David reminded me of the T&C color code option, so let me jump in with a few tweaks that I do. One nifty things that I do is avoiding playing phone tag with customers, which sometimes takes forever to get into the books.. I now will return their call and give them a time and date which will work for my schedule. I get a higher number of people agreeing to my time suggestion right from the start. I then color code that appointment with lime green ( why that color was picked, I haven't the foggiest idea) so that appointment stands out on my schedule as a non-confirmed appointment. When they call or return the email and confirm, then it goes to a non-colored appointment. It's a quick and easy way to avoid phone tag issues and getting people on the books quicker. It's a simple right click on the mouse and the file icons pop up allowing the simple change. I also have about 4 basic groups that get color coded ,especially on days of concerts. Rehearsals get one color, final tuning prior to a concert gets another color. Its an easy way to get my attention for the day's details without getting too cumbersome. I do send out reminders, both with emails and reminder cards. T&C allows this with complete ease. I use the categories section to determine which month and year the customer is to be reminded.You can create as many categories as you want. I have categories set up like this: Jan 2009 Jan 2010 Jan 2011 Feb 2009 Feb 2010 It's basically very old fashioned an nothing about this is rocket science. When I complete the service appointment, I update the customer's category with when I need to remind them. Then on any given month, you need only to go to that month's category and open. Those who need reminded appear in the contact list. Then go to the print command and determine which you want to print. It also will allows you determine what type of label size and form you want. Or you can print envelopes, if that's your choosing. Quite honesty, this simple feature for tickling customers is why I have stayed with T&C for so many years. It's quick and simple. One of things I've mentioned to T&C folks about is allowing the use of a create a pre-made reminder type of email card that could be applied to all those due. I'm trying to gear all of my email-friendly customers to expect reminders via email. Having a clever email that's pre-made as part of T&C would be sweet. Now I have something I made and saved in My Documents and do a cut and past. The nice thing about the T&C folks is that you can actually call them up and discuss ideas for tweaks down the road. They actually like getting feedback from users. If enough people suggest something, it gets changed in the next update. Got to love these guys! Tom Servinsky ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey at sbcglobal.net> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 7:27 PM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Database for Piano Business > #1 & 2 T&C has colors...they don't call them flags. When I finish an > appointment...the next time I'm in the office I drag that contact in the > calendar and change the date 1 year in advance...i.e. 2010. I change the > Group on the appointment box to Service Due (which I type in and it can be > anything I want...filled in from there on) Service Due has it's own > color which is RED. Usually I drag them into a Monday which is my main > office day. When that Monday comes around their appt is in Red and I > know to call about the service due. I don't send out mailings, but T&C > can certainly do that by using the user labeled catagories with Jan > through Dec. and 2010, 2011 etc. You can click on the date and do a > report...I never use it. Alarms for every appointment is available. I > use them to alert me on my PDA that the next appointment is 1/2 hour away. > #3 There are many views available and the contact view alone can be used. > How do you keep your service notes at the time of the appointment? > That's what I use my Notes for...I have a Palm Tungsten which syncs to > T&C. Everything I enter at the customer is synced with the computer. I > sure you have the same thing? > #4 Each contact has a link to Mapquest tab on the computer screen. Same > thing one click. Does your PDA have a picture of the map? Do you carry > a computer with you? I have never tried to get a picture on my PDA...I > know I can > > Basically, we all are use to what we use and are unwilling to take the > time with a new program until we absolutely need too. I absolutely > needed to, about 5- 6 years ago. I gave Outlook a long look and was > using it until someone mentioned T&C on the List...never looked back. I > was sold on the dragging contacts into the different areas. > > David Ilvedson, RPT > Pacifica, CA 94044 > > ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- > From: "Al Guecia/AlliedPianoCraft" <AlliedPianoCraft at hotmail.com> > To: <dave at davispiano.com>, <pianotech at ptg.org> > Received: 3/4/2009 4:08:01 PM > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Database for Piano Business > > >>Dave, maybe it's the way I use Outlook. > >>1, I set up my clients into 3 categories, a) Red Flag: customers who tune >>on >>a regular basis, b) Grey flag: Customers who are overdue. c) No Flag: >>Customer who are over 1 year overdue. I can also make a note on the flag >>as >>to the tuning interval I want to set up. (3 months, 4 months, 6 months, >>etc.) > >>2, I set up an alarm for when the next tuning is due. No need to use the >>calendar to set up reminders. Each month on the first (that's the way I >>set >>it up) my alarm comes up with all the customers that are due to be tuned >>that month. > >>3, All my customer information is on one page. No need to go into the >>"note" >>portion. > >>4, I hit one button and it take me to MS Maps and Directions with the >>customers address already entered for directions. > >>I guess Outlook works better for my style of setup. I couldn't get T & C >>to >>do that. > >>Al > > > >>-------------------------------------------------- >>From: "Dave Davis" <dave at davispiano.com> >>Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 5:32 PM >>To: <pianotech at ptg.org> >>Subject: Re: [pianotech] Database for Piano Business > >>> Al, >>> >>> I found that T&C is much more powerful and user-friendly than Outlook. >>> Not >>> sure why it doesn't appear so to you. >>> >>> >>> >>> Best regards, >>> Dave Davis >>> Davis Piano Service >>> 425-226-0102 >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: "Al Guecia/AlliedPianoCraft" <AlliedPianoCraft at hotmail.com> >>> >>> Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:14:49 >>> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> >>> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Database for Piano Business >>> >>> >>> I downloaded a trial version of T&C and worked with it a while. It >>> really >>> can't do what my MS Outlook can do and it if can, it's beyond my >>> expertise >>> to get it to do what I want. I'm sticking with my Outlook. >>> >>> Al >>> >>> >>> -------------------------------------------------- >>> From: "Mike Spalding" <mike.spalding1 at verizon.net> >>> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 2:31 PM >>> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> >>> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Database for Piano Business >>> >>>> PTBiz will export customer data only, via the "Mailmerge" function. If >>>> you try to open your PTBiz data with Microsoft Access, you will see a >>>> list >>>> of about 20 files, but the only one you can open is Mailmerge. >>>> Apparently >>>> the developer did something to make the others inaccessible. If some >>>> database wiz out there could figure out how to unlock all of the files, >>>> we >>>> could use Access to address the features we want, or to export all of >>>> the >>>> data to some other software. >>>> >>>> John Formsma wrote: >>>>> On Tue, Mar 3, 2009 at 10:22 AM, Ron Nossaman <rnossaman at cox.net >>>>> <mailto:rnossaman at cox.net>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> I have a couple of questions. Can PTBiz export a comma delimited >>>>> file of your database? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> PTBiz will export a great deal of the data, but not all. It's been a >>>>> while, but I think it will export everything but the piano data, >>>>> invoicing, and the accounting. In other words, it exports customer >>>>> information but not piano information. So, you're not totally out of >>>>> luck -- just have to reenter piano data. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> JF >>>> >>>> >>> >>> > > >
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