Off the shelf s/ware that does all this??

[Pot Bellied Fool]

Hi Folks...

As some of you know, I'm in the IT Support line of biz which along with other areas of industrial electronics is mainly in hardware & desktop support.

I don't get involved in software other than reselling the usual packages that go out with new built systems.

Anyway, I have a customer that's wanting some software to help with the administration of field surveyors - they go out, fill in an electronic form, email it back, data gets captured, invoices produced, all that sort of stuff.

I've suggested going bespoke but she shied away - I think she's thinking mega bucks as opposed to mere big bucks! :)

Her spec is vague... and would need a proper spec sorting out first but let's start at the basics - but does anyone know anything off the shelf that would come close to doing this:
[i]
Brief: To recommend, implement, and maintain an IT infrastructure for a small start up contact centre.

Software - Top level outcomes

• System for booking of appointments, by the client at central office and the allocation of those appointments to field staff on the basis of defined criteria, which will primarily be geographical.

• Capture of data onto a system, detailing defined outputs from appointment.

• Facility to manipulate data and generate reports as required.

• Automated invoicing mechanism to facilitate charging of fees to clients together with associated reporting facilities and capacity to interface with accounting software

• Archiving facility[/i]

There's also a need for hardware & web design which I'll be dealing with but does anyone know of something off the shelf or anyone feel it's in their line to create bespoke stuff like this then speak up!

Cheers - Dunc.

[LongQ]

YHM

[Pot Bellied Fool]

Thanks for that. I don't think she's wasting my time but I'm gently trying to suggest that a lot of what she needs is really a chargeable exercise & not something that you can expect people to do as part of their quote!

It's housing surveys and they want the surveyor to be able to fill in a standard form (laptop/PDA) and I think she's hoping to be able to automate a chunk of the report writing - yeah, it's possible but it's not gonna be ultra-cheap!

Low-cost, efficient, reliable - you can pick any two!!

I'll have a look at that link & thanks!

[LongQ]

Pot Bellied Fool said:

Thanks for that. I don't think she's wasting my time but I'm gently trying to suggest that a lot of what she needs is really a chargeable exercise & not something that you can expect people to do as part of their quote! It's housing surveys and they want the surveyor to be able to fill in a standard form (laptop/PDA) and I think she's hoping to be able to automate a chunk of the report writing - yeah, it's possible but it's not gonna be ultra-cheap! Low-cost, efficient, reliable - you can pick any two!! I'll have a look at that link & thanks!

Two out of three would not be bad! Trouble is the other one could let the whole thing down big time.

If she just wants something to extract data from a form and re-present it (so why not get the form in the right format to start with ....?) there are a number of ways to do that and, perhaps manipulate as you go. I can provide a package that does that and is scaleable if required. Also it does not require programming skills - unless people wish to fully integrate it with other applications and choose to program, which seems unlikely in this case.


But if starting with, say, a word document it may be best to consider creating the document as the final report or as a data source compatible with other MS applications (for instance.)

As for billing, if it is simply a matter of ticking a box for a fixed amount related to a service being provided OR reading a value entered by the person completing a form and them combining that with some other data and formatting it, that should not be too difficult either. But if it requires a time recording system and expenses that may also be a little more 'interesting' to achieve. If the volumes are lowish they might consider an Excel/Access based solution, though programming would be likely to make it look like the real deal.

The other option is to do the whole thing via web applications

Thing is though, if they are thinking of a budget of hundreds they are likely to be disappointed even if they have the facilities to do a fair amount of the work themselves. They really need to consider how much time and effort the system would save for them (potentially) and make a year's worth of that the budget for the project.

But I guess you know that already.

[Kinky]

Sounds like Lotus Notes would do the biz for that - all pretty standard functionality really - even as far as a being a content tool for a website - so much so that you create the design/template and they just drop in the text.

Easy.

[LongQ]

Kinky said:

Sounds like Lotus Notes would do the biz for that - all pretty standard functionality really - even as far as a being a content tool for a website - so much so that you create the design/template and they just drop in the text. Easy.

Lots of software tools that COULD do what is required or most of it. However the problem is that whilst individuals have their own ways of seeing a solution the business need goes beyond the functionality into areas of long term support and possible enhancement, amongst other things.

If the client is a Lotus Notes user and has some Notes programming skills available AND can be sure that the Notes skill resource will be available to them long term then that might be a good way to go. Likewise the use of any other tool kit, provided always that the cost of development (hours consumed and software licences required) does not exceed that cost of buying off the shelf. That is particularly important for support issues for example. Likewise any aspect of the development and use where certified quality standards may be required.

What strikes me is that if the client had the skills and resources in-house to do the development they are unlikely to be asking about information for possible application vendors.

If they take on an external development (sounds unlikely from what has been presented so far re cost) it would have to be based on need and not finding a suitable 'standard' package. I have never yet found a situation where the decision to commission a development was taken because it would be cheaper, in the end, than buying a pre-packaged system UNLESS the package system vendor applies VERY high charges for the software and all related activities. Which of course a few big names do.

[Don]

PBF.

LongQ is talking a lot of sense.

We do web-based corporate software. Our starting point is our Enterprise Time Recording/Time and Attendance/Personnel/Vacation management system - but we can add in bespoke pieces straightforwardly.

To my mind, and from the thread so far, it would seem that your client would actually like a bespoke system - but are concerned about paying for it! This is common. Our approach is to put in a "packaged" solution that is highly configurable. If truly necessary we then add in bespoke sections...

If you are interested in what we can do take a look at out web-site and check out the demo movies...my web-site is in my profile...I won't put it directly in the thread out of respect for Ted's advertising rules.

We ain't cheap, though. So if they want the world for peanuts we're not the people for the job.

[Plotloss]

Bespoke is the way to go. Doubt theres much more than a couple of months including spec and testing in this.

With the update being sent live via WAP/MobileHTML or SMS I would suggest.

Then produce the invoice from that information.

If you would like to discuss further, mail via profile.



>> Edited by Plotloss on Monday 25th July 11:54

[LongQ]

Don said:

LongQ is talking a lot of sense.

Thanks Don, I guess it had to happen one day ...

[annodomini2]

You would need to go bespoke and could be based on one of the many database applications available.

[JonRB]

Depends who you talk to. If you talk to EDS they'll tell you that you require a multi-million pound system taking several years to write, during which time it will run over time and over budget and then in the end have to be scrapped because it doesn't work.