Order forms and terms of business

[LeFrisp]

As a new framer I have been doing what others have doubtless done when starting their business, I have been talking the job through with the customer, making a few scribbled notes on what they want and just making it happen.

As I get further into this it seems downright stupid. I have no formal written record of the order agreed and signed to that fact by the customer nor does the customer have any record of the terms of the order. covering things like liabilities, existing flaws in artwork etc etc.

What methods do you all employ for this. the order form I can make up. its the terms and conditions bit I dont know where to start .

[markw]

I use Estlite and this produces a printed form - numbered and containing all necessary details to allow it to function as an invoice - VAT number - Business name and address - detailed description of the order - detailed breakdown of pricing, I have the option chosen of displaying pricing details. If I have to do something at the customers request that I feel may affect the work I note it under remarks and make sure the customer is aware that I have warned them of the consequence of their request. I also take great care to inspect the work and note down any damage or defects. You can add formal details as a footer to the docket if you feel you need to.

I dont get my customer to sign anything - apart from the cheque they may be paying me with. I take complete payment up front and the customer receives the printed Estlite form indicating that they have paid and informing them of the collection date. I will have also taken all customer details - Name - Address - contact details: Telephone/mobile/email. If the customer provides email or mobile number then I will text or email them when the job is complete. ( I have a postcode program integrated into Estlite - AFD - this speeds up the details process and gets taking the address down to entering postcode and house number.

Estlite records payments made to me - so I have an accurate record of payments. I have a database of customers with details of their framing and art purchases - I can also write to them if they forget to collect - having paid up front they rarely do. I can now also record comments attached to the customers record. Customer likes - dislikes - general comments that might help you upsell - or just communicate well.

I know that other pricing programmes do the same or similar - would feel lost without it and highly recommend computerising your pricing for better record keeping.

[Bill Henry]

While POS software like Estlite are very popular and have advantages, are still using an “analog” work order form that we’ve had for years, modifying it as we add new services.

WorkOrder1.jpg (79.42 KiB) Viewed 2989 times

It is a three part carbonless form with the top and middle the same (we keep the top white sheet and give the middle, yellow sheet as a receipt when the framing is picked up. The “X”s are near the mat board section to indicate the mat widths.



The third and last part of the form is a slightly heavier stock paper/cardboard with the bottom showing just the amount essentially. This is a perforated, tear off sheet which we give to the customer as a “claim check” when the order is first processed.

The forms are numbered and filed that way. We record the customers name, address, etc., and w/o number on an electronic database for easy retrieval.

WorkOrder2.jpg (27.93 KiB) Viewed 2989 times

[danchip1]

one thing i use is a triplicate invoice book. i write all order details, name and number, date, deadline, whether paid or not, price etc. u can buy them from stationers.
one copy goes to the customer, one stays with the article and the last stays in the book. seems to work okay

[markw]

Why would you advise someone to stick with the manual processing of data when a computer does it so easily - Triplicate order books - I use to generate a small mountain of them - finding customer information was a chore - generating mailing lists difficult - and understanding my sales patterns nigh on impossible. All can be done almost instantly with a half decent spreadsheet let alone a pricing program.

[Roboframer]

I still use triplicate books - even though I go through a 100 page one every 3 weeks (well, the last one was almost 6 - weather - I hope)

Actually it's duplicate books, the third (top/customer's copy) is a printed form, like Bill's.

I know it's archaic and I wouldn't advise it for anyone even half as busy as me, not in this day and age (that I have yet to catch up with), but at least it's 'formal' and a huge improvement on a 'few scribbled notes'.

The biggest framing supplier in the country still takes orders on handwriten forms, I once received an order from them that was all to cock - the reason? Well, I rang the order through at lunchtime; the person that took it was standing in and the warehouse guys weren't used to the handwriting!

It was 'once' though - but the problems I've had due to other suppliers' 'systems' - well, they happen most weeks.

Not dissing pricing software - get it by all means, especially if you are compooter litrit - but in the meantime, carbonised order forms/books will at least give you a written contract and a record.

BTW - if you use triplicate books long term - enter the details in to a framing diary - customer name, artwork description, order book page number - all on the page of the collection date - and write the from/to dates on the cover and spine of your order books - keep the books in order and you'll be able to look up a customer order 'pretty quick' - as long as the customer has a fair idea of when they made the order!!!

IOW - MarkW is right - with smallprint!

[Bill Henry]

Why would you advise someone to stick with the manual processing of data when a computer does it so easily - Triplicate order books - I use to generate a small mountain of them - finding customer information was a chore - generating mailing lists difficult - and understanding my sales patterns nigh on impossible. All can be done almost instantly with a half decent spreadsheet let alone a pricing program.

I am not knocking POS software at all. For a reasonable sized shop with several employees, I accept that it would be indispensable.

However, for a one or two person shop, POS requires a dedicated computer and printer on or near the design counter which eats up a fair amount of real estate. IMO, a small shop which tries to give the feeling of “old world”, personalized craftsmanship, a flickering computer with a bar code reader tends to look more like a fast food joint (“want a Coke with that order, ma’m?”).

When LifeSaver Software (one of the most popular on this side of the aisle) was first released, I got a demo of it and “popped the hood”. Beneath the idiot proof interface was a simple, public domain spreadsheet. But, as it was written, this spreadsheet didn’t have the detail and flexibility that I would have liked. For my needs, I thought I could do better. A spreadsheet forces me to examine each detail of my operation rather than just accepting what the programmer of the POS decides. (I know I'm exaggerating just a bit )

Certainly, a POS can maintain and track inventory (but not partial sheets of mount board, for example) and automatically keep a customer database, but, if one is thorough, those can be generated with very little additional effort.

As far as automatic pricing updates are concerned, those can be invaluable, as long as the vendor is conscientious about keeping them current. Some of them are not! The problem is that if a wholesale price increases, it is reflected immediately with your retail pricing, but you may not be aware of it unless you go digging. Discontinued items may go unnoticed until you have accepted an order from your customer and placed that order with the distributor. Oops!

Most of my vendors will send an electronic pricing/inventory update on the first day of the month. It is an easy thing, using a spreadsheet, to compare my current price list with the new one using a Lookup table. It generally takes me less than twenty minutes a month.

No, I maintain for a small shop, a POS is unnecessary and might even keep you from getting a real handle on your operation. A good working knowledge of spreadsheets is, to my mind, invaluable.