[pianotech] What software do you need?

[Susan Kline]

On 10/30/2010 8:31 AM, pianotech at pianoteks.com wrote:
> For example, I imagine you want to keep track of not only the clients
> name, address, phone number etc, but also information about their
> instrument(s)? What kind of details (about the instruments or anything
> else) would you need to track?
My self-built tired old MsWorks database keeps track of whether or not 
the customer is a teacher, and if not, who they study with (if they do.) 
Also the various dates when I've tuned for them, with a line after each 
date for what other work was done. Their location, of course, with 
directions to find it. Page Two is an estimate form. The type and model 
of piano, the serial number, and their name and address copy from the 
Page One fields. On Page One I also list other pianos they have and 
their serial numbers, particular information about the people and 
instruments to help jog my tired memory, and of course contact 
information like home and work and cell phone numbers and email 
addresses. I have a line for a mailing address if it is different from 
physical address. I keep a field which will sort names by last name, and 
another which will sort by date. I keep the file sorted by last name as 
a general rule, sorting after I've added new customers.

It will still (probably with difficulty now) generate a "report" which 
will give me name, address, phone, and last time tuned all on one line, 
so I can print out the whole shebang to take with me in the car. Been 
awhile since I did that. It's getting pretty big for that now.

In its earlier days, it would dial a phone number for me. That went away 
when they updated it to a new "improved" version, which also introduced 
a bunch of new bugs. The spreadsheet I use for invoicing now turns all 
the shaded background fields to black. I have to turn them back to gray 
by hand every time I open the program. It works while it is open, but I 
click on "save" and it doesn't save, it turns them to black again when 
the program is closed. <grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr> I used to be able to 
configure the icons on the tool bar. Now they can't be moved. I am going 
to rebuild the invoice form in a newer program, which shouldn't be that 
hard. No need to move old billing data, I can just keep it where it is.

I really could stand to build a new customer database form in something 
more up to date, but since MsWorks databases don't convert worth a damn, 
I can't face moving all the data by hand, so I just keep using it. If 
only Microsoft had just LEFT IT ALONE. It never was the most brilliant 
software in the world, but it did a job, and one got used to its quirky 
little ways.

I don't own a GPS gadget ("the lady in the box"), but I can see that for 
someone starting out now, a feature in the software which could group 
customers by location and generate maps and directions and some kind of 
interface with the GPS device might be very helpful.

Susan Kline
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