Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Tony dunmall on February 27, 2016, 01:56:47 pm

Title: Organising your rounds
Post by: Tony dunmall on February 27, 2016, 01:56:47 pm
What alternatives do people use for organising your rounds,and invoicing ,mostly I use go cardless and email invoices  and do they operate on a Mac
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Smurf on February 27, 2016, 02:05:34 pm
This maybe of interest https://www.cleanerplanner.com/
You could sign up for a free trial and have a play
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Clever Forum Name on February 27, 2016, 02:33:29 pm
Cleaner planner
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Soupy on February 27, 2016, 02:37:37 pm
Cleaner planner.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: sunshine windows on February 27, 2016, 04:00:13 pm
GoCardless synced with CleannerPlanner is plain sailing for collections.

The invoicing on CleanerPlanner is great too.

Bulk emailing for promotions.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Tony dunmall on February 27, 2016, 05:22:37 pm
Thanks, does anyone use George on a Mac, if so how do you find it?

I currently use George happy with what it does, support is first class
it's just online backup doesn't work well through parallels cleaning planner looks good but I would have to use the £25 month package that's big change compared to George cost, which does adequate job but just doesn't Intergrated well onto a Mac
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: PCM LTD on February 27, 2016, 08:15:18 pm
Cleaner Planner all the way. You won't regret it.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Mike55 on February 27, 2016, 08:18:47 pm
Just had a look - if using the SMS feature am I correct in saying there is an additional charge per text of 4.9p?  So if sending out say 400 texts a month that's another £20 on top of the software cost?
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Clever Forum Name on February 27, 2016, 08:26:21 pm
Just had a look - if using the SMS feature am I correct in saying there is an additional charge per text of 4.9p?  So if sending out say 400 texts a month that's another £20 on top of the software cost?

It was 4.9p but I think it's 3.6 or 3.9 plus vat.

But you are correct that it cost that.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Soupy on February 28, 2016, 07:59:24 am
Just had a look - if using the SMS feature am I correct in saying there is an additional charge per text of 4.9p?  So if sending out say 400 texts a month that's another £20 on top of the software cost?

It's worth every penny.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: 8weekly on February 28, 2016, 08:00:49 am
Aworka is very good too. That's what I use. It does everything that CP does in a more user friendly way.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: PCM LTD on February 28, 2016, 08:30:42 am
I must admit that I found Aworka easier to use, especially reorganising rounds.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: lee_dewing on February 28, 2016, 02:46:10 pm
I use George £50 one off payment.

Also use backup support upload data to George £15 a year saved my bacon more than once.

Now use a voyo tablet £80 off amazon runs windows 8.1 so George works on this as laptop was to time consuming.

Turn tablet on and have George running in 2 mins.
Great.

I could take tablet out on the round with me and keep in the van but still print off lists.

Alot cheaper than leasing software
But not used Aworka or cleaner planner so can't say how much better they are than George; if they are?

Lee.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: lee_dewing on February 28, 2016, 02:50:33 pm
George has 1 month free trial.

You enter your customers in.

I just entered in a day or so work at a time found easier.

Then at the end of the month if you decide to keep, you pay online for a key code and then unlocks your George program to a keeps version.

The trial version is the full working program just on a months trial.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: lee_dewing on February 28, 2016, 02:52:15 pm
Oops don't think George will work on a mac, but will on a windows tablet.
Email George the window cleaner
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: lee_dewing on February 28, 2016, 02:54:25 pm
http://www.georgesystems.co.uk/
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Perfect Windows on February 28, 2016, 03:03:04 pm
I don't remember any posts from anyone who's used both (though I may have missed them) so anyone saying their choice is better quite possibly hasn't tried both to know.  Me included.  We use Aworka; simple, a little cheaper than Cleaner Planner, now integrates with GoCardless but I can't say it's better or worse than Cleaner Planner.

I suspect, though, that both products are similar in quality - after all, as long as they let you set up the work how you like it, track payments from customers and do basic accounts, they're likely to be doing a similar job.

Vin
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Perfect Windows on February 28, 2016, 03:08:26 pm
As regards running software on a Mac, there are solutions out there to let you run Windows software on a Mac.   However, given that the best ones involve a cost whereas a refurbished PC can cost well under £100, that might be a better solution - you only need a PC capable of running an internet browser so the spec is pretty irrelevant.  It also allows you to separate completely work computer use from home use.

Vin
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: 8weekly on February 28, 2016, 03:10:27 pm
I don't remember any posts from anyone who's used both (though I may have missed them) so anyone saying their choice is better quite possibly hasn't tried both to know.  Me included.  We use Aworka; simple, a little cheaper than Cleaner Planner, now integrates with GoCardless but I can't say it's better or worse than Cleaner Planner.

I suspect, though, that both products are similar in quality - after all, as long as they let you set up the work how you like it, track payments from customers and do basic accounts, they're likely to be doing a similar job.

Vin
I've tried both. The problem for me was that CP didn't allow you to schedule from the planner view.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: Perfect Windows on February 28, 2016, 03:14:07 pm
I've tried both. The problem for me was that CP didn't allow you to schedule from the planner view.

In which case, I bow to your deeper knowledge. I must say that we all find Aworka pretty simple to use.  One or two niggles but when I considered a swap I just thought we'd be swapping one set of minor issues for a different one.  Short of having software specifically written for exactly how you run your business there are always going to be compromises.

Vin
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: 8weekly on February 28, 2016, 03:20:30 pm
I've tried both. The problem for me was that CP didn't allow you to schedule from the planner view.

In which case, I bow to your deeper knowledge. I must say that we all find Aworka pretty simple to use.  One or two niggles but when I considered a swap I just thought we'd be swapping one set of minor issues for a different one.  Short of having software specifically written for exactly how you run your business there are always going to be compromises.

Vin
To me the only real problem with Aworka is the long winded way to move jobs between rounds. Chris says he's working on an update that will allow movement and planning of all rounds from the same planner screen. This will make a big difference.
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: tlwcs on February 28, 2016, 04:47:44 pm
As regards running software on a Mac, there are solutions out there to let you run Windows software on a Mac.   However, given that the best ones involve a cost whereas a refurbished PC can cost well under £100, that might be a better solution - you only need a PC capable of running an internet browser so the spec is pretty irrelevant.  It also allows you to separate completely work computer use from home use.

Vin

I've tried both, in fact I've had two free trails with Cleaner planner and used it for 2 months before going back to Aworka.
Both well supported, both do the same with Aworka now intergrating GoCardless and PayPal .
Aworka is £100 pa paid in Advance where Cleaner planner is £25 a month.
A lot of members here very vocally support Cleaner planner but as you say I'm not sure how many have tried both.
Tony
Title: Re: Organising your rounds
Post by: martin hulstone on February 28, 2016, 05:09:05 pm
I have tried all 3 and ended up staying with George as i found it the easiest to use.
I am not very good with software and find George incredibly simple. By far cheaper too.