Easiest round software

[JBC]

I wonder if anyone can point me in the right direction? 

My wife wants to help me out with work, she can't help on the glass as we have a 1 yr old (she helped me years ago and was a great window cleaner). I was hoping she could help with the admin side of things, chasing up late payments, organising jobs, sending invoices etc. 

For the past number of years I have been using squeegee (the round software) and altho it took a while to get to grips with I really like it now. The only thing is my wife hates it with a passion, she says it isn't intuitive. She has experience with quickbooks and a other software tools so its not just that she is a technophobe. 

I was thinking of switching to a new software altogether, cleanerplanner, aworka etc. Just wondering if anyone has experience with multiple companies offerings and which one works for you? 

Thanks everyone ?

 

[ched999uk]

I would say that all she really needs to do is view invoices so she knows who has paid and who hasn't vs you bank account. Don't you send emails as soon as you have finished the job? As for organising work is that just for addons as Squeegee isn't bad at organising your work.

Last time I looked at Awoka it was mainly pc based with a very poor mobile viewable version so I would stay away from that. 

I think CleanerPlanner has a free trial you could give a go. 

I sort of agree that Squeegee is a bit clunky, when you mark a job as done, then have to find invoice tab then send - can't do auto send as if the custy has paid the invoice text doesn't make sense ( maybe that's something I should fix in my text?). Same as from the jobs sections (day, work, multi planner) to then navigate to invoices you have to do some scolling - ok no great difficulty - the quotes and invoicing need to be closer to the top.

If you are not full with custy is marketing something she could do? Be that social media or maybe even telesales for commercial jobs?

 

[Iron Giant]

Personally I'd recommend CP if your wife is used to proper programs then I would think CP would may be suit her best plus the app is decent enough for you to use and you can add new jobs to a worksheet whilst out at work via the app and can hit sync and it will be added to the system and if your wife needs to check anything she will be able to do so at home

If Squeegee is clunky 3 years or so after I first tried it then I'm pretty shocked they ain't upped their game.

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

I sort of agree that Squeegee is a bit clunky, when you mark a job as done, then have to find invoice tab then send - can't do auto send as if the custy has paid the invoice text doesn't make sense ( maybe that's something I should fix in my text?). Same as from the jobs sections (day, work, multi planner) to then navigate to invoices you have to do some scolling - ok no great difficulty - the quotes and invoicing need to be closer to the top.

Hello [customerName]

Your windows were cleaned today. I hope you are pleased, but any issues just let me know. [balance]. 

Thank you

That's what I use. The 'balance' will display 'XX to pay' so if they don't owe anything it will say £0. 

Personally I don't message those who have paid already, though ? 

 

[ched999uk]

Hello [customerName]

Your windows were cleaned today. I hope you are pleased, but any issues just let me know. [balance]. 

Thank you

That's what I use. The 'balance' will display 'XX to pay' so if they don't owe anything it will say £0. 

Personally I don't message those who have paid already, though ? 

I use the same sort of formatting. My reference to clunky is the menu changes that need to be done from marking a job as complete to sending the invoice seems unnecessarily complex. Once the job is marked as done there should be an option, on the same page to send the invoice not to navigate to an alternative menu to send.

It's like who ever created the interface has never tried to go through the process of marking a job as done then sending an invoice. On the same page that shows a job you can easily mark a payment as having been received so they just need an extra option to send invoice.

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

I use the same sort of formatting. My reference to clunky is the menu changes that need to be done from marking a job as complete to sending the invoice seems unnecessarily complex. Once the job is marked as done there should be an option, on the same page to send the invoice not to navigate to an alternative menu to send.

It's like who ever created the interface has never tried to go through the process of marking a job as done then sending an invoice. On the same page that shows a job you can easily mark a payment as having been received so they just need an extra option to send invoice.

I think I get what you mean but I’m not 100%. However I will say, bring it to their attention. They’ve been great with making changes when needed & I'm sure they would appreciate the feedback ?

 

[ched999uk]

I think I get what you mean but I’m not 100%. However I will say, bring it to their attention. They’ve been great with making changes when needed & I'm sure they would appreciate the feedback ?

I just messaged them. Cheers.

Basically when you look at the day pilot, work planner or multi planner page and click on a job, it's easy to mark it as done and even mark it as paid straight from the individual job with the pink circle button. However if you want to send the invoice you have to navigate away from the job into the invoices menu, then click the relevant invoice then click send, then check text then send. Then you have to navigate back to the day pilot, work planner or multi planner page (which ever one you use). 

All they need to do is add an option on the job page pink circle menu to send invoice.

I realise I can set invoices to auto but if a customer has paid cash I still like to email the invoice as the email gives them an approximate date for the next clean at the bottom.

I use the phrase Your account balance is £XX to pay, please make payment as soon as possible. So if the balance is £0 it looks a bit silly saying 'please make payment as soon as possible' Maybe I just need to rethink how I phrase it ? cheers. 

 

[Iron Giant]

I use the same sort of formatting. My reference to clunky is the menu changes that need to be done from marking a job as complete to sending the invoice seems unnecessarily complex. Once the job is marked as done there should be an option, on the same page to send the invoice not to navigate to an alternative menu to send.

It's like who ever created the interface has never tried to go through the process of marking a job as done then sending an invoice. On the same page that shows a job you can easily mark a payment as having been received so they just need an extra option to send invoice.

I told them multiple times in the past it's been written by  nerds basically and doesn't work practically  it's the nerds doing the tweaks and updates and they aren't looking at it from our view or those less nerdy, may be I'm a bit thick ?

At least years ago when CP was been put together and for a good few months after, Rob who built the app really listened to us window cleaners and was more than happy to implement changes windys suggested the app had a dedicated forum for quite some time after it went live, I don't think Squeegee has really listened 

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

I just messaged them. Cheers.

Basically when you look at the day pilot, work planner or multi planner page and click on a job, it's easy to mark it as done and even mark it as paid straight from the individual job with the pink circle button. However if you want to send the invoice you have to navigate away from the job into the invoices menu, then click the relevant invoice then click send, then check text then send. Then you have to navigate back to the day pilot, work planner or multi planner page (which ever one you use). 

All they need to do is add an option on the job page pink circle menu to send invoice.

I realise I can set invoices to auto but if a customer has paid cash I still like to email the invoice as the email gives them an approximate date for the next clean at the bottom.

I use the phrase Your account balance is £XX to pay, please make payment as soon as possible. So if the balance is £0 it looks a bit silly saying 'please make payment as soon as possible' Maybe I just need to rethink how I phrase it ? cheers. 

Got you! However you don’t need to navigate away from the job. Click the customers name, then finance & you can select the invoice from there. Still not the best flow and hopefully they’ll implement a ‘send invoice button’ like you said, but may help in the meantime ?

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

I told them multiple times in the past it's been written by  nerds basically and doesn't work practically  it's the nerds doing the tweaks and updates and they aren't looking at it from our view or those less nerdy, may be I'm a bit thick ?

Got to politely disagree mate. I’ve found them very quick to respond and implement updates as suggested. Don’t get me wrong improvements are for sure needed, but overall I think they’re done a decent job of building a ‘do it all’ app. ?

 

[ched999uk]

Got to politely disagree mate. I’ve found them very quick to respond and implement updates as suggested. Don’t get me wrong improvements are for sure needed, but overall I think they’re done a decent job of building a ‘do it all’ app. ?

They did reply to my message nice and quick, which they do seem very good at. Basically they said I can automatically send invoices out by selecting the appropriate option!!! I did say in the message that that option doesn't help when I need to tweak the invoice text. 

I might have a play with the automation to see if there is any stage where I can see the invoice before it's sent.

They do respond very quickly to any questions I have had and are always very helpful. This is the first time I have tried suggesting a tweak to the app.

I believe they normally issue updates to the app on a Friday - not that I am expecting a tweak that fast even if they do decide on a change ? Just always struck me as dangerous to update software on a Friday as if there are any issues they don't get looked at till Monday! 

When I looked at CP there were quite a few things that needed the higher subscription level that I thought I might need, so it was a significant price difference. That said it's quite difficult to evaluate software before you actually know what the job entails in a practical sense. 

Overall I find Squeegee very good, it can do most things I need or want but sometimes the process to achieve that is a little convoluted.

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

lThey did reply to my message nice and quick, which they do seem very good at. Basically they said I can automatically send invoices out by selecting the appropriate option!!!

Nice to hear they were quick on the uptake! I would go back to them & explain why that doesn’t help. See if they can suggest a workaround or will even be able to build a different option in the future. 
 

Is it always the same folk that pay cash/in advanced? If so, I think you can set it so they won’t receive the auto message while the rest do

 

[ched999uk]

Nice to hear they were quick on the uptake! I would go back to them & explain why that doesn’t help. See if they can suggest a workaround or will even be able to build a different option in the future. 
 

Is it always the same folk that pay cash/in advanced? If so, I think you can set it so they won’t receive the auto message while the rest do

I did go back to them with more of an explanation. They just called me!!! They now understand my issue and it's not really something they have had as an issue before. That said he did suggest an easier way to get to the invoice which is after clicking job done, then click custy name and then scroll down to invoice. It's a little quicker so that's good. I can't really expect a menu change if it's just me asking ?. One thing he did say was on the cards over the next few months is invoice templates depending on balance etc. So in a few months I might be able to have two invoice templates 1 for zero balance and one for outstanding balance and adjust wording appropriately which would be great.

I think I will switch auto invoicing for some customers who always pay online.

So once again great support from Squeegee!

Cheers.

 

[Iron Giant]

Got to politely disagree mate. I’ve found them very quick to respond and implement updates as suggested. Don’t get me wrong improvements are for sure needed, but overall I think they’re done a decent job of building a ‘do it all’ app. ?

With respect, they've been pishing about for 3 years and longer and they still ain't cracked it ?

Rob who built CP really listened and worked with a window cleaner closely and took onboard suggestions from subscribers and made the beneficial changes, the very reason CP isn't all bells and whistles is that it works and has done almost perfectly for 6 years, 

I have tried squeegee a few times in the last 3 years and saw no real improvements the same issues I had 3 years ago were still there about 6 months or so ago

 

[RyeCleanLiam]

With respect, they've been pishing about for 3 years and longer and they still ain't cracked it ?

Rob who built CP really listened and worked with a window cleaner closely and took onboard suggestions from subscribers and made the beneficial changes, the very reason CP isn't all bells and whistles is that it works and has done almost perfectly for 6 years, 

I have tried squeegee a few times in the last 3 years and saw no real improvements the same issues I had 3 years ago were still there about 6 months or so ago

You've just not taken time to really get to grips with it that's the problem. I've tried both CP and Squeegee extensively and Squeegee wins hands down. I have a friend who has staff who was an avid CP user and insisted Squeegee was useless, had bugs and was too complicated. He gave it a trial 2 months ago and now has made the complete switch. He said it's been a game changer.

If you think they are still pishing about you are sadly mistaken, over the last 2 years it's come on massively in new features and stability.

You talk about Rob listening to Windows Cleaners. Rob hasn't been a part of CP for a few years now, and Daniel seemingly has no interest in moving it forward or adding anything new. 

Squeegee isn't for everyone. But it's wrong to state that they're still in the same position as 3 years ago as those that use it know it's improved absolutely massively.

 

[ched999uk]

I have tried squeegee a few times in the last 3 years and saw no real improvements the same issues I had 3 years ago were still there about 6 months or so ago

Interesting. As I have only used Squeegee it would be very interesting to read your issues with it and what advantage CP has?

As a noob, it's difficult to judge things as I don't have any comparisons. I'm not that locked into Squeegee yet so if there real advantages I could switch.

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

With respect, they've been pishing about for 3 years and longer and they still ain't cracked it ?

I’ve never used CP so can’t comment on it, but to say Squeegee haven’t cracked it is rich man. Everyone I know who I’ve introduced to it loves it. I had one lad who turned his nose up cause CP was cheaper so went with them instead. This week he’s been on the phone telling me how he’s given up with them and is moving to Squeegee. Again, haven’t used CP so can’t say if it’s good or bad, but the fact squeegee is constantly expanding & have more than just window cleaners using them is proof in itself I feel. 

 

[Iron Giant]

You've just not taken time to really get to grips with it that's the problem. I've tried both CP and Squeegee extensively and Squeegee wins hands down. I have a friend who has staff who was an avid CP user and insisted Squeegee was useless, had bugs and was too complicated. He gave it a trial 2 months ago and now has made the complete switch. He said it's been a game changer.

If you think they are still pishing about you are sadly mistaken, over the last 2 years it's come on massively in new features and stability.

You talk about Rob listening to Windows Cleaners. Rob hasn't been a part of CP for a few years now, and Daniel seemingly has no interest in moving it forward or adding anything new. 

Squeegee isn't for everyone. But it's wrong to state that they're still in the same position as 3 years ago as those that use it know it's improved absolutely massively.

Admittedly I really just couldn't get on with it, the two big issues for me were jobs that were no longer on my rounds were active in the import so I had 100's of jobs active, also that bleeding text field with tokens why can't you just write what you want to in a text, no drag and drop in the planner and you can only view one days work at a time in the planner to only view a single days jobs at a time is just daft when really a full view of a week and the weeks ahead is what a planner should be offering 

Yes looking this morning it has improved a lot so I have even parted with my money to see if there is a difference, it's actually been a year since I last logged in and I can see changes that have been made, but it ain't all that intuitive to use as much as CP and I also like to be able to see a lot more info,

I am fully aware Rob sold CP a few years ago now and no doubt it's just a cash cow for the people sat in California

Last year and probably exactly a year ago as I was billed on the 7th December it didn't seem to have come on as much as of this morning it has 

Could I consider using it, I'm really not sure to be honest, the very simple things as I've mentioned would have to be implemented for me to properly consider it 

 

[CMcB]

I used CP when I first started and moved to squeegee and have stuck with it. The main reason I prefer squeegee is the ability to add jobs to the schedule while I'm at work, and don't need to do any uploading or downloading at home. 

However the 2 things I don't like. 1. It's noticeably slower on older phones. 2. There are a lot of features on the base version I feel I'm paying for but don't want. 

 

[ched999uk]

Admittedly I really just couldn't get on with it, the two big issues for me were jobs that were no longer on my rounds were active in the import so I had 100's of jobs active, also that bleeding text field with tokens why can't you just write what you want to in a text, no drag and drop in the planner and you can only view one days work at a time in the planner to only view a single days jobs at a time is just daft when really a full view of a week and the weeks ahead is what a planner should be offering 

Yes looking this morning it has improved a lot so I have even parted with my money to see if there is a difference, it's actually been a year since I last logged in and I can see changes that have been made, but it ain't all that intuitive to use as much as CP and I also like to be able to see a lot more info,

I am fully aware Rob sold CP a few years ago now and no doubt it's just a cash cow for the people sat in California

Last year and probably exactly a year ago as I was billed on the 7th December it didn't seem to have come on as much as of this morning it has 

Could I consider using it, I'm really not sure to be honest, the very simple things as I've mentioned would have to be implemented for me to properly consider it 

As you now know you can view whole weeks worth of work on a page in Multi Planner. You can also drag and drop in muti planner. 

As for the 'tokens' I think it's great that you can customise invoices etc to have data inserted from customer or job just by dragging a token. How does CP do this?

The import messing up is a big issue for anyone looking to switch. I am sure if you ask them about the import they will be able to sort it at their end. 

I like that you can add a comment in the customers info using #! that then appears in the multi planner view as a note. I use it so I remember what pole I am using and if I need to text to get a gate unlocked the night before. Nice and easy to spot.

As I said I have not used CP but what did strike me as annoying about it was that too get sms, gocardless, and backup you had to pay £29 and then sms were additional costs. 

 

[Iron Giant]

As you now know you can view whole weeks worth of work on a page in Multi Planner. You can also drag and drop in muti planner. 

As for the 'tokens' I think it's great that you can customise invoices etc to have data inserted from customer or job just by dragging a token. How does CP do this?

The import messing up is a big issue for anyone looking to switch. I am sure if you ask them about the import they will be able to sort it at their end. 

I like that you can add a comment in the customers info using #! that then appears in the multi planner view as a note. I use it so I remember what pole I am using and if I need to text to get a gate unlocked the night before. Nice and easy to spot.

As I said I have not used CP but what did strike me as annoying about it was that too get sms, gocardless, and backup you had to pay £29 and then sms were additional costs. 

I didn't see the multi-planner option at all and wasn't able to drag and drop any jobs, scrap that I've found it

I see the token thing as complete ? ache you write a text and that's it, that text for a locked gate will almost never change why make something as simple as a 2 line text message a pia, some very simple things should work very simply and be there right in front of you instead of having to hunt around for them,

Yes CP is lagging somewhat with the extra charge for the texts and the back up, I did like the auto backup on Squeegee as it happened twice yesterday as I was having a look at it, no doubt I'd need to look at tutorials to uncover some of the other stuff as some stuff just isn't glaringly obvious, but that's what I do like about CP it's all laid out in front of you.

What I don't how is how the text thing works, with CP you add the a days work to a worksheet then click on send texts and can schedule the time and off they go, I found a keyboard yesterday somewhere which may have allowed me to add tokens and no clue as to where it is today, again a ball ache 

But after a 2nd look in 24hrs it's definitely more intuitive than it was in the past