What do you use to track client data and logs and more?
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When I first started doing side work I found it was easiest to store data in Evernote. I just had a note for each client and some sub-notes for various details like work performed and various login data and customer details and project information and notes.
This only worked for so long before things were out of hand. I didn't have templates for similar data sets, I never considered Evernote very secure and didn't like storing passwords and such in there. I had limited room to attach files (free account). It always felt kind slipshod and forced.
With Evernote's recent changes I figured I'd move to OneNote. I fear it will suffer from all the same downsides and I still don't feel comfortable storing logins and such. OneNote also seems buggy, having sync issues, not quite working right on mobile, and I can't even access the online version, it just gives an error.
I've built a relational database to store data in a more structured way, which is real nerdy and stuff, but by creating my own database, I'm not as able to access it from anywhere, any time. I have to maintain a server and my own security, and can't attach files and the list goes on.
I've tried moving data into CRM software, but I find these limiting. They are not as easy to use when you want a type of universal data-capture setup. I want customer details, notes about work, login information, attached files for invoices and other documents, list of projects with their own todo lists and progress information, etc etc. Time tracking is also handy.
Another method I tried is just storing all flat files in a cloud drive. All information is just Word and Excel and documents the client send me. This is great for storing just files, but also feels insecure and less organized in terms of being able to search for things and quickly review information. Opening these files depends on access to cloud drive, and presence of Office in adequate version.
I'm sure there are 10,000 ways to keep track of information but I'm curious what other people who do freelance work, in home visits, remote work, etc, where they keep all this data.
I'd prefer all data to be in one location. It's really really really annoying to have to look up a project over here, and get the login from over there, and open some files from this other place. A universal store makes more sense, everything in one place. And with all the usual cloud-based access, from my phone, desktop, onsite, etc.
I like the idea of being able to share some data with the client. Usually this is in the form of letting them send ME files, or monitoring a project or sending messages/chats or whatever. This isn't absolutely required.
I'm open to ideas and services to check out. There are so many ways to gather information for free that, unless the system is extremely amazing, I think there are probably free options that will work well enough.
The system has to scale to be usable for all clients for all time. Evernote was ok until I started getting past 30 or 40 projects and clients for example. If it gets cloggy and cumbersome after dozens of entries, that's no good.
It needs to be flexible enough to store any kind of project. One client might be just going and fixing a computer, or it might be a huge website build with a migration and dozens of files passed back and forth and a full calendared project timeline.
Thoughts?
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We use OneNote a lot. It works great. We use it in conjunction with OneDrive for Business and SharePoint all on Office 365.
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@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
We use OneNote a lot. It works great. We use it in conjunction with OneDrive for Business and SharePoint all on Office 365.
You like OneNote over Evernote?
I'm an Evernote guy, myself.
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@BRRABill said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
We use OneNote a lot. It works great. We use it in conjunction with OneDrive for Business and SharePoint all on Office 365.
You like OneNote over Evernote?
I'm an Evernote guy, myself.
Yes, I like the integration and everything. I've never figured out the benefits of Evernote. It always seemed odd to me and off on its own and I don't want to pay for yet another independent tool.
Turtl is interesting. Like Evernote but free and open source.
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@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
We use OneNote a lot. It works great. We use it in conjunction with OneDrive for Business and SharePoint all on Office 365.
I happen to have an O365 Business account.
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
How do you connect OneNote with OneDrive for seemless project info? Just a folder by client name or something? Can you create links between the two services? Can clients upload files into a folder you create for them?Might I ask how you set up information in OneNote? Like do you have a book for everything or do you break up books? What do you use the tabs and pages for?
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@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
We use OneNote a lot. It works great. We use it in conjunction with OneDrive for Business and SharePoint all on Office 365.
I happen to have an O365 Business account.
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
How do you connect OneNote with OneDrive for seemless project info? Just a folder by client name or something? Can you create links between the two services? Can clients upload files into a folder you create for them?Might I ask how you set up information in OneNote? Like do you have a book for everything or do you break up books? What do you use the tabs and pages for?
OneDrive for Business is for "user" files. Our OneNotes for clients go in the "Clients Library" in Sharepoint and are tagged with client metadata. There should be no folders in Sharepoint (under most scenarios.)
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@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
Might I ask how you set up information in OneNote? Like do you have a book for everything or do you break up books? What do you use the tabs and pages for?
@art_of_shred can talk about the design of the books better than I can.
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@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
OneNote is fine. It's Sharepoint security that is of the concern here.
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@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
OneNote is fine. It's Sharepoint security that is of the concern here.
My O365 Business plan does not include Sharepoint I don't think. That is for Business Premium.
What does Sharepoint add as far as client notes that I can't do just with OneNote alone? -
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
What does Sharepoint add as far as client notes that I can't do just with OneNote alone?
Well it adds a wiki. But the big thing is that it hosts the OneNote files with user-level ACL. Very powerful.
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But the wiki is really useful. You can use the wiki instead of OneNote, too. They work quite differently. OneNote is good for rich content. Wiki is good for fast editing.
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@StrongBad said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
But the wiki is really useful. You can use the wiki instead of OneNote, too. They work quite differently. OneNote is good for rich content. Wiki is good for fast editing.
I don't really understand a OneNote note as a "file".
In my O365 account, I cannot even access OneNote from the web browser, it just has an error:
It does tell me to go look in OneDrive for the notes, but I don't see any notes in OneDrive, I don't get it. Are notes stored in files? It's just weird.
I can see how a wiki could be useful, but a wiki is meant to be unstructured, while a database of clients and projects and work mixed with files and invoices and other stuff, doesn't come off as something that lends itself to a wiki.
I thought for sure there would be some popular "freelancer" or "self-employed" service/app that does all this stuff, rolled in to one. Maybe there is, haven't looked hard enough.
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One Note should be installed on your desktop if you have office 365. Think of OneNote as a binder. It has tabs for sections and individual pages you can put in each section.
First set one up on your desktop then save it to your OneDrive. There now you can access it online and edit etc.
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@Minion-Queen
I see what happened. It seems that all my notebooks went in to my personal hotmail account instead of the 365 account.
MS is a little goofy when it comes to trying to mix-n-match what is my personal acct versus the 365 one. -
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@Minion-Queen
I see what happened. It seems that all my notebooks went in to my personal hotmail account instead of the 365 account.
MS is a little goofy when it comes to trying to mix-n-match what is my personal acct versus the 365 one.Oh yeah, that will do it
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@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
OneNote is fine. It's Sharepoint security that is of the concern here.
My O365 Business plan does not include Sharepoint I don't think. That is for Business Premium.
What does Sharepoint add as far as client notes that I can't do just with OneNote alone?We use metadata to make Sharepoint even more useful. Want to see all documents by customer? One click and you are there.
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@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
OneNote is fine. It's Sharepoint security that is of the concern here.
My O365 Business plan does not include Sharepoint I don't think. That is for Business Premium.
What does Sharepoint add as far as client notes that I can't do just with OneNote alone?We use metadata to make Sharepoint even more useful. Want to see all documents by customer? One click and you are there.
Not sure I understand the connection. So you're in a Sharepoint wiki and you "click a user" and then see all their OneNote notes and OneDrive files? Or are you keeping all their info just in Sharepoint?
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@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
OneNote is fine. It's Sharepoint security that is of the concern here.
My O365 Business plan does not include Sharepoint I don't think. That is for Business Premium.
What does Sharepoint add as far as client notes that I can't do just with OneNote alone?We use metadata to make Sharepoint even more useful. Want to see all documents by customer? One click and you are there.
Not sure I understand the connection. So you're in a Sharepoint wiki and you "click a user" and then see all their OneNote notes and OneDrive files? Or are you keeping all their info just in Sharepoint?
Not the Sharepoint wiki, we keep OneNotes in Sharepoint with metadata.
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@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@scottalanmiller said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
Do you consider OneNote a safe and secure option for storing credentials, passwords, server logins?
OneNote is fine. It's Sharepoint security that is of the concern here.
My O365 Business plan does not include Sharepoint I don't think. That is for Business Premium.
What does Sharepoint add as far as client notes that I can't do just with OneNote alone?We use metadata to make Sharepoint even more useful. Want to see all documents by customer? One click and you are there.
Not sure I understand the connection. So you're in a Sharepoint wiki and you "click a user" and then see all their OneNote notes and OneDrive files? Or are you keeping all their info just in Sharepoint?
Not the Sharepoint wiki, we keep OneNotes in Sharepoint with metadata.
So more like a document store?
Speaking of security, if a note is just a file in OneDrive, can't it be shared out to a client that way?
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@guyinpv said in What do you use to track client data and logs and more?:
So more like a document store?
Correct.
