new software for service/stock/data management

[A1_Domestics]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

I’ll be your guinea pig and if you need a hand porting it to winmo lmk.

[jeremy]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

check ure pm a1

[peterjay]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

just an update for those that posted or emailed me

the system that i bought is a 3 program system service/stock/kbase

the cost of the entire system was £2000.00 but have been advised by paul that he will split any of the programs or even spilt the cost into 4 payments or you can rent for £100.00 a month this is an inclusive price

the system will work on 1 or 25 pcs or on server and as many laptops as required yes it does intergrate sms email and postcode into the system as does sage and pegasus accounting programs

it will also upload and download info/orders from suppliers / service providers but does req info support from them

all laptops can be uploaded in the morning via 3g or direct into server and downloaded in the eve (cuts out paperwork)
i will be attending wga meeting in sept and will bring my laptop along if any bodys intrested in seeing the system working
or you can email me at peter@peterjayservices.co.uk

[admin]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

After a long time deliberating over a new system and trying out different versions we decided 2 months ago to use the new hatchgate software,

Since that time Paul the developer has re written parts of the programme and has adapted the system to help it work perfectly with our individual needs, these changes have also been updated for other companies
I know Peter Jay services have shown off this programme before at a UKWG conference and he has always said how good it is but I have to disagree its not just good it is excellent

The ability for clients to book their own calls on line, also the ability for each individual customer to then get real time updates on their job has saved us so much time in the office , also the ability to text and email customers directly from the system and ease of use is a real bonus.

The stock control system has also saved us a lot of time in the office, Paul has written a neat little programme that allows the orders to be exported so you can import them directly into Connects (electrue’s) ordering basket, he is also in talks with other companies to make this possible on their systems, when ordering 30-40 parts a day from 3-4 suppliers this can save so much time.

i really cant recomend this enough
http://www.hatchgatesoftware.com/default.aspx

[kwatt]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

How much is it?

K.

[peterjay]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

look at my post above ken

and whats even better now all 3 programs run as one package

[dyson]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

Hi all,

This is my first post, although I have been a member of the forum for some time and regularly watch whats going on.

I can agree with Peter Jay and Apples comments above. I installed the Mercury Service Manager and Mercury Stock Manager programmes from Hatchgate Software almost two years ago. I am self-employed, so I initially thought the software would be too expensive, however I took the plunge and purchased it (paying monthly instalments for 1 year) and now that I have used it I can say I am really impressed, and its well worth the money. It does everything I need and has saved me lots of time, plus Paul from Hatchgate is really helpful and always there if you need him. He has made a lot of additions to the programmes to suit the way our trade works. If you are looking for a good service and stock system send Paul an email or give him a call.

Steve

[funkyboogy]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

to me it looked a bit complicated when it was demonstrated at the meeting – maybe down to time constraints and examples shown at the time .

i guess we may be spoiled with the service providers systems we use , ie connect very easy to use and quick , samsung bit more complicated but still ok . both systems let you view diary – parts ordering – basically everything you really need to know to do your job , and most importantly invoice your client which is automatically done when you hit the complete button

the service providers own software systems are good but obviously we dont own them and cant put our own trade jobs onto them,also they dont cater for stock control etc.

the problem we have is we use upto 4 service provider systems and our own database for private/trade work . its not worth paying out a lot of money just to use for our trade work ,

and sounds like it would be complicated to transfer our service provider jobs onto another system – which the service providers dont want as they have probably spent millions on developing their systems ,

for us i think most of the systems that i have seen would create more work ..

ally

[peterjay]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

hi funkyboogy
sorry if i made the system look complicated but how do you show a system that has taken years to perfect in just 15 mins
it is a very powerfull system that is getting better every month if you are at the sept meeting i will show you more in detail if you would like , in answer to some of your comments i will say we were working with 11 service providers at one stage each with their own way of doing things and whilst there systems are reasonalby good and quick i would never count on any of them to give me correct infomation ,in the past we have hsd several invoices go missing off there systems wrong parts against jobs or wrong prices ect with this system everything is imported in, giving us total control not only of invoices but diarys/ engineers allocations/stock control even data managment.one screen will give us all outstanding invoices at the end of the month. one screen will give us every job outstanding from every sp and detail the status of every job. even at busy times with 150 outstanding jobs on the screen i can tell within seconds every detail of every job wether their parts wating and from where/waiting for info/wating to be rebooked / call booked /workshop plus at busy times we can swap jobs between engineers plus all our clients have the abilty to come into our system to look at there jobs in detail whch saves them time in telephoning us chasing jobs plus every job is now sent a text at every stage of the call ie your call is booked for**** the parts have arrived we have booked you in on **** or sorry the parts we have orderd have gone to back order we will contact you soon .having worked with several systems this is the only system that gives us total control and whilst it might take time to enter in information i know im in control not the service providers

[funkyboogy]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

it does sound really good my concern would be the time /staff to enter all the data ?, dont know about anyone else but it seems a lot of service providers are update hungry these days , our office staff are now spending more time updating the smallest amount of info onto service providers systems. ie (called customer today at 10.20 am left message on their answer machine re appointment). i know this doesnt take to long to do but if your doing this with 50 – 100 job per day it soon bites into someone normal duties , we have noticed that on somedays the staff run out of time and cant complete what they use to do.
i wouldn’t want to put anymore on their plate ie duplicating jobs onto another system , if it could be done easily and is able to communicate/update with service providers systems then it may be worth a look.

one of our service providers is testing an app at the moment, which will allow the engineer to communicate directly back to their system to order spares / close jobs from customer house so this may further complicate the situ. again they are looking for real time job history

i think the app based software will be what they will all go for , but again you will need a office based system that will be able to interface with mobile engineers using apps etc that will be able to communicate with service provider systems.

its all very complex with each service provider using their own systems. i a have a feeling they will never want to use someone else,s systems for a whole host of reasons ..

i will have a look at system at sept meet and see if its something that we could use ..

ps if anyone has got a system where we just insert chip into back of engineers head allowing upload/download – etc please let me know..

ally

[peterjay]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

hi funkyboogy
this system already has realtime updates
engineers can update this system via lptop or mobile via login

the problem will always be as i have pointed out on sevrial meetings is the telephone networks will not be fast enough for years to come the last quote i got from vodaphone was a 70{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} coverage in my aera on 2g not exspected till 2020 thats 8 years away so even if sp go for apps its still no good for us in this area as half the time my mobile hasent got a signal ive even given up on mobile payment terminals as the last ones we used even with all 4 networks in them worked about 3 in 10 times im even chasing our network provider as our broad band (paying for 40gig download -4gig upload )only achives these speeds at 3 in the morning normal speed 4/5 gig -.5 upload so dont hold your breath for these super speed systems

[peterjay]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

Hi all,

In reply to Ken’s request for prices above, Paul from Hatchgate Software (the developer of Mercury Service Manager, Mercury Stock Manager, K-BASE and ServiceWeb) has emailed me with details of the costs for one or all of the systems. Like me and Apple Electrics, those of you that already have the Mercury systems will recognise these prices:-

Single-user, purchasing either Mercury Service Manager or Mercury Stock Manager (i.e. one package only), £1200

Single-user, purchasing both Mercury Service Manager and Mercury Stock Manager, £1500

Multi-user (up to 5 users), purchasing one system only, £1500

Multi-user (up to 5 users), purchasing both systems together, £2000

Additional user licenses are typically sold at £150 per license

All Mercury Service Manager customers receive Mercury K-Base (versatile engineer’s knowledgebase) and access to Mercury ServiceWeb (a website that allows your customers to view their jobs and submit new service calls directly to the service system) completely free-of-charge, as well as program updates and dedicated personal support for a period of 12 months following installation.

In addition, the total cost can be paid in 12 x monthly instalments to help with your cash-flow.

Please see hatchgatesoftware.com for further details.

Best regards,
Paul
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Peter

[Jackal]

new software for service/stock/data management

Thanks Peter this is very interesting.

Jackal

Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

[Davecas]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

Hi all,

We`ve been using the servicemanager system and its 2 predecessors for years (our records go back to 1996!).
The current system is infinately adjustable to your needs.
How many times does a customer phone up to say the appliance you fixed 4 months ago has gone faulty again, the records say it was 18months ago! if you do work for letting agents or other contracts that require invoicing, how easy is it to forget to send an invoice, this system allows you to check within seconds if you have invoiced all jobs to that client and wether they have paid.
Job history,invoicing,ability to record photos & specific information against machine details,client & home details recorded so when invoice produced it automatically prints invoice address and job address seperately.It is a really great program that will help your business. It has been developed over the last 16 years and is still being adapted as customers ask for tweaks & improvements.
It sounds expensive at first, there is a learning curve and the task of inputing the data is daunting, but use it every day and the database becomes so useful for analysing your profitability,mailshots etc is incredible.
I am one happy user of this system and Pauls ability to listen and upgrade the system to meet my requirements.
So if you are thinking of it give them a call.

Sales pitch over!!!!!!!

[Aztec Domestics]

Re: new software for service/stock/data management

Well when it comes to this post i’m right up there with peter jay, apple electrics and all the rest of you running Mercury Systems. We have only been using it for about 3 months now and just like everybody else on here i searched and searched, googled, downloaded trial after trial and deleted them all within minutes!!! I discovered that if you are a dentist, hair dresser or something similar then there is tonnes of generic programs out there, some for free! But when it actually boils down to it, the service that we as independents offer is far more in depth than any of us notice until we are trying to purchase something to suit us!! Mercury Systems is developed specifically for us, I’ve tried to fault it, and i can’t. if something doesn’t suit my business i ring Paul and he either points out where i am using the system incorrectly or he changes it to suit me. Normally withing 24 Hours!! Show me another system that is tailored as your request. It really is what i searched for and i try to use every aspect of the system because it just makes for such an easy life!! Like i said i haven’t been using it long and its already taking care of my business, giving me more time to deal with customers and be out on the road.

hope this is of help to anybody else that has searched the web for the right product and haven’t yet found it.

[Author]

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