Scheduling software...

[MASTERMOWER]

I'm needing some better method of scheduling mow jobs rather than with pen and paper. I'm thinking it may be time I get up-to-date with technology and go with some kinda software program.

And if this is the case, it would be wonderful if this program could load data into Quickbooks to simplify billing.

Am I dreaming, or does something like this exist? :alien::alien::alien:

[steve-o]

You Are Dreaming In My Little World College Boy.......

I'm needing some better method of scheduling mow jobs rather than with pen and paper. I'm thinking it may be time I get up-to-date with technology and go with some kinda software program.

And if this is the case, it would be wonderful if this program could load data into Quickbooks to simplify billing.

Am I dreaming, or does something like this exist? :alien::alien::alien:

pen and paper works fine for me in hooterville with Mowing....... :alien:

steve-o

[MASTERMOWER]

pen and paper works fine for me in hooterville with Mowing....... :alien:

steve-o

Yes but you have 3 lawns, of coarse it works for you. I deal with around 100 lawns....more added each year. It gets old....and I don't have loads of free time to dick with this crap. I fear one day I'll just forget one lawn for a week or two! :alien::alien::alien:

[Chuck Sinclair]

Lawn Monkey does what you want.

[MASTERMOWER]

Lawn Monkey does what you want.

Looks nice, but at $585 (http://www.qxpress.com/)

Anyone use http://www.lawnprosoftware.com/ ? $100, says it can import invoices into Quickbooks. But I'm sure at $100 it has to have flaws...

[Chuck Sinclair]

LM is well worth the money i used it when i was in the biz, does your route sheets exports invoices and much more.

[MASTERMOWER]

LM is well worth the money i used it when i was in the biz, does your route sheets exports invoices and much more.

I'm sure, just gotta get past the sticker shock. This qxpress is even cheaper. I'd have to look what the differences are. Maybe one relies more heavily on existing use of quickbooks?

[clclawn]

does your route change that much each week?

i am interested but would prefer you spend the 600 and let me know how it does before i spend my 600

[steve-o]

Good Point........................

does your route change that much each week?

i am interested but would prefer you spend the 600 and let me know how it does before i spend my 600

i use a ledger with all customers listed with services, sq/ft, and prices. everybody is in order and if i add a customer i just put them in their weekly slot. the book is set up in the winter and ready to go. if i change my schedule i just pull the page out and put it where it belongs. every evening everything is put in quikbooks pro. when billing i just make sure everything matches up b/4 printing my 3 invoices out. if i have a computer crash i still have a written back-up in case i didn't do a back-up copy recently which i'm guilty of alot. i don't think a 100 customers should be a problem and i would think you would be wasting time and $$$ if your sitting in the truck typing in sheot while your boys look on. that's just me though. i'm ole school and don't need all this fancy sheot like college boy needs........


steve-o

[clclawn]

im thinking i agree with steve on this. our routes are on weekly printed spread sheets that get turned in weekly, then typed into a monthly spreadsheet when ever the office staff decides to show up. this allows all the mowing, fert and landscaping to be entered into one place for billing. i then review the monthly sheet before the office staff decides to come in again and bill. when something changes the spreadsheet is changed.

[MASTERMOWER]

That's about what I did before, but I kept a sheet per week with everything on it. One sheet fills up quick. Info was too vague. After a couple weeks I forget specifics on certain jobs. I know I had to have lost money here and there....

Scheduling can change a bit, but it's mostly consistant. How do you adjust a spreadsheet for rain days, etc?

With this qxpress everything works "seamlessly" with quickbooks. Enter a new customer in QB, it shows up in QX, enter a new customer in QX and it shows up in QB. Crew gets a print out with daily jobs. Easy to enter additional info as well, like gate codes or specifics about the property. Crew enters time per job. At end of day this data is entered into QX....print out next days schedule. At end of month QX prepares invoices itself and imports them into QB. Why hire office staff for this? No double entry. Some months I'll spend over 10 hours preparing invoices. Figure out the opportunity cost and this software isn't too bad. CLC, how much do you pay your office staff to plug info into QB?

[steve-o]

And You Are College Boy In Business For Yourself............

That's about what I did before, but I kept a sheet per week with everything on it. One sheet fills up quick. Info was too vague. After a couple weeks I forget specifics on certain jobs. I know I had to have lost money here and there....

you need to enter your sheot every evening. what the hell kind of business do you run anyway? if you do 20 a day how long can it take you to enter this stuff? stay on top and the end of the month is a breeze...........

steve-o

[MASTERMOWER]

Correct me if I'm wrong....but is Quickbooks not meant to be used like that?

So you update invoices each night, then at the end of the month change invoice dates and print them out?

[steve-o]

Not Sure What You Are Saying College Boy......

Correct me if I'm wrong....but is Quickbooks not meant to be used like that?

So you update invoices each night, then at the end of the month change invoice dates and print them out?

i change my invoice dates at the beginning of the month when i first enter a job. i invoice the last service date, MEANING if i did mowing on 2/3/11, then their invoice would be changed to 2/24/11 since their mowing was 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, and 2/24. you set this stuff at the first of the month, that way you are done.................

steve-o

[Chuck Sinclair]

If i remember right LM can also track your chemical use and other services.