Customer tracking software

[LawnoftheMonth]

is groundskeeper pro worth the 400.00 or should i go with quickbooks pro for 200.00?

or do you guys recommend any other programs? :confused:

[Ric]

is groundskeeper pro worth the 400.00 or should i go with quickbooks pro for 200.00?

or do you guys recommend any other programs? :confused:

Lawn

It is a matter of personal choice I have used both. IMHO Groundskeeper Pro is Idiot proof and fairly easy is many ways for non Bookkeepers, but it also has defaults I didn't find to my liking. I will give Groundskeeper a big thumbs up in the fact They returned my money in full after two years because I didn't like the program. Customer support like that is hard to find. Of course I gave them a very hard time, so maybe not everyone can get that.

Quickbooks really has not changed a great deal except for each years updated payroll default. I am using a 2004 version and it is no longer supported, But I don't do payroll. What I like about Quickbooks, It is basic Double entry bookkeeping as I learned in school many years ago. Of course it does all posting automatic as do all computer bookkeeping programs. Quickbooks has more control features and reports which I find valuable, but others might not. Quickbooks is a very standard program that is used by almost all business and accounting firms. If you ever need Professional Business help, CPA's can quickly look at your QuickBooks files (given you have made all the entries) and give you the advice you need.

BTW With Quickbooks, By right clinking on a New invoice, You can set it up as a reoccurring charge each month so you don't have to generate that invoice each month. This can be done with or without the same price. This saves many hours in front of a computer each month.

[GREEN AS A GOURD]

I decided to go with Gopher Pro and am very satisfied.They have a 30 day free trial period which i think is great, so your not obligated.IMO its worth a shot.

[Bill Ahlers]

Thanks Green. Dl'd Gopher pro it last night and like it so far.

[ant]

www.billmasternow.com

[LawnoftheMonth]

thanks for the replies, i still havent decided...

[1.2.3. green]

Go gopher and get the manual for 19 bucks to read through catch on a lot quicker and solves all the unknown

[LawnoftheMonth]

yeah im leaning towards gopher, thanks everyone.

[Dr.Simon]

I'm using Structural Pest Control System through www.rdfsoftware.com . Support is great and can be conformed to lawn care such as mine. It is a Pest control format, but it can be adjusted.
Paul

[Mow Right]

How many customers are you handling? IMO this could have a lot to do w/ what software you need.

[LawnoftheMonth]

How many customers are you handling? IMO this could have a lot to do w/ what software you need.

60 right now and slowly/steadily growing.

[Mow Right]

60 right now and slowly/steadily growing.

How many are you looking to have by the end of this year? The end of next year? Do you already use QB for accounting?

[LawnoftheMonth]

How many are you looking to have by the end of this year? The end of next year? Do you already use QB for accounting?

all my accounting is done by hand. free quick book only lets me input 20 customers. i dont know how many customers i'll have at the end of this year, depends on how bad chinchbugs are this summer and brown patch this fall. 300 is my goal for right now.

[Mow Right]

all my accounting is done by hand. free quick book only lets me input 20 customers. i dont know how many customers i'll have at the end of this year, depends on how bad chinchbugs are this summer and brown patch this fall. 300 is my goal for right now.

IMO you should pay the $ and get QuickBooks pro for like $100 if you can find it on sale. Then you can rent Qxpress throughout the summer for like $38 or so. That is what I have done for the last couple of years. It is a really nice system because you can post all of your lawns at the end of the month into QB and then bill then out from there. Then you can use QB for your taxes, figuring revenues, accounts recievable, ect.

This year though I took the jump and bought real green (cost like $5500) because I am planning on some major growth this year and next year. I am trying to get all of the systems (software, operations, ect) to make the business scalable. Right now though I am servicing a couple hundred properties or so.

[LawnoftheMonth]

IMO you should pay the $ and get QuickBooks pro for like $100 if you can find it on sale. Then you can rent Qxpress throughout the summer for like $38 or so. That is what I have done for the last couple of years. It is a really nice system because you can post all of your lawns at the end of the month into QB and then bill then out from there. Then you can use QB for your taxes, figuring revenues, accounts recievable, ect.

This year though I took the jump and bought real green (cost like $5500) because I am planning on some major growth this year and next year. I am trying to get all of the systems (software, operations, ect) to make the business scalable. Right now though I am servicing a couple hundred properties or so.

thank you so much for the advice, i appreciate it.

[Mow Right]

thank you so much for the advice, i appreciate it.

No problem man. The other reason I went with Real Green is because I figured sooner or later I was going to need it anyways. It is great software geared towards marketing features and running a large business in many ways. I did not want to have to go through the hassle of switching software next year. If you switch software you lost all of your time learning the software, old records, account history, ect...

I guess what software you should use really depends on the goals of your business. If you are expecting 1000 customers, with office people, by next year... I would probably not go w/ a cheap software just to get by. For myself, I felt that real green was pretty much my only option to build a scalable business w/o switching software mid-way.

Real Green is, to an extent, built by a lawn care company to run a lawn care company. While Qxpress is built by a software team to run a general service company. The difference in how the two programs handle customers, estimates, service calls, ect, show that Real Green is clearly superior for a large lawn care business. I could go on for hours but like I said, for a smaller business I like Qxpress/Quickbooks (mainly for the cost and ease of use). If you plan to "go big", then you should take a serious look at Real Green. They offer some pretty good financing, like 24 months 0%.

If you have any questions or w/e you can always PM.