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Customer tracking software

P

Peter

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi,

I am a part time system administrator for a Security/File alarm dealer. The
company currently uses QuickBooks for accounting/invoicing/payroll/etc.,
however they do not have a customer database that keeps track of what's
installed at a customer's site and the service call history for that
customer. Currently everything is kept in folders which means that there
are filing cabinets all over the office to keep the folders in order. There
are many problems with this situation, including "losing" files for
hours/days because the file is on someone's desk when it should be in the
cabinet, not having immediate, easy access to what's installed at the
customer's site when they call in reporting a problem, etc.

There's got to be a software solution to help this problem. The paper
master file can never go away (at least right now), but if all this
information was stored online somehow it would seem that the efficiencies
gained would greatly offset the cost to purchase/maintain a customer
database.

I am looking for some recommendations on software that other security/alarm
dealers use to keep track of their customers. Positive and negative
feedback about specific software would be great. What software is out
there?

Ideal functions it should perform/data it should store:
1. Customer demographic information
2. Track what's installed at a customer site
3. Service call history (reported problem, work performed, technicians who
worked on service call, new parts/devices installed)
4. Inventory control
5. Job scheduling/dispatch functions
6. Track how long each employee spent at the job
7. Reporting
8. Client/Server based with simultaneous users (7+)

It would be nice to have:
1. Integration with QuickBooks (switching accounting software is not an
option, even if accounting software came with the package it would not be
used).
2. Ability to download customer job info to a PDA device so service
technicians don't have to take the master file with them.

Thanks in advance.

-Peter
 
F

Fast Pc Solutions

Jan 1, 1970
0
You would probally want to have a programmer to make some Custom software
for you. to the best of my knowings there is nothing out there like that.
The price might cost you a couple of grand but look on the bright side you
could market the application to other alarm companies after it is made.
 
R

Reg Siemens

Jan 1, 1970
0
My company bought this software at Version 4.0 and it was riddled with bugs
and didn't do what it was advertised to do. After a few months of working
through very unsatisfactory customer support (days of unreturned phone
calls, deadlines for patch releases that came and went numerous times), we
gave up and attempted to return the software. Despite weeks of dialogue,
they refused. They acknowledged the bugs and components that didn't work,
but wouldn't stand behind their product and guarantee customer satisfaction
nor allow the return or even resale of the software. We haven't used the
software since and consider this experience a very expensive lesson. When
we were in the midst of this frustration and were getting nowhere with
Z-Micro, I asked for feedback from this newsgroup back in 1999 and many
others shared a similar experience.

On the surface, this software seems to be one of the best packages out
there...we wouldn't have bought it otherwise. However, I will never again
consider purchasing software from a company that doesn't stand behind their
product with some sort of money-back guarantee (even if it's as little as 30
days). Think about how critical this software will be to the ongoing
operation of your company and then ask yourself if you want to rely on a
company that doesn't return phone calls and doesn't consider customer
satisfaction a core value of their business.

As always, BUYER BEWARE and good for you for asking.

Reg Siemens
Tower Security Systems Inc.
Winnipeg, Canada

P.S. If you would like to discuss this further or would like copies of my
email exchange with Bob Zimmerlich (Z-Micro president) that clearly
documents what I refer to above, feel free to email me by changing the cold
to hot in the reply-to address.
 
F

fly in the ointment

Jan 1, 1970
0
Reg Siemens wrote
My company bought this software at Version 4.0 and it was riddled with bugs
and didn't do what it was advertised to do. After a few months of working
through very unsatisfactory customer support (days of unreturned phone
calls, deadlines for patch releases that came and went numerous times), we
gave up and attempted to return the software. Despite weeks of dialogue,
they refused. They acknowledged the bugs and components that didn't work,
but wouldn't stand behind their product and guarantee customer satisfaction
nor allow the return or even resale of the software. We haven't used the
software since and consider this experience a very expensive lesson. When
we were in the midst of this frustration and were getting nowhere with
Z-Micro, I asked for feedback from this newsgroup back in 1999 and many
others shared a similar experience.

On the surface, this software seems to be one of the best packages out
there...we wouldn't have bought it otherwise. However, I will never again
consider purchasing software from a company that doesn't stand behind their
product with some sort of money-back guarantee (even if it's as little as 30
days). Think about how critical this software will be to the ongoing
operation of your company and then ask yourself if you want to rely on a
company that doesn't return phone calls and doesn't consider customer
satisfaction a core value of their business.

As always, BUYER BEWARE and good for you for asking.

Sounds like a similar experience I had with Dilloware's Billing Clerk
program. Don't ever buy anything from Dilloware. They actually build time
bombs into the software to make it crash periodically, so you'll have to pay
for an entire year of tech support so they'll "fix" the problem. Seems
others have found this out the hard way:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computers/dilloware.htm
js
 
L

ladygeek

Jan 1, 1970
0
The first thing I would tell you to do about the paper files is fairly
simple. I worked my way through college as a secretary.

You need to use "filecheck-out" cards to sign files out of the file
cabinet(s). That will control who has what file at what time. And if
it sits on someone's desk you can track it down unless they handed the
file to someone else without modifying the "filecheck-out" card.
That's when I fined them 50 cents per day but that was over 20 years
ago to anyone who took a file out without signing one of those cards.
I would guess a buck or two would be enough to reinforce the penalty
of keeping files out of the filing system. You also need to have 1
person to keep control of the keys to the filing cabinets so that it's
easy to manage and make sure that files are returned to the proper
place in the cabinet. I realize this is a bit more complicated but
this works as long as the rule is strictly enforced.

Most office supply companies carry these cards - they are the same
size as a file folder.

Once people see the value of this system, they are willing to comply
and it makes it easy to control the original file information which
you should do anyway because databases need to be supported by
physical data.

Hope that helps.

Ladygeek - the original
 
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