Support: FAQ
Sign Tracker “as a separate entity” was started in 2005. Our sign shop, Sign Tech International was started in 1997 as a signage brokering service. Someone had the bright idea to start manufacturing signs and the next 10 years became a blur of “managed growth” educational opportunities.
We learned early on that we needed tools to manage our manufacturing process, sales, reporting, scheduling, inventory etc.
In those days there were not any affordable sign company management systems on the market (not the case now thanks to Sign Tracker). Using Excel, we created one for ourselves! Over the years, as our company grew; so did the product. One day a subcontractor asked where we got all the tools/forms and if he could buy them. Didn’t need to ask us twice, we packaged up every document, tool, form, manual and template we had developed over the years and started selling them as Sign Tracker.
In 2005, we spun off Sign Tracker L.P. and Tracker Systems L.L.C. for the express purpose of helping sign shops “of all kinds” learn to run more effectively, track their sales and production and ensure that they are making money on the signs they build. In the years since that first release we have sold over 500 copies of the Excel version. In early 2008, we started working on a full Database version of the program. Sign Tracker Online was first released in August 2009.
Switching back to Sign Tech International for a moment; we build STI into an 11 million dollar company. A position shared by only a small handful of shops. In August, 2008, STI merged with Facility Solutions Group (a national electrical services agency).
Although not part of the initial plan, the merger has allowed us to focus on what we feel is our true calling; to serve the sign industry.
This industry has “for lack of a better description” been wondering for years. There are too few companies who focus their efforts on providing us with, information, resources, tools and support. Unfortunately, the lack of options creates an opportunity for companies to take advantage of sign shops.
Today, Sign Tracker exists as a servant leader in the sign industry. Our goals are to provide this industry with as much information, support, and tools as is possible. And in doing so, hopefully change the industry standard to one of shared success rather than opposition based “individual” advancement.
Yes, being sign guys it has taken a little while to learn about the "web" software industry. We have completely adopted a the "Sprint Based" development model for Sign Tracker.
Sprint based development basically means that we are developing in 4 to 6 week sprints. Rather than 6 month development cycles where we try to get a mammoth amount of features working and installed for you. We are breaking those down into short directed sprints.
- Directed "benefit focused" development
- Quicker time to market for individual benefits
- Faster bug resolution "because we didn't develop a bucket load of stuff"
- More accurate customer feedback "one piece at a time"
- More accurate solution development "we address one customer issue with one benefit at a time"
You are not obligated to anything. Sign Tracker is a month-to-month service that you can quit at any time.
Sign Guy Joe himself checks every packet of information to make sure that no one can see your data.
Ok, maybe not but your information is completely secure. We use the same methods that your bank uses when providing you account information online. The inscription, the security certificates and stored procedures are all there to make sure that every bit of information being shown is yours and yours alone. Moreover, that it was delivered to your browser in a completely encrypted data packet.
If you feel safe checking your bank account balance online, take a deep breath! It’s all good!
We are in the process of developing a relational export that will allow you to export more than just your customer list “although that’s a part of it”. We want our customers (even those who decide to move on) to have a way of relating jobs and job specific data back to the customer.
The data resides on a multi location host. Each location has a dedicated cluster of servers using shared “redundant” storage. Translation, Failure is not an option. However, to answer the question directly, if both locations lost both servers and all the hard drives were to fail, you would not have access to your data.
I can only think of one such occasion where that might happen (see Revelation, 4:22). On that day, most of us aren’t going to be too worried about data. Although you can rest assured they’ll be someone “left behind” to handle it!
Having access to your data from anywhere in the world does have its drawbacks. Chief among them is the “near death experience” referred to as of No Internet Access.
It happened to me “once” back in 2001! My team of therapists says I’m better now!
Much like electricity, Internet connectivity is rapidly becoming a business critical service. Fortunately electricity has been around long enough to become stable and available all of the time, right? Yeah, I wish!
My point is that neither Internet nor Electricity carry a 100% guarantee, yet we have to rely on them to function as a business. The more critical the service is to the business, the more you can pay to guarantee that it’s available 100% of the time. UPS’s and Generators for power and multiple ISP’s with failover/load distributors for internet.
The Starter Kit is meant as a companion to Sign Tracker online. It contains many of the tools and resources that were included in the Excel version of Sign Tracker (handbooks, safety manuals, inventory tools, etc.) but are not included in the online version. If you have the previous version of Sign Tracker, you probably don’t need it. However, if you are a sign shop and you don’t have all of these things. How are you still in business? Just kidding, take a look at the Starter Kit datasheet and training videos on:
Videos:
Go to www.Sign.com and login with your Sign Tracker username and password.
On the My Account page you will see an option to change your credit card.
Read the following QuickBooks Error document:
This is most likely because sales goals have not been set... The speedometer needs a goal to compare the sales values to.. This is done in the employee information page. Go to YOUR company "in the company list" and give yourself, or any other employees sales goals. By the way, make sure you click OK and see the sales goals populate on the left of the window..
This is because you are using a browser that does not support some of the features within Sign Tracker. Please update your browser..
You can use this link to download Internet Explorer 8..
http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/179284007/direct/01/
All operating systems should work fine with Sign Tracker. It's the browser that gives us "and you" fits. IE must be version 7 or above. You can use this link to download Internet Explorer 8.. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/179284007/direct/01/
You need to upgrade your flash player.
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
This is caused by your browser not wanting to deliver mixed content. To make this go away, launch your Internet Options page from the control panel or from within the browser! Tools>Settings>Internet Options.
On the securities tab, click the Custom Level button!
Scroll down to the line that reads, Display Mixed Content
and change that to Enable.
Click OK on both windows and you should not see that security message again!
If Sign Tracker messages are getting blocked or going into your junk folders, you should set Sign Tracker as a trusted sender.
Use this Excel file to import contacts into Sign Tracker.