul 2, 2008)

My husband and I are thinking of starting a painting business, and I am curious what software you guys use to schedule, and to keep track of customers in a database. We want a software that allows us to not only schedule, and keep their contact information, but to list out job details, so if they call back we have their history.

we have Quickbooks Pro 2007 for financial....


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## aaron61 (Apr 29, 2007)

We use ACT. At the end of each month we input all information about customers we have worked for. Of course name and address but we can also include , email, paint colors, when were there, any extras, kids and pets names, were they a P I A ? etc.... It also has a great calendar sysyem for follow up and matenance programs


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## Ken S. (Apr 18, 2007)

rjmiller15 said:


> My husband and I are thinking of starting a painting business, and I am curious what software you guys use to schedule, and to keep track of customers in a database. We want a software that allows us to not only schedule, and keep their contact information, but to list out job details, so if they call back we have their history.
> 
> we have Quickbooks Pro 2007 for financial....


 WE USE A WHITE ERASER BOARD FOR CURRENT AND FOLLOWING WEEKS WORK SCHEDULE. ON DESKTOP WE USE "MS WORKS CALENDAR" FOR OUR COMPLETE PLANNER AND SCHEDULING, WITH POP UPS OCCURRING ON SCREEN TO GIVE US ADVANCE NOTICES..THIS WORKS WELL FOR US.


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## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

Ken S. said:


> WE USE A WHITE ERASER BOARD FOR CURRENT AND FOLLOWING WEEKS WORK SCHEDULE. ON DESKTOP WE USE "MS WORKS CALENDAR" FOR OUR COMPLETE PLANNER AND SCHEDULING, WITH POP UPS OCCURRING ON SCREEN TO GIVE US ADVANCE NOTICES..THIS WORKS WELL FOR US.


I agree Ken. I use a white board with erasable markers. I need to have a highly visible outline on the wall that I can refer to at a glance while on the phone etc. I also keep a large calendar on the wall next to my desk with each weeks jobs and who is working them. Its simple but it works. I do a fair amount of schedule juggling, so everything is erasable. 

Quickbooks Pro has a nice customer database right in it. Thats where I keep the customers and their information. There are also files for each customer and job in a filing cabinet that I rarely need to refer to.


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## aaron61 (Apr 29, 2007)

2 sets of white boards ,3 month rotation, 1 set for estimates, 1 set for jobs. File holders for jobs for the week,jobs accepted, jobs bid, jobs to bid. Post bid jobs are rotated out every 90 days to a dead file still held for another 90 days for easy access then trashed must be rebid if called. End of month all info goes into Act for maintenance work, christmas cards. But I think she just asked about software


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## tedwilliams (Dec 23, 2008)

we use Amphis Customer customer database - really simple to use to create our quotes and invoices, create appointments, keep customer notes eg paint reqd and all the history eg when we quoted, how much, any further contact with the customer eg telephone calls, also keep track of emails sent/recvd and we can send "standard" emails or replies and also email the quotes/invoices/letters from within the customer database. links to Outlook to generate reminders etc.

Ted


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## Danahy (Dec 11, 2008)

MS Outlook, and Quickbooks share contact info easily, Outlook has built in Calender. It's simple, it worked for dummies like me, didn't have to buy nothing, or learn a new program.


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## premierpainter (Apr 17, 2007)

We use Market Sharp. Best program that I have ever seen. Quick books Pro for $


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## Forest (Jan 23, 2009)

We schedule our estimator's appointment with Outlook, and use a whiteboard to keep up with a rolling 3-month schedule of jobs. 

We also use a complex spreadsheet I designed to track proposal status, project completion and jobs that are going to be done outside of that 3-month rolling window.


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