computer programmer

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pache

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hi every1,hope not doing anything out of the way here(1st time!) but i run a small services business(t/o 450kthis year) and desperatley need a total head to toe IT make over.I run the office myself from home and find it difficult to get in touch with anyone to work with/for me to provide an end to end ITsolution.Does any one out there know where i can get in touch with someone who knows there way around computers and office admin.My budget is tight but with improved efficiencys and the nature of my business(renewables) expansion is on the cards.
regards all.............pache.
 
Hello Pache,

I would assume that working from home you only have either 1 laptop or Desktop and that you are using that as your IT Solution. What kind of support are you looking for ?

It is office applications - not knowing how to automate stuff, or is it actually a problem when the machine is giving errors and wont work ?
 
hi alexandra12,

just the 1 desktop and not knowing how to automate stuff would hit the nail on the head pretty much.Office applications are practially non existent which results in hours of laborious effort.
 
If you want I can give you some free support based on what I already know about computers once it does not take up too much of my time but it would be on a best effort basis.

Otherwise I can put you in the direction depending on your location of someone who can offer their service at a charge.

My suggestion would be to try the free option 1st and see how far you get. Generally you should not need much support unless you are totally computer iliterate.

Send me a mail if you want my help !
 
What tasks are labour intensive? Is quotes, orders, accounts, financial controls, presentations? If the problems are of a generic business nature, you should not need a computer programmer and should be able to use products that you can either buy or get for free.
 
Hi Pache - Can I suggest that it may not necessarily be automation of your business processes that you need (customer/supplier database, project activity and management, invoicing, sales etc. etc.) but some training/mentoring on how to organise the background administration activities of your business. Once you have manually gone through all of the processes that you undertake in your business (daily, weekly, monthly, annually..) and identified those processes which could be better supported through the use of IT, then you should look to underpin them with an IT solution. I don't think it will help you to install IT applications which may not suit either the business or how you operate it. Good luck with the development and growth of your business.
 
I would approach it as follows.

Set a specific budget, don't be vague
Set objectives
Decide who'll work on the project, make decisions
Allocate a specific time slot to work on this.

Do a list of problems, a simple chart of
time/resources consumed relative to gain.

Decide how you'll know/measure progress is being made
Decide how you'll know objective is achieved

Then when you've decided all the above, talk to a 2 or 3 people and see what solutions they suggest. You might get 3 different solutions, all valid, But you'd be more informed as to what you need.

Perhaps you can buy off the shelf software that will meet your objectives, perhaps you need something customised to your requirements. perhaps you don't need anything, just a change in your process.

Sometimes, you can do a simply word/excel macro or adatabase that saves hours of work, by automating tasks which have been done manually for years. As most people know Office applications, they don't have go spend time learning how to learn some new software. Sometimes the ongoing support costs of some software are too expensive for the budget.

Hopefully some of the above is useful.
 
Hello eithneangela,thanks for reply,you mention training/mentoring,any suggestions.I think a database of suppliers/customers and parts that the business uses would kick start alot of the basics im looking for.I have tried spreadsheets for my parts list but the list is huge and very cumbersome to operate.Also i have 4 field service engineers so i was wondering about these handheld gismos!!!!
 
hello ontour,its all of the mentioned but the starting point would definatley be quotes.I think having a user friendly database of product lines id be well on the way just dont know where to start!!
 
Have you enquired from your local Enterprise Board to see if they could offer you any help? They provide advice & mentoring for small businesses. If they can't help you maybe they could steer you in the right direction after pinpointing your exact needs.

[broken link removed]
 
pache said:
hello ontour,its all of the mentioned but the starting point would definatley be quotes.I think having a user friendly database of product lines id be well on the way just dont know where to start!!
Click to expand...

The first thing to ask is this something you should be doing, or should you get someone else to do it while you concentrate on your own job, running the business.

What you are talking about, when a spread sheet won't cut it, is a relational database. Once you have your information in a database there no limits to what you can do with it. Its just a datastore that everything links to. But a database needs to be designed properly to work most effectively. The first part of designing a database is looking at your data, and seeing how it all links together.

Lots of companies have self built access databases, which they cobble together themselves, but they are usually quite inefficient, compared to a database thats designed properly.
 
Guarantee there are software packages that would do eveything you need. What business are you in, describe you work flow and I'll tell you what companies to call and what products you need.
You do not need a computer programmer, there will be existing off the shelf products available. You will be able to buy training and setup form teh supplier.
 
 
Sounds like you need a service/installation business package. There are many out there.
I've used http://www.insightdirect.com/ before with clients and it does what you need. Setting up and using it can be hard work but well worth it in the long run.

PM me if you'd like help
 
I really think that pache needs to spend some time defining his business and all the processes involved before implementing any IT solution. It could work out that the majority of the admin time is spent on just 1 or 2 tasks, and these are the ones that should be automated, not necessarily buying technology (hand-held devices for field engineers!) unless there are clear benefits. So, pache, clear the decks - sit down and map out absolutely every activity in the business, and try and identify the most important ones. Without knowing a thing about the business, it's actually difficult to recommend a solution to your current issues.
 
Pache,

It would most likely be more cost effective to investigate the software packages decribed above, however you may prefer to talk to a computer consultant if you are not sure you have the time to do the investigation and setup the software yourself. There are many around Ireland who would deal with small-medium companies, and you should be able to arrange a first meeting to go through your business without a charge. If you do this make sure you know what savings you hope to make, any work or purchases they propose should obviously cost less than this. You already have offers of help above, but again PM me if you have questions you don't want to post in the forum.
 
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