<HTML><HEAD></HEAD> <BODY> Avery: Yeah, what David Ilvedson said! dave __________________________________________ David M. Porritt, RPT Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275   ----- Original message= ----------------------------------------> From: David= Ilvedson <<A= href="mailto:ilvey@sbcglobal.net">ilvey@sbcglobal.net</A>><BR= >To: <<A= href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A>> Received:= Thu, 26 Feb 2004 11:03:28 -0800 Subject: RE: Time & Chaos= (was RE: Client database) Avery, I believe you can use the program at= work and home... The HOLY GRAIL is ONE program that= is a customer database, scheduler and financial accounting= program.  It doesn't exist and if it did it would be a huge= unwiedly program.  I will say, that Quickbooks now has a= Customer Manager program which does link to Quickbooks but it= doesn't come close to Time & Chaos as a customer= database/schduler especially in ease of use.  It is= something to check though and it might work for you.  Once you can get over the hurdle of not having= all this stuff in one program you can get on with your= life.  I have!  You also have be realistic= about what is REALLY necessary in day to day customer= relations.  I think many folks want an elaborate system of= keeping track of every iota of info on a customer.  As= the years go by you come to the realization that 90% of that= info is never looked at again.  Why keep it in the first= place?  KISS...Keep It Simple Stupid. I use Quickbooks for all accounting= work.  I use Time & Chaos for my customer database and= scheduling.  Here is my problem with $ and my database= program.  None of the database programs can do what= Quickbooks can do with my financial information.  They can= keep track of money coming in and who owes $ etc. but all= of the other financial stuff such as checkbook and other= banking is beyond them.  Why would I want to= enter that financial info twice?Because I want to have a REAL= financial program handling all my $ concerns including billing,= accts receivable, invoicing & whateve,  I KEEP= THEM SEPARATE!   A typical usuage:  A new customer Mr. Jones calls.  I enter his= info into Time & Chaos' Telephone Book/All Contacts.  I= can name as I want numerous fields in T & C Telephone= Book/Contacts such as Cross Street, Directions, Piano Name,= Serial Number, Referral, Childrens Names, etc., but my Palm only= shows the first 4 custom fields so I need to put the most= important info first.  I use Cross Street, Directions,= Piano Name, Serial #.  I can use the Notes area for service= records with Time Stamp, children's names or whatever= I think is important to know at the service call.  Now= Mr. Jones & I decide on an appt.  I go through my= calendar and find  the appropriate day, drag his= name from Telephone Book into the appt. area for that day= and up comes a edit box for that appt. in which I set the time,= duration and what ever else I want to go in there.  Each= appt. has a separate notes area for info pertinent to that= particular appt.   These and all notes do show up= in the Telephone Book.  On the day of that= appt.,I will sync with my Palm and all Mr. Jones info is= available in shirt pocket.  T & C syncs with Pocket PC= so you could conceivably also have a tuning device in your shirt= pocket if you have a Pocket PC!.  I use the Palm for time= of appt., directions and entering service info at the time of= the appt.  I typically get a check when finished.  I= don't give a receipt unless asked and use a generic receipt pad= when necessary.  One less thing to do and unnecessary= except with customers I bill such as hotels, restaurants. = At the time of appt. Mr. Jones & I decide to tune again in 6= months.  I can set that future appt. in my Palm which= will come up in T & C after syncing or as I prefer I can= make a note of this and schedule a To Do in the future in T= & C when I get home.  The To Do will come into= view on a specified date telling me to call Mr.= Jones.  At the end of the day I sync with my computer= and any changes from my Palm go into T & C.  The $ is= entered into Quickbooks as a Sales Receipt and hand enter= the name and amount entered.  Now when I go back after a few years and look at= Mr. Jones service record, my notes are in T & C show with= Day Stamp what kind of service I did that day.  If Mr.= Jones changes the appt. it is as simple as dragging the appt. to= another day and editing the time as necessary. Having said all this I will admit that a college= technician taking care of 100 pianos for one school might find= this program lacking for them.  An Excel spreadsheet might= be better for keeping track of numerous pianos for one= customer.  You could set up T & C using the Telephone= Book/Contacts with each studio or location of a piano in the= Last Name field.  I think the typical self-employed piano tuner will= find Time & Chaos does all you really need.   David Ilvedson         ----- Original message= ----------------------------------------> From: Avery Todd= <<A href="mailto:atodd@UH.EDU">atodd@UH.EDU</A>> To:= <<A= href="mailto:dm.porritt@verizon.net">dm.porritt@verizon.net</A>&= gt;, College and University Technicians <<A= href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A>> Received:= Thu, 26 Feb 2004 10:11:40 -0600 Subject: Time & Chaos= (was RE: Client database) Dave & others. I'm= considering trying T & C and I have two questions for those= of you who already use it: 1. Is there a way to also= enter amounts earned, expenses, that type of thing?=    Or do you have to do that with a different= program? 2. The site indicates that it is registered by= user, not by computer. So it    seems that I could= have it on my school AND home computer for the= same    price. Is that correct? <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">I think you can try it= for 2 weeks or so.  </BLOCKQUOTE> I= just looked at the site and the free usage is for 21 days. The= $45.00 price is correct. <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite">By then you'll know if= you like it.  You can get it from: <A= href="http://www.chaossoftware.com/chaos32.html"= eudora="autourl">http://www.chaossoftware.com/chaos32.html</A><B= R> dave</BLOCKQUOTE> Avery </BODY></HTML>