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If you have a mac as I do, I don't think you can save customer specific prices like on gopher. On pc however, you can apparently go into preferences somehow and check "price levels" for different services and assign those levels to each customer. This is what I was told last night. Hope I was misinformed about the mac thing or hopefully I can get a refund for the QB I purchased online yesterday. Entering each price manually is a joke. I loved how gopher would allow each service to be saved at each customers individual price. You could just print invoices with only having to enter dates and services, no looking up prices. You could also have different hourly rates for each customer or for different services. I don't know if this is possible with QB either.

Not trying to highjack, just some of my QB concerns.
QB seems like a good program other this.
 
So I got it up and running. I think this is something that is really going to help me streamline my business. I got the email going so I can email invoices, Im having a payment button added to my website through Intuit and overall Im pretty happy with QB.

The only question I have is how do I seperate what each customer pays? On Gopher I could put in customer X pays X amount for mowing and at the end of the week I would input my schedule for that week and whatever I charged a certain customer would pop up.

Can I do that on QB or do I have to manually enter the charge?
Under "item", add each customers name instead of add services, then add a new "item" that is a service for that customer, but select the box to make it a "sub item" and choose the customer that you want it to be a sub item of and it will be save at what ever price you choose for that customer and you can save descriptions too. You have add a new service item for each service as a sub item for each customer, Huh? Anyway that is the only way I can figure out. Price levels will work the same way but Ive confirmed that feature is not available for Mac.
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
Under "item", add each customers name instead of add services, then add a new "item" that is a service for that customer, but select the box to make it a "sub item" and choose the customer that you want it to be a sub item of and it will be save at what ever price you choose for that customer and you can save descriptions too. You have add a new service item for each service as a sub item for each customer, Huh? Anyway that is the only way I can figure out. Price levels will work the same way but Ive confirmed that feature is not available for Mac.
Thanks.

Im not a computer guy but can you explain why it wouldnt work MAC's but it would for PC's?
 
Thanks.

Im not a computer guy but can you explain why it wouldnt work MAC's but it would for PC's?
What I just explained will work on Macs. Price level is a different feature that is not on the Mac version. Not sure why not or how exactly the price level feature works but if you have a Mac you can do as I explained above. I'm new to Mac and qb but I guess I will use the method in my last post. Once all of you items(customers) and sub items(services) are set up it is very similar to gopher
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What I just explained will work on Macs. Price level is a different feature that is not on the Mac version. Not sure why not or how exactly the price level feature works but if you have a Mac you can do as I explained above. I'm new to Mac and qb but I guess I will use the method in my last post. Once all of you items(customers) and sub items(services) are set up it is very similar to gopher
Posted via Mobile Device
The price level feature that your refering to will not add individual price level to an invoice. If you assign a $50 price level and then charge 2 mowings at $45 each, then you will get a message, " the current price level for this customer is $50, do you wish to proceed?" something of the sort. It is just a warning.
 
So adding customer names as items and using services as the sub item for each "customer/item" works really well. The only problem is that it looks weird on the invoice. Solution is to open an invoice and select the invoice template, then edit template. You can then select to make the "item"column not show up on invoice. You will however need to put the service description on each service sub item for each customer.That will be what shows up on the invoice for the service. I also checked the boxed for "serviced" in the edit template menu. That allows you to add a date for each service on the invoice. Takes some time to setup but I currently have it running almost identical to gopher. I can probably help if anyone who has questions.
 
Get QB, it will do everything you need to do. Use the payroll and CC features. However, take the time (and I mean time) to learn QB thoroughly. Be ready to commit, long term, to the QB way of doing things.

If you are the type that will have a heartburn about data security and worry about where Intuit is storing you files out there on the “cloud”, you may want to reconsider. I’m just saying.

Bottom line – I like QB. I use it almost exclusively. That’s just me . . . I can do the books old school or new school or no school. But, I know you guys don’t want to take a lifetime to learn this stuff like I did, nor should you have to, running your business is first priority.

Take care~
 
So adding customer names as items and using services as the sub item for each "customer/item" works really well. The only problem is that it looks weird on the invoice. Solution is to open an invoice and select the invoice template, then edit template. You can then select to make the "item"column not show up on invoice. You will however need to put the service description on each service sub item for each customer.That will be what shows up on the invoice for the service. I also checked the boxed for "serviced" in the edit template menu. That allows you to add a date for each service on the invoice. Takes some time to setup but I currently have it running almost identical to gopher. I can probably help if anyone who has questions.
No need to go through all of that hassle. I have QB for Mac and simply create an item for each of my mowing customers. For example "Mow Jones" In the item template I can give a specific price for that customer and a description of the work.

From then on every time a type in "Mow Jones" the description of work and price automatically appear on the invoice.

There's even an auto set up when you get a new customer. Just type in the customer's name in the item portion of the invoice and it will automatically ask you to set up that item (price ect..)

I do use sub categories to keep track of what percentage of jobs I'm doing. For instance I have sub categories of mowing, clean ups, hardscapes, sod ect... That way I know exactly what jobs I'm doing.
 
That sounds like a similar end result. I guess Im anal about my invoices and how I input data. Also I have dozens of services for some of my commercial accounts. Using the sub item option keeps all of that customers services with that customer. I will likely use your method for the mow only accounts. I hated having the name and service as the listed "item" on invoices, but you can hide the "item" and just display the item descriptions on the invoice. Looks perfect and works just like the Gopher Im used to.
Thanks.

Also I love the customization options for invoices. I was freaking at first but have caught on and really like QB for Mac.
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
I just emailed my first invoice for the year for a mulch job I did. I gotta say, buying Quick Books and utilizing it properly may have been the smartest thing I have done so far in 12 years of business. I have a feeling that not only is this going to save me a ton of money but its going to make my life easier and really streamline my business.
 
I have been using Quickbooks Pro for over 10 years now and for the first time this year using Quickbooks Pro 2012 I am scanning all my vendors invoices into Quickbooks and attaching the pdf file to the payment. No more file cabinets full of receipts, bills and statements. Company file gets backed up on a thumb drive, to intuit daily and my CPA quarterly, I love it !!!
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
I have been using Quickbooks Pro for over 10 years now and for the first time this year using Quickbooks Pro 2012 I am scanning all my vendors invoices into Quickbooks and attaching the pdf file to the payment. No more file cabinets full of receipts, bills and statements. Company file gets backed up on a thumb drive, to intuit daily and my CPA quarterly, I love it !!!
How do you scan them? Does QB offer something like that or are you using an outside product?

I was thinking about getting something like this.

http://www.neat.com/solutions/neat-solutions/receipt-scanning
 
for those of you accepting CC's through Intuit, how much are you being charged per swipe? Monthly? etc.
I ask bc I was trying to sign up last night, and read in one page of the 'sign up today' section $15.95 per month, plus 1.47% for swiped cards, 2.47% for keyed in cards, PLUS 27 cents per transaction. (Then in fine print, it said 27 cents per transaction at time of sale, then 27 cents per transaction when the end of day when a batch is run).
I have tried to call Intuit, and lines were busy so the answering machine took my info and said they would call me back within an hour. That was this morning at 8am, I haven't gotten a call back yet.
 
for those of you accepting CC's through Intuit, how much are you being charged per swipe? Monthly? etc.
I ask bc I was trying to sign up last night, and read in one page of the 'sign up today' section $15.95 per month, plus 1.47% for swiped cards, 2.47% for keyed in cards, PLUS 27 cents per transaction. (Then in fine print, it said 27 cents per transaction at time of sale, then 27 cents per transaction when the end of day when a batch is run).
I have tried to call Intuit, and lines were busy so the answering machine took my info and said they would call me back within an hour. That was this morning at 8am, I haven't gotten a call back yet.
Those figures sound about right, even though they sent me a swiper for my smart phone I never use it. I key in the numbers or the customers pay online directly. American Express is much higher.
 
So, unless I run into problems collecting checks from customers, I cant justify accepting CC's for only a percentage of my 150 or so customers. My monthly average collected per customer is around $120-200 for regular maintenance (residential). So, lets say 50 of those customers pay with CC. That would be 32 cents per customer (15.95/ 50) PLUS $2.96 ($120.00X 2.47%) PLUS 27 cents when I swipe the card, PLUS 27 cents when I close the batch= $3.82 per customer. Or $191.00 per month. What are the advantages everyone has found to justify the added expense? Save enough on paperwork? Or stamps, envelopes, trips to the bank? Do customers 'sign up' for services they normally wouldn't bc of accepting CC's? Thanks in advance, I'm just really on the fence about whether to start accepting them or not.
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
for those of you accepting CC's through Intuit, how much are you being charged per swipe? Monthly? etc.
I ask bc I was trying to sign up last night, and read in one page of the 'sign up today' section $15.95 per month, plus 1.47% for swiped cards, 2.47% for keyed in cards, PLUS 27 cents per transaction. (Then in fine print, it said 27 cents per transaction at time of sale, then 27 cents per transaction when the end of day when a batch is run).
I have tried to call Intuit, and lines were busy so the answering machine took my info and said they would call me back within an hour. That was this morning at 8am, I haven't gotten a call back yet.
It depends on how much you are doing. Personally Im only going to be using it for one time mow customers. If it stays below 1250 a month there is no monthly charge but a swipe charge of 2.7 and a keyed in charge of 3.7. If you do over that its 12.95 a month with a 1.7 swipe rate and a 2.7 keyed in rate.
 
Discussion starter · #40 ·
So, unless I run into problems collecting checks from customers, I cant justify accepting CC's for only a percentage of my 150 or so customers. My monthly average collected per customer is around $120-200 for regular maintenance (residential). So, lets say 50 of those customers pay with CC. That would be 32 cents per customer (15.95/ 50) PLUS $2.96 ($120.00X 2.47%) PLUS 27 cents when I swipe the card, PLUS 27 cents when I close the batch= $3.82 per customer. Or $191.00 per month. What are the advantages everyone has found to justify the added expense? Save enough on paperwork? Or stamps, envelopes, trips to the bank? Do customers 'sign up' for services they normally wouldn't bc of accepting CC's? Thanks in advance, I'm just really on the fence about whether to start accepting them or not.
I added accepting CCs AND emailing invoices.

For me personally its time spent on invoicing and money spent on paper, envelopes and postage.

On top of that it beats waiting for a check. The money is there instantly.

I dont pay ONE bill anymore through the mail. I do all my bills online. Its just easier that way. I just assumed my customers would find it easier also.
 
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