Shopvox anyone?

[gazfocus]

Not being a mega busy shop, we have, upto now, got by with using our accounts software for keeping track of jobs (basically printing copies of the invoices and using those to make sure we don't forget any jobs). However, we are making the move to QuickBooks Online and have noticed some software called ShopVox which looks like a very impressive package that integrates with QuickBooks making life so much easier.

ShopVox looks as though it can handle everything from the initial customer enquiry, through to capturing proof approvals and monitoring job progress.

I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with ShopVox before I sign up.

 

[DYP]

Why Quickbooks online? You would think after the big 2 days of internet access down from Centurylink people would get the hint about the risks losing internet access. And speaking of Quickbooks the desktop versions anyway offers quite a bit of form customization where info can be entered once and then various forms can be used throughout the job process and ending with a final invoice.

 

[gazfocus]

Why Quickbooks online? You would think after the big 2 days of internet access down from Centurylink people would get the hint about the risks losing internet access. And speaking of Quickbooks the desktop versions anyway offers quite a bit of form customization where info can be entered once and then various forms can be used throughout the job process and ending with a final invoice.

I’m normally of the same opinion and try to avoid online software where possible. We have, until now, been using Sage Accounts but Sage have put the prices up and our subscription has more than doubled (to almost £200 per month) so we cannot justify it any longer.

However, we are in the U.K. so haven’t experienced the internet outage you mentioned, and quickbooks online offers a lot of additional features that would be quite useful. The integration with Shopvox (if we proceed with it), the ability to import all our eBay/amazon orders, and the ability for customers to pay their invoices online.

We did have a look at Quickbooks Desktop (I actually have a paid version of quickbooks desktop 2014) but the costs weren’t worth it when considering the integration options of quickbooks online. The quickbooks desktop version in the U.K. is actually quite a step down from quickbooks online.

 

[OffsetStorefront]

If you're ever concerned with internet connectivity, we have an add-on to our internet plan (+$30/month?) that is essentially an extra little box that detects when the main line goes dead (a rare, but not unheard of event) and then swaps to using cellular data towers to keep your connection up. I think you're right to go for the option supporting integrations to what you already use. Streamline as much as possible!

 

[gazfocus]

If you're ever concerned with internet connectivity, we have an add-on to our internet plan (+$30/month?) that is essentially an extra little box that detects when the main line goes dead (a rare, but not unheard of event) and then swaps to using cellular data towers to keep your connection up. I think you're right to go for the option supporting integrations to what you already use. Streamline as much as possible!

There are business grade modems available that have backup sim cards in for when there are connection problems. The other alternative would be a cellular dongle of some sort that could plug into our existing network infrastructure.

 

[Keith]

I use Quickbooks Online. One advantage for me is that my bookkeeper works remotely so it is super easy for her to have access. If the internet goes down, which is rare and never more than a couple of hours or so, I just use my cell phone as a hot spot or I take a lunch.

As for ShopVOX, it looks like it's geared more toward sign shops which is probably why it's never turned up in any of my MIS researching. It certainly looks very affordable.

 

[gazfocus]

I use Quickbooks Online. One advantage for me is that my bookkeeper works remotely so it is super easy for her to have access. If the internet goes down, which is rare and never more than a couple of hours or so, I just use my cell phone as a hot spot or I take a lunch.

As for ShopVOX, it looks like it's geared more toward sign shops which is probably why it's never turned up in any of my MIS researching. It certainly looks very affordable.

Yeh it does look geared towards sign shops but it does have the ability to add paper types and printers, etc.

Can i ask, do you use a MIS and if so, which one?

thanks

 

[Keith]

Certainly. I use Morning Flight gold edition . It is PC desktop only. No Mac version. No web version. Very affordable. But if you need multi-person access, it may not be a good solution. As for job tracking, you can mark a job Design, Awaiting OK, Prepress, Press, Post Press, and Delivered. You can also print out an Open Jobs list which is nice. One problem though, if you invoice the job it's locked so you can't change the status in the job tracker. Not a problem for most customers that pay upon receipt or Net 30 but those that want an invoice up front... Other shops that use Morning Flight also use Trello for tracking jobs. I used Trello for awhile but gave up after a few years. I'm just not that big of a shop to warrant the time spent creating a "card" and moving it around the digital board. But it was awesome, none-the-less.

I use Business Importer to get the invoices into Quickbooks Online which costs about $120 for the year. Morning Flight can export a CSV file and the Business Importer brings it into QB. A lot of clicking but it beats typing especially when you have a dozen invoices to import. Morning Flight is a great price calculator and keeping track of job details for repeat orders. It's super easy to recall a job, change any specs, etc. A lot of my customers rely on me to remember job details. I've been using it since beta testing it in 2008 so I'd be happy to talk over the phone about it and answer any questions.

Last year, I did attempt to try a web based MIS system. After years of research, I decided on PrintLogic, based in Ireland. Super affordable and had awesome features. What I didn't like was how it calculated prices and didn't seem to be very good at repeat jobs (if any of the specs changed, you had to start over with a new quote). Gave up on it after five months. A couple really cool features was it's ability to mass email any of your customers directly from within the software. You could also create custom price lists for specific customers.