What is Your System ???

[Mojo]

In my other thread I talked briefly about how I do things in regards to quotes, orders, etc.
It got me thinking and I wanted to expand on this.

The way I do things I designed myself ( with help from the wife ) because it helps me perform what I need to do without losing bits of info along the way or worse yet screwing up a job. Due to several strokes I lost the ability to organize and stay on task without guidance from notes, forms, etc. I also got hit hard in the short term memory center and cooked several brain cells in that department so I cannot remember much from one day to the next.

I will take you through my process. I know this is going to seem cumbersome to a few and redundant but it really helps me stay on track. First let me say my business is a whole lot different then many other stitchers.  90 % of my orders and requests for quotes come through e-mail. 90 % of my initial contact is through e-mail. Rarely will I ever get a phone call unless it is from an existing customer. I almost never get contacted initially by phone. Part of the reason why is because I have tried to make my business an internet driven one. My customers are not local but scattered all over the USA. I have orders going out all over the place from CA to Maryland and everywhere in between. My local work is about 5 % of my total sales. But, this internet contact thing works out awesome. I do not get bothered when I am sewing. I answer e-mails at a given time of the day. I make phone calls in the evenings. And most importantly I have records of every single e-mail going out to a customer and coming in from that customer. I use MS Outlook and I even file all my customers e-mails into their own file system. It has saved my ass numerous times - like yesterday when a customer gave me the wrong measurement and an awning came out short during install. I simply showed him a printed copy of the e-mail and measurement he sent me. :)

So this is how my order process works: I get an e-mail for a quote based on the measurements they give me. I use a standard order book I get at Walmart for this. Since I use all Sattler fabric and know my prices I can kick out a quote quickly. I generate the quote on paper and then put that on my quote board. I send the figures / prices out via e-mail to the customer. If they want time to think it over I enter an alarm on Outlooks calendar system and in a week or whenever it pops up and tells me to call this customer and make a follow up inquiry. If they place an order I then fill out a shop form which has diagrams of awnings on it ( I made this form myself in powerpoint ). I write down the cut and finish measurements on each side along with anything else such as valances, seams, etc. I also print out the e-mail correspondence and staple that to the order/shop form. I have a scheduling board for my jobs and list that new job on the schedule. Once the job is done I generate an invoice, deduct the deposit and e-mail it to the customer and generate a Paypal request for payment. If more e-mails were generated during the course of the making of their awning/topper then that is stapled to the order as well. Once everything is complete and I am paid all the paperwork for that job is stapled together and placed in a file for future reference or warranty work.

To many of you this all seems very cumbersome and eats up alot of time. But to me who has limitations in the brain department it is a must to have this system. After listing these procedures I can now see why my wife is getting antsy about me going to a PC tablet. I think I have way to many papers being flipped around. :)

How does your system work ?

Chris

[Mike]

I like the idea of the outlook alarm to contact them again I've not seen that. 
Me I get a phone call 99.9% for a quote on a job. 
I write there name phone# and address in my note book
We set up a time to meet at the boat. 
At the boat I climb on and take measurements and make any nessasary note about the job on the customers page in my notebook 
Then give the price of the job to the customer. 
Somtimes they say ok let's go for it  and I have to make out a contract  take a deposited I used to take credit   I HD slot of younger customers but here most have the money or don't.  And most don't ask if i take credit.  So the jib is schedued for me to pattern aNd do the job I don't always do them as they come in Simone here said this isn't a democracy or somthibg like that if I have a quick job come in I'll slip it in and dealors  come first. Somtimes like yesterday morning I went out and quoted a full cover. Spray hood and window enclosure on a 28' center console  young family man  proy would be a canidate for  credit.
He had to think about it   ( talk to the wife ) and perhaps I'll here back in a week or so   That whee the alarm idea sounded good to me     

[Mike]

Used to be if I did rember to call back later on a quote if they passed I'd tear the page out and trash it.  Now I save every page quote.  I e cotton calls back a few times where they
decided to do it months later I'd I bad the old quote.  I ma have resulted a job and. This way I'm not slot higher  if I know what I quotes. Before  I had this happen a few month back cot a job from guy who called me about 6 months earlier and I dindt hear back.  But this time instill had the notes

[JuneC]

In my other thread I talked briefly about how I do things in regards to quotes, orders, etc.
It got me thinking and I wanted to expand on this.

Due to several strokes I lost the ability to organize and stay on task without guidance from notes, forms, etc. I also got hit hard in the short term memory center and cooked several brain cells in that department so I cannot remember much from one day to the next.

Chris

Well, at least you have a valid excuse.  I have none, except that in certain areas of my life I'm disorganized.  I just keep a chronological spiral notebook with everything in it - phone calls, visits to boats, names, addresses, you-name-it.  Sure, I miss opportunities, but I'm not 20 and looking to build a business/career.  I know how to write Excel macros among other things, and could do a lot if I were looking to hire people and build a business from the ground up, but been there, done that.  One of these days, maybe I'll quit and assist younger business-builders.  Now that would be a kick!  :D

June

[fragged8]

you know June, I've been thinking a lot recently that wouldn't it be good to have
a business mentor.
Someone you could call up and ask how to do certain things, like whos the best insurance
company to go with or get help with tax problems etc..

Rich

[rustyeod]

I too use a (composition) book for all my contacts and ongoing work.  When a call comes in I take down name, email, phone, job and location of the boat.  I don't always meet the customer at the boat when I take measurements and pictures.  I take that info back to the shop and calculate a materials list and put that into a Quickbooks estimate.  Then I send the estimate via email.  My estimates have all my terms and conditions and other fine print at the bottom.  I use the customers acceptance email as a go ahead, but he doesn't make the job board until I get the deposit.  As soon as I get the deposit I order the materials.  Like Mike I don't always work the jobs in the order I get them and small jobs get done inbetween the larger ones.  When I finish I send an email with the final invoice.  I may or may not ever see the customer and haven't (knock on wood) had to wait long for a final payment.  (Once I got a thank you card which had a picture of the customers and the enclosure on the front). The deposits do come in quicker because I always explain that the work doesn't start until it arrives. :). The book gets annotated with milestones, materials, contacts, and dates.  The front of each book has a start date and date that it is full to make it easier to find specific jobs.  I just got an email last week asking me to start on a job that was turned down two books ago so yes it does help to keep the books.  

Fragged
Not sure where you are but I use Erie insurance and they have taken good care of me. As for tax questions you need a good accountant to keep ya out of trouble.

[bobbin]

Mojo, my mother had a very severe stroke (had to learn to walk again) that left her very impaired with respect to memory function.  It was very hard not get frustrated for awhile, but then I began thinking creatively and setting up "systems" that had built in reminders.  Having "built in" reminders took the stress off me and helped her get through important daily routines with minimal flubs.  Now, it's like I have radar about memory impairment, can almost sense it and don't let it bother me.  It's not very hard to repeat myself and take more time with someone.  I "get it". 

I am in the throes of switching from my spiral bound notebook to my laptop and specially created folders for each new job.  I am struggling with the digital camera and pictures to replace my hand drawn sketches, mostly because my elderly camera is not compatible with the laptop.  So I tend to use both systems but am making a concerted effort to focus on the laptop.  I have historically used a spiral bound, weekly calendar to record appointments but am now using Google calendar in addition. I really like it!

I use Peachtree for bookkeeping, but haven't quite gotten to the point where I do estimates on it.  But that's the next logical step for me.  So, at present, I still sit down and put pencil to paper to calculate yardages and then refer to Peachtree for the prices of requisite notions.  It always makes me chuckle when I use the old pencil and paper for something I know could be done more quickly on the computer.  But sometimes moving at your own pace and in your own comfort level is more improtant. 

[Mike]

. The deposits do come in quicker because I always explain that the work doesn't start until it arrives. :). The book gets annotated with milestones, materials, contacts, and dates.  The front of each book has a start date and date that it is full to make it easier to find specific jobs.  I just got an email last week asking me to start on a job that was turned down two books ago so yes it does help to keep the books.  

boy ain't that the truth on fast deposits compared to finals. 
That's why I save all my  notebook now also.
On the rare occation I don't meet the customer in person and just  quote the job key a deposits  is mail after I mail  or e mail them a contract on occation I've forgotten to write in the deposits amount   Maybe my brother / partner got the mail and went to the bank or what ever I've alway figured it out with deposited amounts is something  so I like to see the owner talk sign the contrack and get the deposits as I make out the contract