Guide · Hire & events
Spreadsheet or booking software: when should a hire firm switch?
Spreadsheets get most hire firms started. This guide helps you spot when yours is costing you time or bookings, and what your options are.
- Signs to look for
- Your 3 options
- A quick checklist
What a spreadsheet does well
Free and familiar
Everyone knows how to use one, and it costs nothing to start.
Flexible
You can add a column for anything, the day you need it.
Fine when you are small
One person, a short kit list and a handful of bookings a week can work well.
Signs you have outgrown it
A double booking, or a near miss
The same kit promised to two customers for the same date.
Copying the same details again and again
From emails to the sheet, to a quote, to a calendar, to an invoice.
Only one person really understands it
If they are off, nobody knows what is out or free.
Kit goes out without checks
Faults and repairs live in someone's head, not in the system.
The crew ring for the details
Addresses, times and kit lists are not on their phones.
Quotes take an evening
Working out what is free and what it costs is slow, so enquiries wait.
If two or three of these sound familiar, it is worth looking at your options.
Your three options
| Keep the spreadsheet, tidy it upOne shared sheet, one row per booking, a clear kit list. Good while you are small. | free |
|---|---|
| Off-the-shelf hire softwareReady-made, quick to start. You fit your way of working to the tool. | monthly subscription |
| Custom booking softwareBuilt around how you already work. You own it. More about this | from £1,500 |
Off-the-shelf tools suit many firms, and I will tell you if one fits you better. Custom makes sense when your way of working does not fit, or you pay for lots of features you never use.
A 2-minute checklist
- Do you know, right now, what kit is free next Saturday?
- Could someone else in your team answer that without asking you?
- Has a booking clash happened in the last year?
- Do enquiries ever wait more than a day for a price?
- Does your crew have the job details on their phones?
Two or more "no" or "yes, a clash" answers: ask me for a fixed quote, or start with a Hire Starter website for £495 and grow into booking later.
Who you'd be working with
I'm Alastair, a web designer and developer based in Winchester. I'm also a project manager in the events and hire industry, so I'm used to deadlines, budgets and keeping people in the loop.
You deal with me directly from first chat to launch, and I usually reply within a day.
Questions people ask
When should a hire company stop using spreadsheets?
When the spreadsheet starts costing you bookings or time: a double booking, quotes that take too long, or only one person knowing what is free. Until then, a tidy shared spreadsheet is fine.
How much does booking software cost?
Off-the-shelf hire software is usually a monthly subscription. Custom booking software from me starts from £1,500 for a focused first version, with a fixed quote first.
Can you bring in my existing spreadsheet?
Yes. Existing bookings, kit lists and customer details can be brought in, so you start with everything in one place.
What does the fixed quote include?
Everything in the plan we agree: the screens, the features and your feedback as we go. You pay a deposit to book the work in and the rest when it goes live. You show me how you work now and share any spreadsheets. If you want something new partway through, I quote it first, so the price only changes if you agree.
Get a fixed quote
Tell me a little about your business and what you need. I'll reply, usually within a day, and send a clear, fixed price once I know what you need. No obligation.
I only use your details to reply to you. Privacy · Prefer email? ali_scardthomas@icloud.com