Computer software for equipment repair business

[hangman]

hello fellow geeks,

I've been debating the idea of going into business for myself doing electronics repair work.

I've worked in a few different repair shops, but both were small, and the repair busniness was part of the music shop, and certainly not the focus.

in the two shops I've worked at, I was always frustrated with the lack of organization.

I am wondering if any of you are using software to keep track of your parts inventory, customer history, repair status, and other such things.
in the past I've done this with pen and paper, file cabinets, and in the formentioned state of disorganization. when things get crazy busy and you have a long line of repairs, it can be difficult to keep track of 7 different marshalls that are in on repair.

so...I found that was not a reliable way to run things, parts would often be in short supply when I needed them most, backordered parts or other delays might cause an amp to it sit around far too long, and this always led to some level of customer dissatisfaction.
obviously I'd like to avoid this. Do any of you have experience with Software, or do you have other methods you use? I'd love to hear about them.

[hangman]

I should mention that I am more comfortable on a Mac than a PC.

[rtx]

Hi,

this is a great list of business-oriented mac software:
30 Apps to Run your Business By - The Apple Blog

it sounds like this may be a good place for you to start:
Oranged.net Software - Studiometry

If you have a little tech/database savvy, you could always buy a copy of Filemaker (database software, makes it easy to build databases) and build yourself a small custom solution. It's really not that hard to do, especially if your needs are somewhat modest and you're willing to do a little learning.

If you can find something prepackaged that meets your needs - and Studiometry may well - it can be more efficient to use that.

Good luck

[hangman]

thanks rtx. looks like some promising stuff. anyone else?