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Customer Management Software?


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#1 Service Engineer

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Posted 22 August 2006 - 09:15 PM

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Hello. We are a medium sized alarm company and I am looking for a software programme to help me manage our intruder alarm customer base and make the maintenance visit scheduling easier. Do you have any suggestions, the SSAIB recommend BASE but on speaking to someone who has used this in the past, they were not very impressed and gave up on it. Thank you

What do you company owners use to manage your customer database.?
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Dave Partridge (Romec Service Engineer)

#2 norman

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Posted 22 August 2006 - 09:40 PM

Dons Pete's hat:- KISS software and mention my name
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#3 whistle

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Posted 22 August 2006 - 09:44 PM

View PostAlarm Guard, on Aug 22 2006, 10:37 PM, said:

I have constructed my own multi-relational database using Access. I can adapt it to the requirements of another company if they are interested.

Being Access based, it is very powerful and competely seemless.


Elements include:
Customer details. Job details. Invoicing. Automatic VAT calculations. Reports. Monthly maintenance lists. Customer reminders. Jobs by day, or engineer, or by customer. Unfinished jobs. Unpaid invoice checking. Unpaid invoice reminders (3 stages). Installation details with zone details, resistances, voltages, Etc...

I can call up all details of any customer in seconds and keeping a check on maintenances, Etc. is a breeze.

We use this and find it very good.

Wolf Security (N.W.) Ltd

SSAIB Certificate of Merit Approved Installers

Intruder Alarms - CCTV Systems - Fire Alarms - Access Control Systems


#4 Nova-Security

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Posted 22 August 2006 - 10:00 PM

In house Access DB now with PDA link (nearly finished)
www.nova-security.co.uk

www.nsiapproved.co.uk

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#5 xx badwolf xx

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Posted 22 August 2006 - 10:04 PM

i use a product called service life has
install, service, visits, callouts, invoices with sage, quotes schedules sections and some more does most of the things i require icluding the 4hr tracking
We have used this for about 4 years now can be bought outright sales or on a yearly contract
Mark Smith, Director, S M Fire & Security Ltd, Bradford

#6 Service Engineer

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Posted 22 August 2006 - 10:21 PM

I'm fairly sure my last employer used "Alarm Master", he seemed to be happy enough with it but I remember he frequently used to be getting updates to the program.
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Dave Partridge (Romec Service Engineer)

#7

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Posted 22 August 2006 - 10:22 PM

View Postnorman, on Aug 22 2006, 10:40 PM, said:

Dons Pete's hat:- KISS software and mention my name

Its deletes contracts like.........

if your buying one in alarm master or cash for windows both will link up to sage line 50 ect...

#8 gupster

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 03:29 AM

View Postwilsdensec, on Aug 22 2006, 11:04 PM, said:

i use a product called service life has
install, service, visits, callouts, invoices with sage, quotes schedules sections and some more does most of the things i require icluding the 4hr tracking
We have used this for about 4 years now can be bought outright sales or on a yearly contract

Got a website for them?

Really im after something web based then i can alter it to exactly what i want. I just need something with the bare bones so i dont have to start from stratch.
CFS Fire & Security
www.cfs-fire.co.uk
Cornwall & Devon Fire & Security Protection Specialists

#9 SystemQ

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 07:53 AM

We used a program called “RADIX”. Very powerful and feature packed but we had our own written to replace it for more control. As an off the shelf program Radix has a lot of features;

1- To dos
2- Projects
3- Appointments
4- Call outs
5- Phone messages
6- Support desk
7- Contact Mangager
8- Notes
9- Time sheets
10- Invoicing
11- Email

It’s free for personal use but this may restrict features.

Worth a look.

http://www.hurstridge.com/index.shtml


Paul.

#10 j.paul

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 08:29 AM

I would try a few different ones first, to make sure they do what you want them to do and you are happy with it before you part with your money.
There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.

#11 Guest_Peter James_*

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 07:14 PM

View Postnorman, on Aug 22 2006, 10:40 PM, said:

Dons Pete's hat:- KISS software and mention my name


Swerve KISS like your life depends on it!

View PostMr Happy, on Aug 22 2006, 11:22 PM, said:

View Postnorman, on Aug 22 2006, 10:40 PM, said:

Dons Pete's hat:- KISS software and mention my name

Its deletes contracts like.........

if your buying one in alarm master or cash for windows both will link up to sage line 50 ect...

QFA my votes for alarm master

#12 norman

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 07:24 PM

View PostPeter James, on Sep 7 2006, 08:14 PM, said:

View Postnorman, on Aug 22 2006, 10:40 PM, said:

Dons Pete's hat:- KISS software and mention my name


Swerve KISS like your life depends on it!
Elaborate please, I thought you were up for having his babies?
Never wrestle with a pig, you both get covered in sh1t and the pig enjoys it!

#13

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 07:33 PM

View PostPeter James, on Sep 7 2006, 08:14 PM, said:

QFA my votes for alarm master

did you get you kiss data ported over as part of the install?

#14 Guest_Peter James_*

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 07:44 PM

Year 1 very good product easy to use , few bugs but quickly sorted.

Year 2 more bugs on the update, like adds a penny between invoices and statements so everyone owes me a penny!!! :angry: but still gvfm.

Year 3 loads of customers dont get a maintenance visit and are not invoiced at all because the stupid database considers them as bad payers as they all owed me a penny :angry2: :angry:

After Rod told me it was us doing something wrong for the millionth time I put a backup copy on my laptop so I could keep an eye on it, found the program made daily, spread changes all over the server, and to client pc's c drives.

So yep its cheap but it cost me so much more than I paid for it, Alarm master cost me 12 times what I paid for kiss, and it imediately found £2k worth of unbooked maints

In the begining Kiss seemed good value for money and tbh it was all I could afford anyway, but this time round I looked at the top three, and chose AM and am very pleased with it, it does everything + and when we get the PDA phone deal we will be able to send jobs direct to the engineer. Tech support is fantastic too.

Pete

View PostMr Happy, on Sep 7 2006, 08:33 PM, said:

View PostPeter James, on Sep 7 2006, 08:14 PM, said:

QFA my votes for alarm master

did you get you kiss data ported over as part of the install?

Yes and thats when we found even more of the problems that kiss had caused

#15

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 08:05 PM

View PostPeter James, on Sep 7 2006, 08:44 PM, said:

Yes and thats when we found even more of the problems that kiss had caused

Have you've got it linked to sage?

Mail merge signalling orders / urn ect......

I've still got loads of daft things to do like making an A5 bsia style system log book from the report generator, with the zone location & attributes being mail merged into it & just spirabanding it per site as required

#16 Guest_Peter James_*

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Posted 07 September 2006 - 08:34 PM

View PostMr Happy, on Sep 7 2006, 09:05 PM, said:

View PostPeter James, on Sep 7 2006, 08:44 PM, said:

Yes and thats when we found even more of the problems that kiss had caused

Have you've got it linked to sage?

Mail merge signalling orders / urn ect......

I've still got loads of daft things to do like making an A5 bsia style system log book from the report generator, with the zone location & attributes being mail merged into it & just spirabanding it per site as required

The Sage thing is another story, but yes its linked to Sage. We print our own certs, and mail merge all the quotes ect, I dont use it to its full extent yet but getting there v slowly.
Pete

Oh and we import direct from the arc for the false calls ect

#17 gupster

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Posted 22 September 2006 - 03:50 PM

At the miniute im just doing subby work so i dont need a massivly complex system to record what im doing.

Does anyone have an excel or access type job logging system i could have a look at? I understand that you would have made this yourself at your own time and money so may not be willing to dish it out! Im just after something really basic to look at maybe something someone has created years ago and not used anymore?

Thanks,

Adam
CFS Fire & Security
www.cfs-fire.co.uk
Cornwall & Devon Fire & Security Protection Specialists

#18 gla.ssfp

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Posted 22 September 2006 - 09:43 PM

Where do you get the Alarm Mater software from?

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Posted 22 September 2006 - 09:48 PM

click for the ye olde alarm master shoppe :P

#20 IPAlarms

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Posted 23 September 2006 - 12:31 AM

View Postgupster, on Sep 23 2006, 01:50 AM, said:

At the miniute im just doing subby work so i dont need a massivly complex system to record what im doing.

Does anyone have an excel or access type job logging system i could have a look at? I understand that you would have made this yourself at your own time and money so may not be willing to dish it out! Im just after something really basic to look at maybe something someone has created years ago and not used anymore?

Thanks,

Adam

Hey gupster,

I wrote the Windows based AlarmPro software years ago and I don't market it any more due to other projects. It is probably still used by dozens of NSI and SSAIB approved companies. I have often thought of offering it free of charge to new Alarm Companies that do not yet have computerised systems. So, I guess now would be a good time to start doing so.

You, and anyone else on this forum are welcome to download it from my web site on the understanding that I cannot offer support and that it will not be upgraded in the future. I will make the files available and post a link as soon as someone let's me know they are interested.

AlarmPro has been replaced by a web based version which allows you to install the software on a server and have your engineers and customers access it with a browser at any time. If allowed by you, Customers can request services and view alarm and maintenance history. I think it was written too early, but might gain momentum in a few years time as internet acceptance becomes more widespread.
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