We've grown to 4 people here in Atlanta and our current Excel-based system is falling apart. Need something that can track multiple projects, client communications, billing status, and let multiple people access the same data without stepping on each other. What are you all using for project management and client tracking? Budget is flexible but want something reliable.
Software recommendations for multi-person operations?
We're using Salesforce with some custom fields. It's overkill for small operations but once you hit 3-4 people it's worth it. Can track everything from initial lead to final report delivery. Integration with QuickBooks is solid too. Probably $150/month for your team size.
Have you looked at Monday.com? We switched from spreadsheets last year and love it. Great for project tracking, file sharing, client communication logs. Much cheaper than Salesforce and easier to set up. Around $40/month for 4 users.
We built our own FileMaker database. Took some upfront investment but it does exactly what we need. Tracks every client interaction, stores all utility rate schedules, generates reports. If you have someone tech-savvy on your team it might be worth considering.
Been through this evolution myself. Started with Excel, tried Salesforce, ended up with Asana for project management and QuickBooks for billing. The key is keeping it simple enough that everyone actually uses it. Too complex and people revert to their own systems.
Thanks for the suggestions. Anyone have experience with industry-specific software? I've seen some utilities consulting packages but they seem expensive and maybe overkill for what we do.
Looked at those industry packages. They're built for big engineering firms, not utility auditors. Way too much functionality you'll never use. Stick with something like Monday or Asana that you can customize to your workflow.
We use Trello for project tracking and Google Workspace for file sharing. Simple, cheap, and everyone knows how to use it. Sometimes the best solution is the one your team will actually adopt. Spent too much time in the past implementing complex systems nobody used.
Good point about adoption. I think we'll trial Monday.com and Asana for a month each, see what feels right for our workflow. Georgia Power has been pushing more digital documentation anyway, so we need something that handles file management well.
Smart approach. Make sure whatever you choose can export data easily. You don't want to be locked into a system if it doesn't work out. Monday.com has great export features and their support is excellent.
Late to this thread but wanted to mention ClickUp. Similar to Monday but more features for the price. We've been using it for 8 months with PSE Puget Sound Energy projects and it handles everything we need. Time tracking, document storage, client communication history.