Ben Yackshaw | Monday, August 3, 2015This week Microsoft officially launched their newest operating system, Windows 10. As part of the launch, Microsoft is offering a promotion that allows Windows 7 and 8 users to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Service companies everywhere should absolutely take advantage of this offer, but should also be careful during the transition to avoid losing any data. Things to consider: Upgrading Windows may remove some of your installed applications and cause incompatibility with others. We have tested Smart Service extensively with Windows 10 and have not found any issues with compatibility. However, if you make the upgrade, you might need to reinstall Smart Service on the upgraded computer (this might also apply to QuickBooks). Similarly, you should be cautious […]
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Wednesday, July 8, 2015The latest versions of iFleet and Smart Service bring a very exciting new feature to the table: Dropbox integration! Once Dropbox is set up as your image directory in Smart Service, your field technicians will be able to access crucial customer and job information in the form of files saved to Dropbox. From the field, they’ll be able to pull up a customer’s old forms, photos, sketches, or work orders. Take a look at how it works: The first step is to create a Dropbox account (this is free, and can be done at Dropbox.com) on the computer (or server) on which Smart Service is installed. Then, you simply need to tie your Smart Service image directory into Dropbox (see […]
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Wednesday, June 10, 2015Managing assets with Smart Service As your company expands, it’s more difficult to keep track of company-owned equipment. At any given point, your assets may be scattered across multiple jobsites, sitting in the back of your office, or in transit to a new location. Tracking these high-value items with paper and pen is a recipe for disaster. Service industry software like Smart Service ensures your assets are always well-organized. Smart Service tracks assets by the jobs to which they are assigned, and it also lets you add assets to your work orders as billable items. Let’s take a look at the many facets of working with assets within Smart Service. Setting Up Assets as Billable Items Assigning an asset to […]
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Wednesday, May 20, 2015Life is unpredictable, and so is the service industry. You can schedule a job thinking it’ll be a one-and-done affair, but that doesn’t necessarily make it so. Often, further attention (and subsequent trips) are required. Maybe you need to order a missing part and wait for it to arrive, or maybe a fridge you serviced earlier in the day started acting up again. Whatever the case, Smart Service has you covered. Our developers thought of everything when building Smart Service. Smart Service offers a multitude of scheduling options, regardless of whether or not you know the exact day you’ll return to finish what you’ve started. One way to alert the office that there’s a need to return to a job […]
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Thursday, April 2, 2015Chemical tracking is massively important for pest control companies, lawn care businesses, and many other service industry disciplines. Relying on paper and pen to log (or prepare) this information is cumbersome at best and potentially dangerous at worst. The right lawn care or pest control software can go a long way to improving your job process and reducing your company’s margin for error. Bearing that in mind, let’s take a quick look at some of the chemical tracking functionality provided by Smart Service. The most flexible way to track chemical usage information in Smart Service is via checklists on job items. Once chemicals are set up in your QuickBooks item list, simply create a new checklist in Smart Service. Then, […]
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Friday, March 20, 2015Smart Service was built to automate job processes for service companies the world over. It’s great for generating invoices as soon as a job is completed, but as any service industry professional can tell you, a job isn’t always finished when the technicians leave the site. Often, you have to return a second time or purchase additional parts before work can continue. As the job grows in complexity, so do your invoicing needs. As always, Smart Service has your back. Batch invoicing in Smart Service is perfect for jobs that require multiple trips, extended purchase orders, or the services of more than one technician. Build your bill one piece at a time, then click a single button to send that […]
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Friday, February 13, 2015In 2015, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by technology. With smart phones, tablets, laptops, and more all vying for your attention, it’s hard to determine what move your company should make. Should you embrace the efficiency and speed of new technology or stick with an old-fashioned, offline approach? It’s a tough question. Luckily, your friends at My Service Depot are here to help. We’ve prepared a handy infographic to help you draw your own conclusion. Is going mobile the right move for your service business? Take a look at what the numbers say!
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Monday, January 5, 2015Does your company need to track commissions for your sales reps and technicians in the field? If you’re looking to run reports to find out how much commission has been paid (or how many of your jobs have earned commission), Smart Service is the tool for you.
Read More Ben Yackshaw | Friday, October 31, 2014Why make backups? Backups of applications are always recommended, especially when the information stored inside is important (as is the case with Smart Service). Computers and applications are complex systems with many moving parts, often susceptible to outside factors including hardware failures, viruses, and even nature itself (fires, floods, etc.). With frequent backups, you’ll not only lose minimal data, but reduce the amount of time needed to recover from what could be a catastrophic loss.
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