Can anyone tell me what programs they are using for keeping things organized. Right now I use quickbooks for accounting. What I am looking for now is a program that will allow me to input all my estimates in, keep track of which ones I won, which ones have been completed, which ones havent been, create work orders.
What programs are you using to keep all of this organized.
Thanks
Which version of Quickbooks are you using?
Most Quickbooks; EasyStart, Pro, Premier etc., can do everything youâre looking for a program to do.
If youâre using Quickbooks Accounting Edition (approx retail $500) itâs designed specifically for Accountants to manage multiple Quickbooks clients more efficiently.
You could always try contacting Intuit and asking if they could provide you with a more appropriate version for your needs - Quickbooks Pro (approx retail $200) - they may be able to switch your program at no or little added cost if you ask nice and point out that youâre already a Quickbooks client.
Thanks for the help, right now I use excel to make my estimates because I have developed a spreadsheet to input numbers that spits out my pricing, is there a way to import this data into quickbooks pro without re typing it? Also a program for easily drawing roof profiles would be nice. Right now I just hand draw and do the math on paper then scan it into the computer. But if I could draw it already on the computer with relative easy and get my area that way I might be able to save some time.
I am having trouble because, right now I develop a detailed estimate in excel which includes bundle count, labor, etc⌠all lines items broken down. Then I have the estimate I give to the homeowners which is much more general without all that information and I am having trouble inputting this excel file into quickbooks and then how to blank out some of the columns so the customer copy doesnât include all of the information that is just for myself.
Maybe you can create a separate worksheet in your workbook that only contains the data you want to export to QB? OR, you can create an export file and simply delete the rows/columns that you donât to import prior to importing it? I havenât tried to import from Excel into QB but it seems logical to me that one of these two options might work. If you try this or have tried and failed please let me know. Good luckâŚTony
what programs are out there that are you guys are using for estimates and keeping them organized? I know lots of people here use xactimate anyone else using anything different.
All of my take offs are in spiral notebooks in order by date. i write sold and highlight it if i sell the job. I have every estimate i have ever done on file by date. Very easy to find. My estimates to the home owner are on 3 part copy paper. i just fill in a few blanks by handwriting (the home owner doesnt really care if it has the numbers filled in by hand). 1 copy to home owner. 1 copy filed in âestimates outâ file by date. 1 copy to office manager. We also have a sales room in the office with marker boards on the wall that we write down what we have bid and what we have won so everyone can see it and everyone knows who is bidding & winning and who is not. Also at the end of every day we adjust our closing rate on the marker board. Im usually around 42%.
This is Excel based & will work on Open Office (calc)
I also have one for a P&L breakdown on each job, however it lacks an entry for milage as this is variable & wonât be accurate until the project is completed & the final collection is done:
If you send me an Email, I will forward these to you in a format that can be opened by Excel. Obviously, these are both templates & I can modify pieces on an âas neededâ basis, i.e. I remove 3Tab & leave in Dimensional, etc.
I think most of what you now do in your Excel worksheets you could input & have calculated directly in Quickbooks with the right one-time set up of Item and Price lists.I would suggest looking for a local Quickbooks Advisor to help set everything up. You could import your Excel columns into the corresponding Lists and use that as your starting base.
If you set up 2 Estimate templates, by switching between them you could have - 1 with all details for your use (with including customization of the Other 1 & 2 columns and added data fields in your layout) - and 1 for Customer with less detail in print but still some of your data on screen for reference.
Hope that helps a bitâŚitâs way too much work for me to tackle for my files. We manage estimates the old-fashioned wayâŚnotepads & carbon books. The only ones I enter in Quickbooks are those for jobs awarded or any that have to be faxed or e-mailed. Husband measures and does estimating for every roof and once heâs seen it he never forgets it. The odd time there might be a small sketch beside his calculations in his notepad, or a note: :arrow:
Thanks for the help, my organization used to be fine when I was a small time. We used to mainly just do subwork for larger companies then all of a sudden I started getting more calls than I could handle and started booking up jobs and the paperwork was just a mess since I was doing all the books myself.
We are still fairly small two crews,I still nail on one crew (Im young and want to keep the business small enough that I cant continue to roof and keep organized because I enjoy the work) and now that our season is wrapping up im just trying to get see how other people organize their stuff.
So thanks for the help.
You may want to looking to some sort of CRM. Salesforce, Chronicle, Surado to name a few. Cabinet NG/CNG Books are one of the best add onĂĆĂ¢Ă¢ââŹĹĄĂÂŹĂ¢ââŹĹžĂ¢s to QBĂĆĂ¢Ă¢ââŹĹĄĂÂŹĂ¢ââŹĹžĂ¢S you could possible buy. We implemented Cabinet Ng about five years ago and absolutely changed our office. As for estimating, we are currently testing Estimation Pro which gets the job done efficiently. They currently donât support QBâS sync but have stated that they will by spring.
The only CRM,diagram,estimating, production managment, sales reporting tool that is 100% web-based built for Roofers is acculynx.com.
Salesforce cannot give you what acculynx.com can. Acculynx integrates with Quickbooks too, to make it easy.
Acculynx also allows you to do profit analysis prior to doing the job based on current materials and labor. Then break the job down after too to see variance. Manage all your customers via integrated google maps, weather overlay, etc.
See these youtubes or go to acculynx.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Jaq5qCOBw)
Use it anywhere in the world. Its web-based.
Eagleview integration too.
[quote=âtechirooferâ]The only CRM,diagram,estimating, production managment, sales reporting tool that is 100% web-based built for Roofers is acculynx.com.
Salesforce cannot give you what acculynx.com can. Acculynx integrates with Quickbooks too, to make it easy.
Acculynx also allows you to do profit analysis prior to doing the job based on current materials and labor. Then break the job down after too to see variance. Manage all your customers via integrated google maps, weather overlay, etc.
See these youtubes or go to acculynx.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Jaq5qCOBw)
Use it anywhere in the world. Its web-based.
Eagleview integration too.
Ok lets let the cat out of the bag (pun intended!) on the site it says 1-5 users how much???[/quote]
Acculynx prices its software as a license based on a per user/per month fee. There is also volume discounts for larger seat companies.
1-5 users is $99 per month/per user.
Acculynx has companies as small as 1 user all the way to 150 users and 10 offices. Volume discounts are given after a live demo and user amounts are negotiated.
Free updates and no contract or cancellation fees. 30 day FREE TRIAL.
Hope this helps.
cculynx is pound for pound the strongest total package software on the market for roofers and especially insurance restoration contractors. It was built based off of one of the largest roofing contractors in the US with sales of over 150 million since 2003.
It is the ONLY roofing contractor software that integrates with Eagleview(the strongest player in aerial roof measuring), has a push/pull relationship with Quickbooks, is backed by ABC Supply, Allied Building Products, HailSwath and more.
With thousands of users already acculynx has stormed onto the market and will continue to dominate through its continued Research and Development and cutting edge technology. Things to come include fully capable phone apps, multiple supplier price database, an expansive commissions module and more.
There really is nothing like it. Often imitated, never duplicated.
4 years of development and millions invested, Acculynx is hands down the best, most efficient and innovative program for roofing contractors.
Give it a try for yourself for 30 days free. There are no contracts, cancellation fees or huge upfront costs. Pricing is based on user count, so the more people you have, the less you spend per user per month.
The licensing fee is much like a cell phone. 20 years ago, cell phones were unheard of in the contractor world. No one would have spent thousands on phones for all their sales reps, laborers, managers, etc. Now, everyone has Smart phones with internet, email and calendars. Contractors cannot live without them. This is much like acculynx. Once the benefits are noticed, it is just a cost of doing business the right way for the future.
All upgrades are included, never download an update again, never have to get a disk in the mail, just login and if there is a new feature, you get it automatically.
Acculynx values the customer and most changes or future development is based on the customers ideas and feedback. It is not your old school excel program or ms access database. Cloud computing is the way of the future and is how acculynx does business. Store an unlimited amount of files, PDFâs, word docs, and images. Never lose the pictures for your jobs again!
Xactimate is for insurance adjusters. Acculynx is for roofing contractors.
Acculynx offers a portal to import any price list you choose in CSV format.
Keep your current cost of materials and labor so you may see profit forecasts and job costing prior to signing a contract with the customer.
The new and improved online sketch tool lets you import Eagleview or diagram a roof on your own. Drop in collateral items like vents, pipe boots and redundantly create an estimate based on your insurance pricing. Create templates for Statefarm, Farmers, etc or for 30 year, 40 year, Cedar and Slate. Do bids in seconds.
Then create your POâs and Crew work orders from your estimates once you get the job! This is all done in a click of a button.
Manage your production, crews, notes, schedules, sub pay, etc.
Acculynx has easy to print forms for invoice, estimate, order, etc.
There is really too much to talk about. They also let encourage you to talk to current users and companies doing millions in business using the system. What better form of reference is there?
Check emâ out at acculynx.com/
or call them at (866) 981-5969