The Technology Age...

[Slvrmple72]

How many of you are using an internet capable phone on the job during the day to check your website for e-mails for work request quotes, disposing of wood chips or firewood, etc?
Finding out with my buddy and his android phone he is very quickly dumping chips close to the jobsite, selling wood, and landing jobs quickly that he may very well have lost due to poor response time. Saving money on fuel, getting work while in the area, bidding work while in the area. Just to name a few.
On a related note, another buddy is seeing the same thing with his business of cleaning out garbage and unwanted junk from peoples homes. He uses a blackberry.
And to think... few years ago I couldn't txt myslf out of a paperbag. LOL!

 

[squad143]

I'm in the same boat.

Just got an iPhone this summer. Never used text before because it was such a pain with my old phone. (push a number three times to get a letter:msp_mad

Now I text, use it as a camera, send a customer a pic of a tree I spotted a defect in, check the weather radar to see how long and hard the rain is going to be. Now my email is instantly sent to my phone. The more I use this thing, the more uses I have for it.

My wife and kids got me an ipad2 for my birthday this summer as well. So far I use it mainly for surfing the net (I'm on it right now) and playing games on it. I plan on using it more for quoting jobs, - to replace the briefcase I constantly carry around.

I just have to use it a little more, now that things have slowed down, and figure out how I can use it it fit my needs.

Nice thing about these two devices, anything I add to them is synced to my home computer.

It took a while, but I guess I finally embraced technology.:msp_rolleyes:

 

[mattfr12]

Ya I'm very pro apple now after getting a few of their products with the I cloud you can have all the information off of 3 devices back to your home pc as without doing anything. so i can go bid a job use the iPad then edit it as soon as i get home without screwing around with disks or plugging them into each other. or i can bid a job and another crew can look at it at the same time they share information constantly. its cool how you can right on the iPad and it turns it into text you can setup your bid sheets in their and write on them then print it out.

 

[Kottonwood]

I have an android and a computer in my truck with full internet access, it also has a scanner and printer for doing bids. When I started my business last year I was joking with a friend that there is no way in hell I could run my business like I was without a smart phone. We were a two man show and worked six days a week, my truck was my office. Now it is a little different I got a couple climbers out working and I can sit in the office now and again. I would still never get rid of the smartphone, once you use it you can't go back.

 

[husabud]

its cool how you can right on the iPad and it turns it into text you can setup your bid sheets in their and write on them then print it out.

Try Invoice to go. It is a pretty easy to set up and use program for instant invoicing and quoting. What's this write into text program?

 

[the Aerialist]

My iPad is more important to my work than my chainsaw ...

I bought an iPad when they first came out and now I couldn't be without it. 99% of my customer contact is via email and having the iPad with me means I can respond very quickly to customer requests. I can set up routes on the fly, and maximize my ability to efficiently see the people I need to.

I have a dumb flip phone for making phone calls, but everything else I need is at my fingertips with the iPad.

 

[Kottonwood]

I like the ipad and that seems like a pretty awesome program. However, when I was setting up my truck with the computer I was going to buy the Ipad. I ended up getting a laptop, small printer, scanner, a gps antenna w/ garmin software, a very cool mount for the laptop, and everything installed......... for cheaper than what I could have bought an ipad for.

 

[Kottonwood]

Oh I forgot to include in that list of stuff a 1500 watt power inverter to power it all...... and my coffee maker..... and sometimes powertools

 

[TreeAce]

I like the ipad and that seems like a pretty awesome program. However, when I was setting up my truck with the computer I was going to buy the Ipad. I ended up getting a laptop, small printer, scanner, a gps antenna w/ garmin software, a very cool mount for the laptop, and everything installed......... for cheaper than what I could have bought an ipad for.

So you have a small mobil printer? I think that would the ultimate set up. If I could icloud everything , and have the option to email a bid or print (on the spot)and leave a bid. Dude that would be the cats ass. Right now I hand write a bid and ethier leave/hand it to customer or scan and email it. Its lame. I have an I4S and I love it. I didnt know how much I needed it till I got it. I got it in the Fall so we will see how much it helps business this season. I am sure that str8 up mac is in the cards for the TreeAce

 

[Kottonwood]

So you have a small mobil printer? I think that would the ultimate set up. If I could icloud everything , and have the option to email a bid or print (on the spot)and leave a bid. Dude that would be the cats ass. Right now I hand write a bid and ethier leave/hand it to customer or scan and email it. Its lame. I have an I4S and I love it. I didnt know how much I needed it till I got it. I got it in the Fall so we will see how much it helps business this season. I am sure that str8 up mac is in the cards for the TreeAce

Yup, that's how I roll. I print and email them a bid at the time of the estimate.

 

[TreeAce]

Yup, that's how I roll. I print and email them a bid at the time of the estimate.

Whats the best way to get set up?

 

[the Aerialist]

... I ended up getting a laptop, small printer, scanner, a gps antenna w/ garmin software, a very cool mount for the laptop, and everything installed......... for cheaper than what I could have bought an ipad for.

I have MacBook Air that is very thin and light and I could take it with me very easily, but I find that the iPad is much quicker to use, instant on, and built in 3g connection if there is no WiFi available. It's often covered with sawdust when I get it home, but with no keyboard it just shakes it off.

I've also got a Panasonic ToughBook that I got the "Cop mount" dock for that can be installed in a vehicle. That was way to cumbersome, and running Windows holds nothing but frustration so I canned that solution right away. For me the iPad is the perfect solution. An iPhone is way too small for these old eyes to comfortably read.

Here's the ToughBook on a tripod holding the "Cop mount" dock:

 

[Kottonwood]

I bought everything from different places. Pretty much any small printer and scanner will do, I have mine velcroed down with industrial strength velcro. The printer is on the console and the scanner is on the dash. The laptop is on an adjustable mount. I got the inverter from an rv store. I run the internet wireless because I have hacked my droid to be a free wifi hotspot. I put some links for some of the stuff I am running. I have no complaints about any of it. The mount for the laptop works great, I have a very small/ light laptop as well. Installation isn't much, just need to find a place to stick the inverter and all your plugs, run a bunch of wires, use some self tappers to bolt down the laptop mount, slap down some velcro, and voila.

I have been working on setting it up to run through the audio in my truck and be able to answer my phone bluetooth..... no dice yet.

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RAM Laptop Mount - Best Laptop Mounts - Car Laptop Mount

Amazon.com: Brother DSMobile Scanner (DS-600): Electronics

 

[Kottonwood]

I have MacBook Air that is very thin and light and I could take it with me very easily, but I find that the iPad is much quicker to use, instant on, and built in 3g connection if there is no WiFi available. It's often covered with sawdust when I get it home, but with no keyboard it just shakes it off.

I've also got a Panasonic ToughBook that I got the "Cop mount" dock for that can be installed in a vehicle. That was way to cumbersome, and running Windows holds nothing but frustration so I canned that solution right away. For me the iPad is the perfect solution. An iPhone is way too small for these old eyes to comfortably read.

Here's the ToughBook on a tripod holding the "Cop mount" dock:

What is that 6gs worth of toys to write an estimate? That's not even including the ipad. I hooked everything in my truck up for under 1500 and it impresses the #### out of my customers and makes my life a lot easier.

 

[TreeAce]

I bought everything from different places. Pretty much any small printer and scanner will do, I have mine velcroed down with industrial strength velcro. The printer is on the console and the scanner is on the dash. The laptop is on an adjustable mount. I got the inverter from an rv store. I run the internet wireless because I have hacked my droid to be a free wifi hotspot. I put some links for some of the stuff I am running. I have no complaints about any of it. The mount for the laptop works great, I have a very small/ light laptop as well. Installation isn't much, just need to find a place to stick the inverter and all your plugs, run a bunch of wires, use some self tappers to bolt down the laptop mount, slap down some velcro, and voila.

I have been working on setting it up to run through the audio in my truck and be able to answer my phone bluetooth..... no dice yet.

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RAM Laptop Mount - Best Laptop Mounts - Car Laptop Mount

Amazon.com: Brother DSMobile Scanner (DS-600): Electronics

Thats sweet. But I gotta admit i kinda gringed at the "self tappers and velcro" part.

 

[Kottonwood]

Thats sweet. But I gotta admit i kinda gringed at the "self tappers and velcro" part.

Haha I will post some pics tomorrow. It is tight like a tiger. The velcro is no joke , the industrial stuff holds like donkey kong. I only put it there so I can take the stuff out easy enough if I have to park in the ghetto or something. The self tappers are totally the way to go for mounting something to your transmission hump...... try getting a nut on a bolt though there.

 

[TreeAce]

Haha I will post some pics tomorrow. It is tight like a tiger. The velcro is no joke , the industrial stuff holds like donkey kong. I only put it there so I can take the stuff out easy enough if I have to park in the ghetto or something. The self tappers are totally the way to go for mounting something to your transmission hump...... try getting a nut on a bolt though there.

I would love to see some pictures. I have no doubt every thing is "tight n right". I just cant picture sticking velcro or running self tappers anywhere inside my truck lol. Although I guess it could clean up ok when re sell time comes. My truck is an 05 but its mint. I will prolly get rid of it in a couple more years.

 

[deevo]

I got the i-phone as well last spring and can run everything pretty much from it like you guys have said, check emails for work requests. I also have a scanner App. So I give the customer the estimate work order, have them sign it, then scan it for my copy to keep. Very efficient. Like Squad 143 said as well you can check the weather radar which is very convenient. Got the otter box for mine as well, keeps it out of harms way. Liking it a lot!

 

[NCTREE]

Anyone know a good app for keeping track of vehicle mileage? I'm still writing it down on paper, there has to be a better way. It be nice if it could be linked to your appointment calendar.

 

[HoosierKid]

iPad bid set up

The iPad is they money, in both senses. I use invoice2go and write photo to iPad app. This allows me to easily take a pic and write on it. Like when I have a customer that has several trees and wants prices individually on the bid, I can take a pic and write on the pic and email it to him. All while we're standing there. I'm usually done and emailed the bid before I get back in the truck. You can take credit cards with the cube as well, 2.75% interest isn't too bad for the convenience. This is all backed up somewhere in the sky, in a cloud. Seems hard to believe if you ask me.