Hello Ragic users,
We are a small translation business. We get a few orders every day, but these generate quite some data (deadlines, who ordered, order reference, quoting, porject status etc). Our existing shared GoogleSheet is creaking.
We gave Ragic a quick look, sounds like a nice tool, but we soon realised we need someone to help us beyond the “generate a customer database in 5 minutes” tutotrial.
These are the specs… If you feel you could do this - or even better, you have already done a db just like this one – we should talk!
-Confidentiality not very important (low value info, protection is done by the ID process for the user to access the on-line database)
-We need a cloud database that does not cost more than a few dollars a month to run. Ragic or any suchlike would do.
-No level of rights/authorisation management needed (all users have full rights)
- 3 to 4 users maximum
- 1 to 20 projects/day max (usually one or two)
- No attachments or pictures, no need for big DB storage capacity.
- Usability is key, no fancy user interface required: we can use filters, no need for a slick interface with tons of bespoke reports.
-Our client purchase orders (PO) are sometimes for a single job, sometimes open ones (we draw down on an open P/O until the balance is used up)
-Goal is to manage and track our flow of incoming translation requests:
-This database would be where we enter all our new translation requests and follow-up their progress (see image of current GoogleSheet)
-A translation order (or “project”) each carries the following data:
· project filename (e.g. “translationxyz.docx”)
· drive/link where the file to translate can be accessed
· current status for each order (quoted/in progress/delivered/invoice sent/paid for)
· requester name
· client details (per company and per individual requester)
· translators name - attributed manually when the project becomes allocated
· date project was received from client
· project delivery date and (optional) time - will be left blank for most projects
· number of words
· rate per word
· cost quoted to client (number of words times rate per word/or manual entry)
· client purchase order (PO) reference
· opening balance/balance left for each purchase order
· special instructions
· our invoice number (for jobs that are invoiced)
· Anything else you can see is worth adding
-What the database does:
· It allows 2 to 4 users to access all “live” projects, see the current status and manually amend status (e.g. moving from “in progress” to “delivered”)
· It allows 2 to 4 users to enter new projects (with all the info mentioned above
· It allows us to quickly identify the next jobs to deliver or jobs that are late
· It allows us to keep track of the quote (that is price) we have offered to the client
· It allows us to filter jobs that are Delivered, filter them by PO reference and create a simple text export (for one PO, what jobs were delivered, filename and cost) so we can generate invoices inside our accounting software. No interface with accounting required
· allows to check that a client PO has sufficient balance for the next order
· for each new project, it allows to pull info to generate a boilerplate text (Dear “client XYZ”, thanks for your project “file xyz”, we could deliver on the “planned delivery date” at a cost of “quoted cost”) that we can paste into an email and send. (If this could go as far as automating the whole quote emailing process that would be nice, but not a priority)