Archive for May, 2007
This morning, FreshBooks successfully released version 3.9 with Estimates. So far, people seem to be enjoying it, here is some early feedback:
The estimates look great! I also like the new header bar at the top that has the customer’s profile/logout link. Customers used to have problems finding the profile link. This will make it easier for them to find.
You just eliminated one more piece of additional software for me. Thanks!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. In my opinion the new estimates feature is a milestone that will go down in Freshbooks history as the moment when it all got tied together into one huge killer app.
If you haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, the way it works is you can create an estimate before you start any project.
You can then send the estimate to your client and the client can review it online just like they would an invoice. If they are happy, they can accept the estimate or request changes.
You can have a conversation back and forth about the estimate.
Once you and/or your client is happy with the estimate, you can convert it to an invoice or a recurring invoice with one click.
Tomorrow morning (Thursday, May 31, 2007), we are releasing FreshBooks Version 3.9 with estimates/quotes.
Please expect a short period of downtime between 6:30 AM and 8:00 AM EDT (NOTE: this is 3:30am in LA, 6:30am in NYC, 11:30am in London, 6:30pm in Hong Kong, and 8:30pm in Melbourne).
We sent a detailed email out about this and other FreshBooks news last Friday. If you didn’t receive it, you can go here to view it online.
Version 3.9 includes the estimate/quoting feature for you to review estimates with your customers and convert them into invoices. It has some other improvements that I am sure you will like.
Mike put up a FreshBooks user group on Facebook last night. Check out some of the comments on the Wall below:
Technology moves fast — on the web, even faster. If you’re a developer, how do you stay on top of new techniques, tools, and languages? Below I’ve shared some resources that help me stay current.
User voted content
There’s a lot of garbage on the web. Sorting out what’s good and what’s not is a mountain of work – for one person, at least. Digg, Reddit, and DZone are user communities where members vote and rank new content. The front page might be full of celebrity gossip and other distractions, but searching for key terms that interest you (i.e. “php” or “ruby”) can yield good results.
I particularly recommend checking out DZone, which focuses on developer-oriented content.
Developer blog feeds
You’ll find there are blogs that you’ll come back to again and again – the experts. This might go without saying, but why not cut out the middle man and add them to your feed reader?
Some of my fave developer blogs right now are Coding Horror (Programming & Technology), Err The Blog (Ruby on Rails), and Modern Life (Web).
Social bookmarking sites
Social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and ma.gnolia let people share their bookmarks online. You can check out what’s generally new or popular, or subscribe to feeds tracking what your friends or co-workers find worthwhile.
Tip: A lot of bloggers share their public bookmarks. If you like what they write, there’s a good chance you’ll like what they read.
Have any suggestions? What do you use to stay current?
When you design a product, you have to decide what its character is going to be. Is it going to be beautiful, easy to use, customizable, fast? These are four of the key characteristics you want with a web application, but as you push to the extreme with any one these characteristics, you are forced to make trade-offs.
FreshBooks is built for speed and ease of use. Some say our design is spartan, many comment that their first impression is it’s not as beautiful as some of the eye candy web apps available today, but all of them tell me that FreshBooks is the fastest web app they’ve ever used — and any hang-ups they have about the look evaporate by the time they create their third invoice or made their fourth time entry.
In a way, FreshBooks reminds me a little of the Google search portal: simple, purpose-driven, few bells and whistles, and built for speed. Their strategy is to help you get in and out faster many times rather than keep you on their site for long periods of time, like Yahoo!. They figure many quick, positive experiences will build the brand and keep you coming back, and that’s our philosophy too.
You’ll see this philosophy incorporated in the upcoming version 4.0 release of FreshBooks. We’re releasing estimates first, but version 4.0 will follow shortly thereafter.
We know you have been waiting patiently for this. When you let us know you really needed a dedicated estimate tool … We listened! With the upcoming release of version 3.9 you will be able to create, send, print, and accept estimates. Once your client chooses to accept your estimate, you can generate an invoice or a recurring profile from your estimate. Here are some screen shots:
This coming Monday, we will be having a nice long weekend because of Victoria Day. Here in Canada, Victoria Day is a celebration of Queen Victoria’s birthday, but it’s more commonly remembered as the weekend where we warm up our barbeque sets and enjoy a good fireworks show.
This means we will be away on Monday May 21st and will be refreshed and happy to assist you on Tuesday. As usual, our systems will be monitored 24 hours a day by our hosting specialists over at RackSpace.
Have a great weekend.
Here at FreshBooks, we spend a lot of time on the phone. We have our toll-free number clearly displayed on our website and as a result, I often find myself talking with our potential and existing customers. Focusing only on email support and avoiding phone calls can save time, but it can also be a big mistake as you could miss out on valuable information.
As Michael mentions on the forum:
“Time on the phone with customers is GOLD. I expect people will spend more time with you asking about your company, not the product (i.e. how long have you been around, why did you build it) in an effort to reassure themselves that you are trustworthy. For the record I see personally support as an asset, not a cost. It’s pretty much falls into our marketing bucket because it leads to referrals and improves the customer experience so those who call are likely to be long term customers.”
Speaking with your clients on the phone is not only about answering questions, but finding more information about your clients. Building these relationships with your client helps both parties understand each other better as well as promote a community.
TIP: A good contact us page in addition to a clearly displayed phone number is key to building trust and getting in touch with your visitors.
Not sure if any of you who were in the US yesterday saw this, but FreshBooks was in USA Today yesterday.
Ever wonder how your business stacks up against the competition in terms of sales, revenues, and so forth? Now you can find out. Freshbooks (Freshbooks.com) is an online invoicing and time tracking service that has just released “Report Cards,” a service allows small business owners to compare their company metrics against similar businesses in their industry.
The author (Steve Strauss) was writing about FreshBooks Report Cards service. The article itself is a good read for anyone who was not born to sell and sees selling as a necessary evil. FreshBooks is mentioned towards the bottom of the article.
Today is the day FreshBooks moves into its shiny new headquarters. Please note that our phone lines are going to be in flux all day today (Monday May 14, 2007), so you will likely not be able to reach us at the usual number.
We are completely accessible via email, so please send us a note if you have any questions.
If you really need to speak with us, you can get us at either of the following two mobile numbers:
416-525-5384
or
647-204-3808
Thank you for your patience. In case you are wondering where we are headed, our new address is:
2790 Dufferin St.
Toronto, ON
M6B 3R7
As long as our good friend mother Bell Canada co-operates, our phone numbers will not change. However, we are getting a new fax number: 416-481-3800.
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