Busy Busy Busy

[MinUph]

  Since taking over the shop it has been unbelievable. I can't say it's because I now own it because most customers that call or walk in don't know yet. But none seem to care and are happy to do business with me.
  Now that is great. But it's hard to keep up. I have not been able to do much work on the bench side of things and my one good Upholsterer is doing what he can to keep up. I am meeting with a possible sales woman on Saturday to help with sales calls but that wont help with the phone and walk ins. Each of the three Mondays so far have been ungodly busy with people coming in and on the phone. This past Monday my two guys were out on deliveries and I was alone in the shop with 3 deep of couples needed to be helped. This went on for 3 hours. It is a good thing to be busy but I need to get work out faster. I don't want to over extend myself with Payroll so I'm up for suggestions. Maybe after a few months and getting a bit ahead financially it will be easier to hire more people.
  Another thing is keeping these jobs straight. I'm working at it and I'm confident it will all work out scheduling wise but it not that way yet. I'm taking pictures, putting them with names and tagging the pieces. But I've lost tract of a couple of jobs already. Who belongs to that chair and what fabric is for this kinda thing.
  I guess I just had to vent a little. But if anyone has any ideas I'm listening.

[sofadoc]

But I've lost tract of a couple of jobs already. Who belongs to that chair and what fabric is for this kinda thing.

Well, I sure can't help you. I only take in a few jobs a week, and I still get them mixed up.

[JuneC]

Sounds like you need to import Darren for the winter ;-)

June

[SteveA]

Kind of a problem but not all bad.  I'm glad to see all the good luck wishes from here came true.
Maybe I'm dreaming but if you could find a gal for the showroom - someone with an idea of design,  maybe she took some decorating courses in school - she'll need to use a computer  - she will record and log customer names, fabrics, appointments, deliveries - and is a people person who can sell in a pinch  -  this can really free you up.  In terms of salary - you're all in now - and you need to grow a little to keep up. 
I know it's not my money at stake but just my thoughts looking in -

SA

[gene]

I use sheets of printing labels. Like this. http://www.sheet-labels.com/labels/SL101VP_vertical_perf

I write the date and customers' name on a label and stick one on everything: furniture, fabric roll, gimp in a bag, pillow. Anything that they drop off gets a label.

Someone left their kid one time and when they came back to pick up their kid he had a label stuck to his forehead.  :)

I write all the details of the job on a notebook piece of paper at work. When I get home, if I have a deposit, I fill out the Invoice form on Quickbooks. I customized a box on the Invoice that says "Your Side mark". I put the date and customer's name in this box.

If it's still an Estimate and not a job yet, I fill out the Estimate form, which also has a box for "Your Side Mark" and I fill it in with the date and customer's name.

I use the Invoice form as my work order in the shop. If you do this you may want to find a way to remove the prices if you don't want your workers to see that.

gene

[sofadoc]

........and I was alone in the shop with 3 deep of couples needed to be helped. This went on for 3 hours.

I've often said "I have so much work to do.......that I can't do any of it".

People think that having customers 3-deep all day is a good thing. But not necessarily.

Not that I ever have them 3-deep. But even 1 set of customers in the shop for 2 or 3 hours can really throw you behind on the bench work. I'm sorely lacking in patience when customers take too long to decide. I tend to just go back to work and ignore them. I would be terrible at running a mid-sized shop.

Perhaps when you get your sales woman in place, you could forward the shop phone to her cell, so she could field most of the incoming phone calls while she is out on visits.

[MinUph]

I use sheets of printing labels. Like this. http://www.sheet-labels.com/labels/SL101VP_vertical_perf

I write the date and customers' name on a label and stick one on everything: furniture, fabric roll, gimp in a bag, pillow. Anything that they drop off gets a label.

Someone left their kid one time and when they came back to pick up their kid he had a label stuck to his forehead.  :)

I write all the details of the job on a notebook piece of paper at work. When I get home, if I have a deposit, I fill out the Invoice form on Quickbooks. I customized a box on the Invoice that says "Your Side mark". I put the date and customer's name in this box.

If it's still an Estimate and not a job yet, I fill out the Estimate form, which also has a box for "Your Side Mark" and I fill it in with the date and customer's name.

I use the Invoice form as my work order in the shop. If you do this you may want to find a way to remove the prices if you don't want your workers to see that.

gene

  I like the labels Gene, I use them when selling remnants on eBay. They dont stick all that well but workable. As for the work order thing I want to do just as you explained. With the estimate or invoice being the work order. I have found no way in QB to not print the pricing. I have blackened it out but it looks like I'm hiding something from my people. I don't care for that to come across. I've also found pictures stapled the the W/O helpfull as long as all this gets done it will work.
  Thanks.
  Keep it coming my friends.

[gene]

How to print a shop work order on QB without prices. My QB is 2013.

You already have an Invoice template that you use.

Go to Lists and click on Templates.

Highlight your Invoice template. Make a duplicate of this template. It will say Copy of: whatever your original is called.

Double click on this new template to bring up the Basic Customization screen.

Click on Additional Customization button.

Click Columns.

Remove the check marks from Rate and Amount boxes. (This stops these numbers from being printed.)

Click OK. You are finished with the Customization windows.

Rename Copy of: whatever, to WORK SHOP ORDER, or whatever you want to call it.

Now, make an Invoice using your regular Invoice Template or by converting from an Estimate to an Invoice. Click the SAVE button. Do not close and save the Invoice, just click on the SAVE button.

Now, click the Template button on the Invoice screen and click WORK SHOP ORDER. This will convert everything into this new template and will not print the rate and amount. Click SAVE. Do not close and save, just click SAVE. Then Print.

Now, click the Template button on the Invoice screen again and click the original Invoice template. This puts all info back into the your Invoice Template. Click save and print if you want to print a copy of this Invoice. Then Click Close and Save.

Hope this helps. It's very easy and quick to do and only adds a few additional key strokes to every Invoice.

gene

[gene]

An addendum to the above post.

I went into the Customization layout for the new "copy" template and deleted the Sub Total, Tax, and Total sections that were a part of the original Invoice Template.

I also changed the name on the template from INVOICE to WORK SHOP ORDER.

gene

[MinUph]

Good direction Gene, I never thought of doing that. I know exactly what your saying and will do it on the next work order. Thank you.

[Mojo]

Gene:

I owe you dinner. We have been trying to figure this out and was going to hire a quick books expert to design this workorder system for us.

Thank you.

Chris

[MinUph]

A little update on my quandaries.
  1st I hired a woman to answer the phone, make appointments, help customers and start the tagging process. She only worked 3 days and was doing a fine job but didn't want full time. I did, so I decided to let her go and find another which I did after about 12-13 interviews. I found another girl that will start Monday.
  The tagging is working good. It's a new thing and a little hard to get use to but we will get there. It is nice to know here everything goes and to who and what goes on it. Thanks Gene. I bought a tagging gun, some tags and were going to town.
  I haven't played with the QB thing yet. It sounds like a go for what I want but just haven't gotten time yet.
  I also found a seamstress to fill in the Monday and Tuesday slots. Mine only works Wed-Fri. And she travels 2 hours to get there so I can't complain much about her. Bless her. The new girl starts in a week.
  I hope now that I'm not feeding the beast to much. Payroll will be a challenge :)