I agree with mr2channel. D-tools is a very powerful program and well worth it for anyone who wants to play with the big boys. If you take the necessary time to properly set it up, you will be able to close larger projects and more importantly, finish those larger projects in a timely fashion and with more profit.

could have not said it any better

I've got an old dog. 10 year old lab. About a year ago, I taught her to dance when someone came home. The only problem was, that she would get so excited that she pissed all over the floor. So watch out for D-Tools, its easy to get excited over at first, but if not thought and planned out right, its about as useful as a pile of piss.

Does anybody know how well the bidmagic software works. i've seen it advertised on the cheap, but have not heard any feedback on it.

Thats the program the guy from Res Sys is always pushing isn't it?

yes, and a few reviews have been posted on IP for those interested

Horizons Graphic Draw, it costs 1500 cdn roughly. We paid alot less, some incentive through our buying group.

I tried Bid Magic and it was good. But I think it was overpriced for what you get.

I then tried [Link: quotewerks.com] for the free evaluation period and it is good.

But I am back to Excel and Word - old habits die hard.

Now I'm considering working with a D Tools partner to utilize D-Tools.

We'll see.

Horizons software draws out your wire paths in various colours and lays out V/C locations and all of your other peripherals. As far as quoting we still use Excel, but we will be using this software for internal use only. I have found that our industry is all about bad communication. "The salesman said this would happen" or "Why didn't a phone line get put in this room"

I think sales and clients need to talk more and then the client signs off on the schematic. Then I will be a happy man. Who is super anal about workorders?

Nice one Carl,

The most important thing with D-tools is that you enter the data... CORRECTLY.

My moron ex-partner had a lot of costs at retail on OnQ stuff and did not bid labor correctly at all. Because his stewardship of the program was so poor it was a little worse than a pile of piss for us... had a few cases of the runds thrown in on it too.

Properly done it is a nice piece of software... we're going to revamp it and for now... Excel, Word and Visio suffice.

I think I've also mentioned this before. DO NOT use their poor excuse for a contract... use your own. Moron ex-partner decided to use it instead of ours and the line about "client may make changes to the contract" allowed a client to modify our deal to his liking and to our $1700.00 cash outlay.

The poor excuse for a contract is meant to be a place holder for you to create your own Word doc. contract. I would not recommend anyone use any "stock" contract ever provided by any software, guy you know or free online service that you have not had your legal adviser look at.

I try to avoid abusing my relationship with RC Forum members by using the forum as an area to pitch D-tools. Like all member I try to interact, answer questions related to D-tools as well as many other topics and be mindful not to overstep the boundaries of decorum and blatantly push my products.
I leave the spamming to the marketing department.

I would strongly recommend you investigate all of your options but do purchase and industry specific software. Regardless if it is Horizon, SRS, D-tools or Bid Magic you will undoubtedly benefit from structured software that provides you with an architecture to create a repeatable process.
There is going to be an upfront cost of both money and time. But put in the time to properly set up the application, get trained on how to use it and you should see an ROI in 6 months or less. Make sure you don’t skip the training part, most fail do to the fact they don’t get help.

I would also recommend you attend CEDIA/EH Expo/CES and not only check out the demo’s being held at the booth’s but ask around in classes, events and find out what others like yourself are using. You should also talk to manufactures, distributors and reps as they tend to walk in allot of doors and can tell you what the word on the street is.

Basically do your homework. This will be the most important software purchase you can make for your business as every project will go through your proposal system. So take the time to determine your own needs and once you have your list together start evaluating your choices.

You also want to keep in mind issues like:

Tech Support: What ever you buy remember it is software and does run on a PC so you will need tech support from time to time.
Stability of the company: Its hard to get tech support from a company no longer in Business.
Flexibility: can it grow with you if you choose to grow.
Accounting interface: Make sure it plays nice with your accounting software.
Training: Investigate your training options and do a personal inventory of your skills. Regardless if you are a computer geek to the 10th power you should get professional training.
Cost benefits analysis: Some software’s do more than other and so they cost more. The question you should ask is “are the costs well balanced by the benefits”. Do I need all the features or can I start small and add as features as needed.
I hope this helps but also never believe a software salesman, we are worse then stereo salesman

Now, using Excel, Visio and QuickBooks may be easier but is it. Using three disconnected tools to create your project means you are required to create your project 3 times. Oh, and good luck keeping the 3 project files in sync.

D-tools is a business automation tool. So yes, just like any automation tool there is set up and training involved. If you sell Crestron, AMX, Elan or C4 then you had to attend a week long training on how to program a home automation system. So, ask yourself, how much experience do you have in programming and setting up a business automation system.

We are holding weekly live web reviews that you can sign up for on our web site. I can also do one on one demo’s for you and your team as well. Oh, and one other thing. I have been an SI for 11 years, used D-tools for the last 5 years and have worked here for three years. What I am saying is I am willing to prove to you the value of a business automation tool. But you do have to call and take the first step.

For all of you that have not had a happy experience with D-tools then I invite you to call as well. We have allot of help available and would love to set things right with you again.