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JOBPOWER JOB COSTING SOFTWARE USER REVIEW

IDEAL Contracting, a concrete paving, sidewalk, landscaping and electrical contractor in La Porte, Texas, used to track all its job costing, banking, and financial systems using Microsoft Small Business Accounting. Tommy Pitts, a principal at IDEAL, said this approach required double-entering everything, which took time and opened up more opportunities for mistakes.

In 2006, IDEAL began using JOBPOWER, a job costing software solution from Applies Computer Systems. This has allowed Pitts to do job tracking, job costing, payroll and banking more accurately and with less work from support staff.

The contractor accounting software emphasizes job cost management. It includes features such as AIA billing, certified payroll and job budgets. The software allows Pitts to enter data once and have it recorded everywhere it is needed. For example, when entering a vendor invoice, that invoice is immediately included in job cost reports, accounting ledgers and vendor reports. When he closes a month or a year, JOBPOWER automatically makes the closing entries. The software performs the double-entry accounting, ensuring ledgers are always in balance and accounting/job cost reports are always up to date, according to Pitts.

The time savings means that he can stay current with information about employees and payroll as project come along, rather than having to play catch up at tax time. "JOBPOWER makes my CPA very happy at the end of quarters as well as the year end," Pitts noted.

The software is so easy to learn that Pitts was able to teach his wife the basics in only 20 minutes. Now she can do all the accounting and payroll information for IDEAL and is looking at purchasing JOBPOWER for her company as well, Pitts indicated.

Pitts rated JOBPOWER job costing software a perfect 10 out of 10.

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
 
How long have you been using this tool?
 
Where did you obtain it?
 
How much did you pay?
 
How are you using this product?
 
Why did you pick this product?
 
Was this product compatible with the software programs you were already using?
 
Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made    this product better)?
 
Before you bought this product, were you using a different one to do the same job? If so, what tool were you using?
 
How many people are using this software?
 
Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
 
Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
 
Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this    tool?
 
What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
 
Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
 
What would you change about the product if you could?
 
Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
 
Who would you recommend use this tool?
 
How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
 
Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
 
Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
 
How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
 
When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
 
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
Our construction projects include concrete paving, structures, sidewalks, landscaping and electrical.

Since April 2006.

I called Applied Computer Systems directly.

How much did you pay?
$2,600

How are you using this product?
I am tracking job cost, banking, and financials.

Why did you pick this product?
It was easy to use and understand. In addition, the JOBPOWER support that I have is great.

Was this product compatible with the software programs you were already using?
No.

Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made this product better)?
Yes. The other job costing software products were harder to understand, and using them meant doing double-entry on everything.

Before you bought this product, were you using a different one to do the same job? If so, what tool were you using?
Yes. I was using Microsoft Small Business Accounting, and it wasn't what I needed.

How many people are using this software?
I do all the job tracking, job costing, payroll, and banking myself. This program is so easy to use that I don't need any help from other employees at this time.

Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
Being efficient with my time and producing statements using JOBPOWER makes my CPA very happy at the end of the quarter and at the end of the year.

Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
Payroll for all jobs are job specific, and cost is spread accordingly. This makes job costing and tracking easier.

Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this tool?
I couldn't start to estimate the savings in time or money. The investment in JOBPOWER is priceless.

What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
The best JOBPOWER features are job costing, payroll, and financial and bank statements.

Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
Definitely.

What would you change about the product if you could?
Nothing.

Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
I don't think so. If I don't use them, then I don't have them.

Who would you recommend use this tool?
Any construction company as well as a supplier would benefit from this job costing software.

How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
Very little experience is needed. I showed my wife how to enter accounts payable and payroll data in 20 minutes, and now she knows how to use it as well as I do. She does ALL accounting and payroll for her company and is in the process of trying to purchase JOBPOWER for her company as well.

Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
Not at all. As I stated before, Dee and Mary with Applied Computer Systems led me through the setup; in a matter of less than an hour, I was up and running. Great people I might add.

Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
Yes. Several times. They are the best. They do know their product and have helped me on several occasions.

How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
Excellent.

When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
Definitely.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?
10.