# Business Management Software



## 2B (Jun 24, 2012)

I have tried searching and did see exactly what I was looking for or the other post were older.

the end of 2013 and start of 2014 have been an explosion of work and we are feeling the growing pains right now. The main thing we are facing is having to change our currently workflow steps of paper work, orders/whiteboards, verbal, there are too many mistakes or misplacing work orders/information. 

We are looking for a Business Management Software that is able to streamline and ensure the entire shop is aware of order, designs, production status, rush job, etc... and being able to makes changes instantly with all being involved able to see the relevant information.

Our current procedure is, making a written work-order with the contact information and the product specs, then doing pricing within Excel formulas, creating the quote within Quickbooks, once the order is approved getting a deposit or CC on file, using Quickbooks to make an invoice, updating the written work-order and giving it to the designer, the designer does the proof and E-mails the customers for approval/edits, once approved the work-order is updated and passed off to production who updates the white board with jobs in production, time frames and any special notes, upon completion completion the customer is contacted.

We have 2 production locations so being able to have everyone on the same page is VERY important and also allowing sales to update things from onsite would be nice instead of calling in or E-mailing the changes.

Trello has been a life saver but that also ads another step and another possibility for a typo/mistake to be made. 

The shop is small (4 full time, part time as needed) but we offer a VERY wide range of products, signs, banners, vinyl, vehicle graphics, screen printing, sublimation, engraving, awards, paper printing, etc... needless to say it's a long list.

The points that we are placing top priorities on are:

Streamline and efficiency, looking for one program that can be accessed by all for reviews/edits without having a lot steps or complexity
Moving from each stage with all information available and doing so automatically, eliminating the possibility of lost/misplaced work-orders
Production, knowing what stage it is in and when it is scheduled to be completed, as well as information about installation (permits, needed tools, location, schedule)
Customer follow up, (CMP) following up with quotes, open projects, etc...
User friendly, ideally a GUI interface with a point-N-click so it can be used on phones, tablets

The other important point, although the website is still in Alpha, is online orders. having the program integrated with the website (ideally) auto-populates with the needed information for orders 

There are lots of options out there and from what we are seeing each program is geared towards one industry and not really able to handle a very diverse and wide base/range of products.

SignVox / ShopVox
EstiMate
CASper
KeyedIn
Cyrious
Sign Tracker
Fast Manager
T-Quoter
Price It Master
Impress by Precise Software
Printavo
Latitude
Shopworks

After looking through the reviews here, SignVox appears to be the favorite.
We are in contact with Kevin at SignVox comparing SignVox with their new program ShopVox. 


The accounting side LOVES Quickbooks, being able to do bills, reports, budgets, etc... and one of the most important things with them is the fact that once a payment is applied (check, cash or CC processed with Intuit) the invoice is automatically updated showing the applied payment and updating the account balance. 


would really appreciate to hear input/feedback from shops that have used the above or another program and how it works.


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## hbapparel (Jan 16, 2012)

We use Tee Cal, but not sure that would solve your problem since you have so many products. This is geared more towards screen printing and is great. However, I think we are going to make a jump to inksoft and their business tools. From what I have seen, it is exactly what we are looking for and is cloud based and will allow salespeople to pull it up and make quotes, designs, orders, etc. from the field. You might want to look at that.


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## lkt1954 (Nov 15, 2009)

2B- we are looking for the same thing and are still at a loss as to what software to use. We purchased Cyrious a couple of years ago and IMO that was money down the drain, we just cannot seem to get on the same page to set the program up. I think Cyrious is more for larger shops and not the small shops.

It seems there are garment programs and sign programs and there needs to be a hybrid program. With mainly part time employees I think there needs to be a short learning curve so one doesn't spend all their time training.

Hopefully you will find something that will work, I look everyday and have visited with numerous companies and still cant find a flexible easy to use program.


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## jjman523 (Jan 16, 2013)

Allorders by Numbercruncher might be one to consider. It is one we have also looked at, but does take some setup time to customize it to your business.


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## justin_86 (Jun 24, 2008)

Have you made a decision on the software yet?

We are looking into Signvox, so far it looks incredible.


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## hbapparel (Jan 16, 2012)

I think Printavo has huge upside and a lot of potential, but the lack of a pricing module and lack of a production management info didn't work for us. If/when they change that, I would gladly try it out again.


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## Raymunster (Apr 26, 2011)

Our shop also has multiple departments offering all the different services and we started using Fast Manager about 8 months ago. I spent 5 years looking for a software solution that would work in all our departments but never did find the perfect solution. We are still in the process of making FM catalogs for all our products and services which is a lot of work but saves a lot of time & headaches in the long run. Fast Manager doesn't seem like a progressive company as they don't really offer any new features, although tech support is really good and quick to respond if we have issues. Unfortunately we have to do our sign estimating in a different software because technically Fast Manager is only geared for the apparel industry. We currently use Estimate for our sign estimating but am looking into Signvox although the cost is a little much for me.


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## kathleen f (Mar 21, 2006)

Raymunster said:


> [...]technically Fast Manager is only geared for the apparel industry.


A clarification in the interests of preventing a bad buy; Fast Manager is used in the clothing decorating business which is different from the apparel industry. Maybe it is better to think of the apparel industry as the cut and sew business. I just mention this because we are still in need of a lower cost program that will help us manage product development. Most of the ones out there cost many thousands of dollars. To be sure, there are programs (probably better described as apps) that will help one develop line sheets, BOM or whatever but there is nothing that serves as a relational database-spreadsheet program. Still holding out hope tho.


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## Raymunster (Apr 26, 2011)

2B, I'm curious if you made a decision on a software solution yet?


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## gnizitigid (Jan 23, 2007)

i too need to know how you manage all these things and if any software


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## espeinc (Aug 30, 2008)

As I am reading a lot through all the posts that are related to this subject I cannot help but realize that no software will work perfectly for a particular shop.
Each shop is different and has different procedures. The key is to adapt your shop to what the software can do and go from there.
I had the privilege of starting the other way around but that way years ago and i built up on it on the software side of things.
I did not buy a custom made piece of database software - I made my own and made it work in conjunction to what my shop does.
Started with a simple database for a 2 manual shop and now years later it manages a 6 auto-5 manual shop with two shifts.
I am constantly upgrading it to fit the needs of my own production facility.

Key is..... entering into the world of shop management software is not something easy. It will take time and adaptation.
The only way to make it foolproof for yourself is to have a tool created specifically for your shop. Based on your own needs and processes. that means an investment - quite large - I'm guessing in the $10K range.

I know my own serves me well and it might work for others but in the end it is a custom made piece of software.


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## TshirtguysEns (May 9, 2016)

Good day, did someone have a review or have some reference from Shopworks software? Positive or negative, it would be great.
Thanks in advance.


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## BidsMaven (Sep 23, 2011)

hbapparel said:


> I think Printavo has huge upside and a lot of potential, but the lack of a pricing module and lack of a production management info didn't work for us. If/when they change that, I would gladly try it out again.


Consider combining Fast Accurate Bids with with Printavo. We specialize in getting the pricing task done and Printavo can take it from there.


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## WGiant (Oct 15, 2015)

Has anyone tried InFlow?

The one-time cost is sure appealing, and it does fairly well in reviews, but I'm not sure how it would handle size and color breakdowns for ease of use.


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## Succeed (Sep 24, 2009)

We purchased and instituted Shopworks 2 years ago and it was the single best investment we have made thus far.


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## johndoe78415 (Nov 5, 2012)

Succeed said:


> We purchased and instituted Shopworks 2 years ago and it was the single best investment we have made thus far.


What kind of training did you institute? I have not had the best experience with this program.


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## DeeSolution14 (Dec 16, 2014)

johndoe78415 said:


> What kind of training did you institute? I have not had the best experience with this program.


We are current ShopWorks User and its versatile were I'm able to complete my awards with the different components and order types. I've tried Fast Manager, t-quoters they are all right programs but gear to certain embellished products. We had the trainer come out and the online video tutorial really helped with the online training with Daniel. Just check out the online videos on you tube or their website which have the info too, Good Luck!


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