The only drawback is a requirement to access the database online, so if you lose all net connectivity then your bookings could be inaccessible for a period. Given that it’s rare that you will lose cellular and cabled connectivity, a 3G equipped iPad is the best part- ner for on-location and hosted solutions!
Networking enhanced
Further improvements have been made to the web marketing tools. Whilst these are less sig- nificant for established studios where solutions may already be in place, for a startup or sole trader, the integration of a quick and straightforward web gallery and Paypal-linked shopping cart is very handy, and a real timesaver. ProSelect users enjoy a degree of integration, allowing sales to be recorded – this has existed for a while in Light Blue but it’s good that it’s been re- tained when a built-in sales tool exists. Meanwhile contacts with Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts are integrated; if you
Light Blue home screen – at home on any screen size
actively use these social net- working tools to keep in touch with your clients, you can recall their profiles/feeds directly from the database.
The accounting side has also been given a rework, with better reports (including a quarterly VAT return), different tax rates for different services/price lists (configurable, of course) and image thumbnails on the in- voices; if you send PDF invoices via email or use a colour laser printer these will really stand out! Invoice and other templates are all fully customisable, of
course – and flexible enough to allow different formats for com- mercial and social work. Overall a lot of work has gone into refining and improv- ing the software – and user feedback does make it into the updates, as the resource manager (which replaces “Staff”) demonstrates, allowing equipment, space and staff to be allocated to jobs and thus visibly free or otherwise in the updated, colour-coded sched- uler. Further updates are in the pipeline, with the task manager coming in for a lot of develop-
ment attention. Many MPA members are already using Light Blue - those businesses (particularly multi- user setups) will benefit from the V3 upgrade; as a scalable solution it offers the potential to grow with a business but personally, I like the discipline and pointers it offers for getting a workflow established. For the relatively low cost
it’s offering a practical reminder and framework for much of the information you’ll find on marketing seminars, which you can then take home and apply without getting too bogged down in the technicalities. Building a business and remaining motivated can be hard at the best of times, so a friendly – if minimalist in appearance – software package that takes a lot of the effort out of remembering can leave that mental space free for more exciting ideas than remember- ing your client hasn’t paid on time, or that it’s been two weeks since that shoot and you haven’t had your return visit yet. Á
www.lightbluesoftware.com
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