Business news - FREE farrier software by john fligg

Ambrit Software continues to encourage farriers to take the importance of detailed record keeping on board. While some progress has been made, it seems that the majority of farriers feel that comprehensive record keeping is too time consuming and of little value. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Farriers should all have heard of Farriers Manager – a software tool designed specifically to help farriers protect and grow their business – and to be fair, for some it might appear a little ‘over the top’. Our clients who use it appreciate why the detail is included, but to start off with perhaps something simpler is required.
Equine assistant is now FREE!
So, Ambrit Software has developed ‘Equine Assistant’, which is a cut down version of Farriers Manager but, nevertheless, one that delivers the essential record keeping functionality that farrier’s need, in an all-in-one package. Even better, this system is totally FREE. Yes, FREE. There are absolutely no catches, but there are two restrictions. Ambrit does not guarantee to update the package, other than to meet new Windows operating systems (such as Windows 8), and it will notify users from time to time of the changes that have been introduced to Farriers Manager, which is the more comprehensive record keeping system. However, Equine Assistant is free for as long as users want to use it.
Why do farriers need to keep detailed records?
Every farrier is running a business; along with that comes a responsibility to themselves, their clients and the welfare of the horse. As we see it, part of that responsibility is to keep detailed records. It is not just about keeping records for the sake of it. Running a business is about financial planning for the future, and understanding how the financial aspect of the business works. From experience, we can almost guarantee that 90% of farriers would not be able to tell us how much profit they made this quarter compared with last quarter. Such knowledge is important, in fact, it is crucial to running a business. Only recently, we attended a farriers’ business seminar. Before we made our presentation, it was said how few farriers realised that they could be turning over a lot of money and be busy all day, every day and yet actually making a loss! This is a very common mistake made by small businesses.
We are now starting to hear the comment, ‘I keep records and that serves me very well thank you’. However, when we probe a little further we find that although farriers keep some records, many use several systems depending upon which type of record they are storing. Often client details are stored in one place, contact numbers in another, and the horses’ images somewhere else, and so on. This is definitely not the most efficient way of working, and must be time-consuming in a busy industry. In this scenario the information sought is not easily available. How much quicker it would be if all the information were stored in an all-in-one solution. Those who have adopted such a solution comment that it has saved them at least 50% of the time they spent doing administration (which many find a chore)!
Why not start out on the road to trying an all in one solution with Equine Assistant. After all, you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain; visit www.equine-assistant.com to find out more.

New forum on website
Another new feature is our bulletin board. This was predominantly designed for our clients – farriers, dentists, vets, and barefoot trimmers - as a place where they could share experiences, provide feedback and generally increase user support. However, we realised that if it were accessible to all, then anyone interested in record keeping could contribute. Some may choose to say that it’s waste of time to see what the responses are. However, we hope that our clients who already use a professional record keeping system will explain the advantages and persuade the industry in general that this really is an essential subject.
We welcome you all to participate and add your contribution to the bulletin board at
http://ambritsoftware.com/forum or check out the link on any of our websites.

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