An Open Association of Landscape and Horticulture Industries
Possibility of LJN software for Garden Maintenance & Landscaping business's
Talking with Phil the other day, we got onto the idea of creating a suite of programs that would sit on the web and allow you to effectively run your business through them rather than you having a whole series of applications for accounts, scheduling, costing, marketing, stock control, credit control etc etc
The concept would be that the user would pay a small amount each month to use the system and hence there would be no neccessity to keep getting updates, running several applications or maintaining a back up system for your data as it would be held on the web.
No need to buy expensive software!.
You could download your data and generate bespoke reports whenever you wanted.
Each of us operates in our own specific way, so we could set up a system where you are able to; within some boundaries; specify how you want "your" system to work.
For those who use their own accounts program, then the system would produce end of month figures for you to directly input into your main accounts program, so typically you would do 12 batch entries in the year on a simple cash accounting basis.
So, we are pushing the idea out to see what response it out there. Typically what we would like you to do is express any interest and tell us what your frustrations are in using current systems across the whole remit of Landscape gardening and maintenance; what they lack, what you would like to see etc etc
We will be reviewing all the feedback and then hopefully if there is sufficient interest begin to develop the suite and set up a dummy system for you to play with.
The concept allows flexibility all round, and by using direct e mail generation you can wave goodbye to increasing postal charges where clients use email.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Barry Richardson on -
What extra would you like Roy?
Integration of your daily operation into an accounts module eases things as data needs not to be transferred.
You can then transfer the accounts data say once a month into Quickbooks for your accountant by entering total sales generated and total cash received.
roy parker said:i be interested in a software package currently i use quickbooks for accounts but it does not do all i like
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Permalink Reply by Barry Richardson on
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A modular approach where each module interfaces with the other is what we are looking at and to tie a simple stock control system in should be very practical. So a list of suppliers, list of products with purchase price and sales price and then feeding that into work schedules for a client, generating labour and material costs and creating invoice will be common to many operations from garden supplies/maintenance like yourself to landscape gardeners who may not have stock as directly puchased materials. Again, let us know the things that really cause you issues and impact the business - bad customer results die to........ etc etc
Geoffrey King said:Stock control would be useful.
Be able to pull product data onto invoices, and take invoiced data back to the product file would be useful.
Say I buy 20 trays of pansies, from supplier X, for there to be a stock file, with sell price & purchase cost, so margins can be calculated, for the product detail to be put onto invoices, or when invoice is entered manually for the the info to be transferred into the stock file.
I know all of this is doable, I have used various such systems, but software aimed at out 50 'strong' product range, I don't know where to look.
I do all of this manually, with a spread sheet for each product.
If this happened automatically, now that would save some time!
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Permalink Reply by Phil Voice on -
Here's a few features that would be on my wish list:
* Mobile access for mobile updates
* GPS - this might be a bit too advanced - when job sheets are logged the location is also logged
* Mobile payments - can these be logged directly into the client history?
* Can there be a client access interface too?
* Wet/lost day graph
* Daily mileage/fuel cost calculator (it would be good to see how much each client, depending on their geographic location, contributes to the overhead cost for travel (good for assessing where to target more profitable work).
...to be continued
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Permalink Reply by Gary on
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Phil, thinking of starting a business again in France ? ;-0)))
Lots of those 'feature's are available as individual points in different software packages.
To see them all as selectable modules based on a 'pay and use' basis would be a killer app.
We have recently been demo'd a SatNav based system that allows a route to be downloaded to GPS, optimised using TMC (real time traffic info - like that available on many SATNavs) and provide SMS capabilities to comunicate with driver.
System also allows you to track van, out of area use, no movement for a time period (aimed at lone worker safety) etc.
Phil Voice said:Here's a few features that would be on my wish list:
* Mobile access for mobile updates
* GPS - this might be a bit too advanced - when job sheets are logged the location is also logged
* Mobile payments - can these be logged directly into the client history?
* Can there be a client access interface too?
* Wet/lost day graph
* Daily mileage/fuel cost calculator (it would be good to see how much each client, depending on their geographic location, contributes to the overhead cost for travel (good for assessing where to target more profitable work).
...to be continued
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Permalink Reply by Phil Voice on
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I'm thinking of making rustic kitchen island units as a hobby business Gary but not landscaping:)
It would be great to have a web based system to help gardeners and landscapers... And I think we're in a good position to achieve it.
We need more input from LJN members:)
Gary RK said:Phil, thinking of starting a business again in France ? ;-0)))
Lots of those 'feature's are available as individual points in different software packages.
To see them all as selectable modules based on a 'pay and use' basis would be a killer app.
We have recently been demo'd a SatNav based system that allows a route to be downloaded to GPS, optimised using TMC (real time traffic info - like that available on many SATNavs) and provide SMS capabilities to comunicate with driver.
System also allows you to track van, out of area use, no movement for a time period (aimed at lone worker safety) etc.
Phil Voice said:Here's a few features that would be on my wish list:
* Mobile access for mobile updates
* GPS - this might be a bit too advanced - when job sheets are logged the location is also logged
* Mobile payments - can these be logged directly into the client history?
* Can there be a client access interface too?
* Wet/lost day graph
* Daily mileage/fuel cost calculator (it would be good to see how much each client, depending on their geographic location, contributes to the overhead cost for travel (good for assessing where to target more profitable work).
...to be continued
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Permalink Reply by Invicta on -
You might have come across Pegasus and Chameleon account suites?
I was part of the sales team who originally sold (and helped develop) these packages. From my experience I would urge caution as the amount of "tweaking" that had to be done between the beta versions and the stable versions was extensive. It was also necessary to make beta versions available for live testing which then had to include volume testing, this also got a hairy at times.
Licensed Use - From what I gather the current trend is towards a shareware/cloud structure which means that the software is kept on a central server(s) with the user accessing their 'share' as opposed to installing an individual disk?
Disaster Recovery - In either case a hot site for disaster recovery might be required and they don't come cheap (again I sold these services to Banks, etc).
Help Desk - What support would you offer to teach people how to use the software and resonve help issues?
Network and/or Single User versions - Which way would you go?
Installation - Remote install or via a CD/ website access that the customer would undertake themselves or would you have local 'representatives' who would do it in person along with some training?
Liability - Have you considered this issue e.g. you wouldn't want to be liable for the closure of a company because they couldn't acess your site or their software had become currupted/hacked.
Hope I'm not abluting on anyones strawberries I just wanted to provide constructive views based on experience.
If, in the future, you did want a beta tester then feel free to add my name to the list,
Bernard
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Permalink Reply by Barry Richardson on
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Hear what you say, especially about liabilities and there will always be the potential for disaster if the net does go down, hence it could well be the users responsibity for holding copies of data locally in either an xls or cvs format so that they can access their data if disaster struck. (we could do this automatically when you log off, the interface would be open for a few seconds while your data is downloaded into a known directory on your computer) There are many cloud accounts packagaes and i will view to see how they address such issues.
The proposal is for cloud applications - no license, just monthly user fee
Training we could do if neccessary via webair conferences where you see my screen and I go over the operation of the system - simple questions we can deal wth via the LJN network as there will be be lots of keen users who can ask away to other users with the difficult/impossible issues being dealt with direct. Possibility of manual on LJN network, but the system needs to be and will be simple to operate.
Long way to go though before we get there!
Ideally we would like a mobile application interface as well, which would allow access whilst on the move and if your computer went down!!!
I have you logged as a potential beta man!!
Invicta said:You might have come across Pegasus and Chameleon account suites?
I was part of the sales team who originally sold (and helped develop) these packages. From my experience I would urge caution as the amount of "tweaking" that had to be done between the beta versions and the stable versions was extensive. It was also necessary to make beta versions available for live testing which then had to include volume testing, this also got a hairy at times.
Licensed Use - From what I gather the current trend is towards a shareware/cloud structure which means that the software is kept on a central server(s) with the user accessing their 'share' as opposed to installing an individual disk?
Disaster Recovery - In either case a hot site for disaster recovery might be required and they don't come cheap (again I sold these services to Banks, etc).
Help Desk - What support would you offer to teach people how to use the software and resonve help issues?
Network and/or Single User versions - Which way would you go?
Installation - Remote install or via a CD/ website access that the customer would undertake themselves or would you have local 'representatives' who would do it in person along with some training?
Liability - Have you considered this issue e.g. you wouldn't want to be liable for the closure of a company because they couldn't acess your site or their software had become currupted/hacked.
Hope I'm not abluting on anyones strawberries I just wanted to provide constructive views based on experience.
If, in the future, you did want a beta tester then feel free to add my name to the list,
Bernard
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Permalink Reply by Phil Voice on
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Any more developments Barry?
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Permalink Reply by Barry Richardson on
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Not outside of the conversations above, what I am focusing on now is getting an existing lawn treatment application up on the web. Web database development is new for me so I am taking it in stages. What software did you use to create your web site?
Conceptually it is all coming together, the idea of having several input screens related to say scheduling to meet the various demands from one off to repeat appointments being controlled by the user who will pre select their requirements - basically one data structure behind the scenes.
As soon as I have anything to show you I will shout, currently my son's wife is expecting our first grandchild so we could be off at a moments notice and Christmas is approaching fast. I am looking at end of Jan currently to have something basic up from which we can develop further. All the fancy interfacing with other apps for GPS etc will be at the rear end of the development unless things just fall into place as we develop the system.
What is your opinion of the response to date?
I have been looking at some on line accounts packages for the church (treasurer) and this has been interesting to see how they have set things up. The ability to deal with various currencies and VAT systems should be included but language would have to be basic English. But this should allow a wide number of country applications to be catered for, how many countries and which ones are you currently covering?
Raised this as there was an interesting accounts package but it was configured purely for the States.
What is your perspective on downloading the users data automatically when they log off their main computer? seems to me the way to go. Basic csv type formats means that any loss of web would not be disasterous to the business but we would need a mobile access (possible limited basic functions) which should be a back up to web outage.
How is weather in France? B'dy cold here!
Phil Voice said:Any more developments Barry?
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