customer database

[lockhes]

anybody know of any good ones where i can store information about customers and quotes etc

hopefully free



thanks

 

[Short Circuit]

have you got the Microsoft Office package? Access is quite good for that kind of thing, but quite complicated to use unless you are familiar with it! I am sure one of the Sage packages do that too - but thats not free!

 

[Octopus]

How do you manage your business finance? Produce your figures for your accountant? Check the costs/profitability of your jobs?

Take a look at Intuit Quickbooks Pro - yes it'll cost but it does what you want plus what I've written above too.

PS: There is a free downloadable version you can "play with" before you buy - at least you can try this product out first. Also I forgot to mention that you can set up your estimates and invoices with your logo and email them directly too.

 

[Dan]

Excel is handy to create a database of customers with I find. Easily searchable and you can add/remove fields as and when you need to. You can also link it up with Word and do mail shots to your customers just by typing out one letter, Word then extracts the Address for the address part of the letter, and First/Last names for the 'Dear .....' bit. You can also use a field such as 'work done' to quote that in the letter, so it would write something like 'thanks for having your recent XXXXX carried out by us, we're just writing to you to let you know about our offer on XXXXXXXXX' to make it very personal and so the customer doesn't assume it's just a random unsolicited mail shot.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Just a bit of a warning about storing personal info about others. Be very careful about what you keep and where you keep it. People are very savvy about the Data Protection act, and they can and will shaft you if you let something out of the bag. It may just be a another fact to you, but to them it maybe very personal thing. This is now the new "Where theres a blame theres a claim" not to mention a stay at one of Her Majesties All inclusive resorts. I know you have only good intentions, but be careful, very careful.

Cheers..............Howard