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Fitting the Pieces Together: A Guide to Office Operations for the Liquid Waste, Portable Toilet & Septic Pumping Industries |
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Software to Help Manage Your Business
In this chapter, we are going to look at what software is available to help you manage your business. Not every business needs every type of software, but it is nice to now what alternatives are available.
There are two type of software categories that support office automation. The first is system software. This is like an electrical system for a truck. You must have it for the truck to run, but it has little benefit by it self. The second is application software. This is the set of programs that people actually use to achieve a business benefit. Let’s first look at the system software alternatives
System software is the software that keeps the computers running. For individual PCs this software is called OS, or Operating System, software. When people buy a PC, they usually buy a package deal which includes the hardware and OS combined. Over the last few years, some of the most popular Operating Systems for PCs have been:
MS-DOS™ version 6.22
MS-DOS™ version 6.22 with Windows™ 3.11
WINDOWS 95™
NT 4.0
Currently MS-DOS with Windows 3.11 is the OS of choice for existing PCs. New Pentium PCs come with WINDOWS 95 as the OS of choice.
When business owners have outgrown a single PC and need to connect several, they look for additional software called NOS ,or Network Operating System. This type of software allows PCs to share files and printers so that several people can use these files and printers from their individual PCs at the same time. The two leading vendors of this software are:
Microsoft NT™ version 4.0
Novell™ version 4.11
The Microsoft alternative is better suited for offices with less than 20 PCs and the Novel for larger operations with multiple locations and large file systems.
The second category of software is application software. These programs can be tied to specific business benefits. We are going to look at several and tie them to the business need then look at the benefits of using the computer software vs. manual methods.
In the beginning, when pencil, paper and adding machines with gears ruled the world, the single business application for computers was accounting. Since that time, with the drop in price for hardware, better printers, color monitors and windows, mass marketing of software has increased in the business areas where application software is available and affordable. We are going briefly look at some of the areas where mass marketing software has become available for use in your business.
This is the first application for business computers. Application packages like Quicken™, Quick Books™, and Peachtree™, are easy do use and have extensive on-line tutorials to help you master balancing your check book, printing a profit and loss statement for your company, revenue reporting to the state and federal government, etc. Some areas of savings associated with using this type of application are:
Reduction in monthly fees to an accountant
Reduction in use of payroll services
Improved control of cash flow
Reduction in time needed for reconciliation of check books (less time than manually)
Etc.
Letter writing using a typewriter is difficult and time consuming. Remember such wonderful typing aids as carbon paper, white-out and re-typing whole letters because of a single spelling change in the last sentence of the letter or a change in layout. Computers have replaced typewriters with word processing programs which have spelling and grammar checkers. You can now locate old letters, change one or two items and reprint the letter in a fraction of the time of a typewriter. Some of the leading word processing applications are:
Microsoft Word™. This is the leader in the industry that represents 86% of the word processor market
Word Perfect™
Professional Write™
As word processing is to letter writing, spread sheets are to any mathematical calculation. You can create a model to estimate jobs in about an hour and just like word processing, spread sheets save time and are re-usable. Some of the immediate applications of spread sheets are:
Estimating specials. You can call up a spread sheet and change a few items like number of units, miles and number of services and the spread sheet will instantly recalculate a new bid price.
Service route lists. You can call up a sheet and insert or sort the stops and reprint a service route sheet for a driver
Developing bill of material for septic installations. You can add items, quantities and price per quantity and the spread sheet will do the extensions and totals automatically.
All MS Windows PCs come with a graphics program call PC Paint. This software tool allows you to draw diagrams, develop logo’s , layouts of installations or to develop ad copy to support your advertising efforts. When you want to expand the type of graphics work you want to do, i.e., scale drawing, etc., some of the leading software packages are:
Corel™ Draw
Micrografx Designer™
This packages have a significant learning curve and require significant, i.e., Pentium 133 with 32MB of memory, power in your PC to be used effectively.
Sales contact management addresses tracking new business, response for quotes and follow ups. The idea is to enter the potential business customer into the computer and have the computer remind you when you are suppose to return phone calls, letters or check on customers response to a bid. Some of the benefits of using this include improved sales and no more stacks of reminder slips. Some of the leading packages available include:
ACT!™
Sharkware™
This software is an excellent aid when your business has several vehicles that need to be managed. Some of the benefits of these software packages are that they (1)help you get your vehicle records organized, (2)establish a cost baseline for your bid development, (3) make tracking vehicles an easier task and (4) help you to spot potential problem areas of missed reporting of fuel and parts usage.
Some of the items that these packages track for you include
Labor costs
Material costs
Parts usage and inventory
Permits renewals
License renewals
Operations management software is used to track daily activity of your business. Usually these are industry-specific packages due to the special requirements of each industry. Road paving requires a different type of software than a portable toilet business. In addition, each software package assumes that you run your business in a specific manner, which may or may not match how you run your business. Some of the best places to find this software are:
Industry trade press like the Sanitation Sentinal or Pumper.
Industry societies like Portable Sanitation Association (1-800-822-3020) or the Florida Septic Tank Association (941-644-3228)
Industry trade shows
This is the latest in business application software. The software asks for an address and will display and/or print a street map of the surrounding area. In some of the packages you can supply a series of addresses, i.e., a route, and they will display all the addressees and recommend a path to reach each stop. This software requires state-of-the-art hardware for the computer, display and printer to be used. For one or two addressees it is an excellent tool, but you may find it VERY VERY VERY SLOW as compared to a map book and a route list with the MAP book page numbers. Some of the mapping software packages available include:
Street Wizard™
Select Street™
Microsoft Street™
You can see that the areas where computers can assist your business have expanded to almost every part of your business. As any tool you purchase, it takes time, effort and company resources to use these programs. You will need to balance these costs against the time and dollars savings that the computer generates when deciding to use these programs. Depending upon your business, it is sometimes a better idea to buy the time of a graphics designer rather than develop ad copy yourself. In any case, it appears that computers in your business are here to stay and can supply significant time and dollar savings.