[consulting] Customer Relationship Management software

[Sami Khan]

> Has anybody checked out erp?
>
> http://drupal.org/project/erp
>

I installed it on a test machine. It's a full-blown solution for a
computer store of some sort it seems. Didn't really seem strait forward
for consulting, but it's got quite a few features in it -- stuff that I
have not really wrapped my head around yet. The task list module however
seems something simplistic that will allow you to keep a list of tasks:
http://drupal.org/node/44293

The worklog is a better in that it offers a block with a time that you
turn on, pause, and once you save it, it creates a node recording it. I
guess you could associate that with a taxonomy for a project and then each
node is essentially a timed tasks with a dollar amount attached to it. If
you wanted to expand it a bit, essentially you could tally that up, add
taxes, and then have a cron job that sent it out as an invoice that a
customer could pay...

The possibilities are there, all that's needed, as usual is implementation.

Regards,
Sami Khan


> Cheers,
>
> Bill
>
> Gary Feldman wrote:
>> Lists wrote:
>>
>>> "Jason Flatt" wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>> So far, nobody has mentioned how they're dealing with this problem
>>>>> *today*.
>>>>>
>>>> I'm mostly using bits of paper in heaps, misplaced documents on my
>>>> hard drive
>>>>
>>>
>>> Ditto. ;)
>>>
>>> (Oh, and AppleScript and FileMaker.)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> My take on this is that CRM brings to mind organizations that have
>> dedicated sales people and account managers - which doesn't describe
>> the typical small consultancy.  The reason is that many CRM tools are
>> about sharing information, getting the information to the right
>> internal department, and allowing new people to get up to speed
>> quickly, or coworkers to step in when someone is on vacation.  In a
>> way, sharing is implied by any sort of web-based solution (which, of
>> course, is what a Drupal-based solution is, even if it's just a
>> personal web server running on your laptop).
>>
>> That doesn't mean there's no need for helpful tools.  Recently, I came
>> across a good deal on Microsoft's new Small Business Accounting
>> package, which includes some customer features, and is likely to meet
>> most of my needs.  For that matter, Quicken's business edition
>> includes customer lists and invoicing, though it lacks the power and
>> comprehensiveness.  Either one should be adequate for those tasks.
>>
>> It's the todo lists that are harder to deal with.  While I like trac
>> as a tracking tool, for a one-person shop it's hard to beat the
>> Hipster PDA (see
>> http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/03/introducing-the-hipster-pda/).
>> What it lacks in engineering innovation, it makes up for in its
>> elegant simplicity.  And while you're at it, read David Allen's
>> Getting Things Done (see
>> http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done/,
>> or go to the horse's mouth at http://www.davidco.com/).  As a jaded
>> techie, I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of requiring
>> technological solutions.  And as a person with severe ADD, who can
>> spend hours researching new tools to keep me entertained while
>> working, I know that nothing has ever worked as well for me as a bunch
>> of index cards in my back pocket.  (I should have patented it 25 years
>> ago, when I was a summer programmer on a compiler project.)
>>
>> Gary
>>
>> PS  Since I hate tempting links that aren't close to what you
>> expected, let me provide full disclosure and say that the Hipster PDA
>> is nothing more than relying on index cards and binder clips to keep
>> things organized.  But go to that page, anyway.  It's worth seeing how
>> people are successful with other approaches.  And definitely get
>> Getting Things Done.
>>
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> ----
> Bill Fitzgerald
> http://www.funnymonkey.com
> Tools for Teachers
> 503 897 7160
>
>
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