Ticket Software Mobile Tech

[BAMFDiesel]

Hello everyone, I need some assistance with customer ticket software.
A little background, I'm 25 and getting ready to conclude my first year being an independent mobile tech. I primarily work on 2013+ road tractors (PACCAR's more specifically), but I work on all models and equipment as well. The primary service I provide is diag, electrical, def troubleshooting/repair. Client base is around 20 reoccurring customers, 40+ total; total trucks is 100+. Accounting software is QuickBooks.

Now the problem at hand, I deal with too many trucks and pieces of equipment for handshake style tickets and repair documentation. What software are you guys using?? I have a few webinars scheduled tomorrow but I want opinions from real users. Mobile app integration would be lovely but at this rate I'm willing to sacrifice convenience for quality.

 

[Coaldust]

I’m a one-man mobile operation. I am using Fast Field for my work orders. It’s awesome. It’s all on my phone. You can make whatever form you want. Or, give the great folks at Fast Field a document format you like or tell them what you want and they will make it.

I have a signature box that allows my customer to sign the workorder. You can instantly convert it to a pdf and email it or print it.

 

[BAMFDiesel]

I’m a one-man mobile operation. I am using Fast Field for my work orders. It’s awesome. It’s all on my phone. You can make whatever form you want. Or, give the great folks at Fast Field a document format you like or tell them what you want and they will make it.

I have a signature box that allows my customer to sign the workorder. You can instantly convert it to a pdf and email it or print it.

How is it for organization? if you needed to revisit a work order a year ago, or keep a customer's fleet on file?

 

[Coaldust]

Attached is a screenshot. I tried to blank out my customer info. I can even attach pictures directly from my phone. $25 bucks a month for the service.

 

[Coaldust]

You can search for customer name, job number, po#. I have three years worth of documentation and no problems yet locating a past job.

 

[BAMFDiesel]

I love the simplicity, but I assume its manual entry every time? Are you able to save information to auto-generate into the columns? I'm guessing you don't use other customer management options aside from accounting software.

 

[Coaldust]

Quickbooks sucks for a owner-op, too complicated and expensive. Check out FreshBooks. I can run invoices, enter expenses and invoices, track mileage, yada, yada for $35 a month. Plus, my CPA is much happier vs the Quickbook purgatory. But, your mileage may vary.

My secret to success is keeping direct expenses to a minimum. Which allows me to make the payment on my single-wide and the damn lot fees. The drunk trailerpark manager is a real A-hole. The assistant trailer park manager is easier to deal with, but he never wears a shirt.

 

[Coaldust]

After you fill out a form once or twice it will start auto populating. You can also make a form template for your regular customers, pre-populated.

 

[Coaldust]

Most of my customers are regular repeat biz. IDK, maybe 30. If I was doing retail with new customers every day, this wouldn’t work.

There’s a plethora of shop management software available with expensive subscriptions and capability. I’m totally in to see what some of the other fellas use.

 

[BAMFDiesel]

I have QuickBooks and love it, i was just curious because that's how I do all of my invoices. Everything is sent via email and paid online, I can save credit cards and bill on due dates, monitor profit/loss ect. My Business checking is all on quickbooks, I take pics of my receipts and it auto-saves with the transaction so when I get audited its cake. My desire is to get something more intricate and complicated for customer management.

For example, i want to be able to categorize how customers were acquired, the cost of obtaining said customer, and the money ive generated from them ect.

The current best software i see for this is Fullbay

 

[Coaldust]

That’s awesome. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

I’m doing all that with FreshBooks, including credit card transactions. Much easier learning curve. But, nowhere the capability of Quickbooks. But, I don’t need that extra stuff at this point.

 

[Zewnten]

Just following. Sorry not much input. I've looked at a lot of options and either they don't do what I want, too simple, or they do what I want but I'm busy working and don't have time to do all the fitly bits that make the better programs work, Quickbooks.