Things I Like Thursday And Some Blatant Blog Bragging

Because I don't brag about ShootQ enough already, I am going to brag on them some more on this edition of Things I Like Thursday.....on Saturday (Better late than never right?)

If you are a photographer, you absolutely must check out ShootQ. Just what is this amazing thing? Well the geniuses over at ShootQ already said it best. So straight off the ShootQ website, this is what they are all about:

Helping Photographers Succeed.

From Beginning to End

ShootQ is your virtual studio manager, assisting you from the moment a prospective client contacts you until the final product is delivered. ShootQ keeps your job leads and workflow organized, always reminding you what needs to be done next.

Your Customer Service Manager and Bill Collector

The versatility and automation of ShootQ has been developed with studios like yours in mind, allowing you to condense the responsibilities of many employees into one robust platform. ShootQ acts as your customer service manager by giving real time updates on production status through a client login area, keeping trivial interruptions to a minimum. Everyone stays informed with ShootQ's notes feature, allowing multiple employees to track conversations with clients so everyone is on the same page. Forget to bill your clients on occasion? No problem. ShootQ can automatically send email reminders to get your clients to pay. Your business will run so smoothly that your clients will think you've really got it together - and with ShootQ, you will!

Connect the Dots

Do you feel like you work in data entry instead of photography? Transferring customer information between your address book, calendar, invoicing software, proofing solution and album software? By using a web-based platform, ShootQ connects people and software together, so data is shared between your solutions.

I considered singing this next part set to a song from the Sound Of Music. But then I realized I can't rhyme or sing for that matter, so I just stuck with some good ol' writing. Count your lucky stars you were saved from my singing.

Without further ado or singing below are just a few of my very favorite things about ShootQ:

First off, ShootQ has pretty much changed the way I do business and for the better!! I can't tell you just how stress relieving it is to have (1) all my client's info and all correspondence neatly in one place, (2) have my booking process be quick, easy, and paperless, and (3) when I log in it remind me of the next step that I need to do to stay on track with my timeline for each client.

Before ShootQ, I had tons and tons of papers, contracts, printed out emails, etc, etc, etc, floating around he desk waiting to be put into my clients folders. I am pretty sure ShootQ has saved a few dozen trees from my mad printing skills! Now everything from contracts, billing, questionnaires, and even emails are all nice, neat, and stored in their place in each of my client's ShootQ folders. I particularly LOVE the email part of the system. Instead of having multiple email folders for each client, I just send any correspondence from my clients straight to their ShootQ folder whenever it comes through to my email. Total peace of mind knowing that if I need to find an email, all I have to do is log into ShootQ -no more frantically searching through thee mounds of emails in my inbox or sub-folders of sub-folders.

When I am booking a session, wedding, or event ShootQ lets me set up a payment plan for my clients and does all the figuring for me. It even sends email reminders for me when the next payment is due. It takes all the stress out of invoicing and keeps everyone happy and on track. When I enter a new event lead into ShootQ, it will check with all my calendar to see if I am free that date so I don't end up with an accidental double booking.

My merchant account is linked to my ShootQ account so all the transactions are process safely, securely and automatically without any help from me. AND I can download all my invoices straight into quickbooks. That's what I call "easy peasy lemon squeezy!" Oh, and my clients can view all their invoices, print receipts, and see their account balances inside their personal client portal anytime of the day or night.

Next up: ShootQ workflows and they are fabulous! Whenever I book and event in ShootQ, I have the option of assigning it a workflow. Th worflows are set up as a series of checklist on a timeline. The timeline clock starts the day the event is booked and counts down until the day of the event. Each morning when I log into ShootQ, a list appears on the main page telling that I need to, send a thank you card or a questionnaire for filling out, or prep a blog post for an event that I just photographed, or that today is the day that I edit and upload a session to Pictage. The workflows keep me from having to remember all the "next steps" on a daily basis so that I have brain power for other things. Sounds nice right? I can also add meetings or reminders to my task list and ShootQ will remind me of those things too.

And last but certainly not the least, the coolest feature yet! ShootQ keeps working even when I am not. On the plane ride to WPPI, I booked a shoot. While attending the Pictage Studio 54 Party at WPPI, I booked and event. While I was at a baseball game with a friend last week, wedding payments were made. There is now way on earth I could hire a studio manager to come into my business and do all this work for $40 a month. ShootQ never stops working for me.

I encourage you to at least try it out. There isn't a contract and the first 30 days are FREE, yep that's right F-R-E-E! So literally you have nothing to loose. And if you email me for an invitation to my ShootQ Club, I will let you email me for the first 30 days with any startup, setup, and ho-do-I-do-that questions. Interested yet? Shoot me and email at lain at laineubank dot com for an invite.

If you are a current ShootQ user, leave a comment and tell us what your favorite feature is. And if you are thinking about ShootQ, leave your questions and I'll hook ya up with some answers!

Happy ShootQing (yes ShootQing is a word even if spell check says it isnt!)

Lain

P.s. all images are from the ShootQ website.