Is ShootQ Your Bill Collector?

Nobody likes being a bill collector. Let ShootQ manage your accounts!

Cash flow is precious, especially in a recession. ShootQ can help you keep cash flowing! 

Here's how:

1) Train your clients to access the Client Area. Once inside, your clients can easily see their payment schedule and conveniently pay invoices online. Create an email template containing a variable for the link to your Client Area and the shoot's Security Code. Then, send a Quick Email to your client from the shoot record so they can start using the Client Area!

2) ShootQ emails Payment Reminders to your client when payments are due.

SNEAK PEEK! In the next release of ShootQ, you'll be able to setup your account to send invoice reminder emails in advance of the due date. Coming soon!

3) Connect your payment gateway to ShootQ so your clients can pay bills online. ShootQ can connect to Paypal Pro, Skipjack and Authorize.net Merchant Accounts.

ShootQ customers get special treatment with Authorize.net. Give Chuck at Midwest Transaction Group a call to learn more! Benefits of going with Authorize.net through Midwest Transaction Group:

• Reduced rates on credit card transaction fees
• Simple connection to ShootQ
• Lower monthly fees than Paypal Pro!  
• Linking your Authorize.net account to ShootQ gives you FULL integration. When your clients make payments, ShootQ's invoicing system is automatically updated. Plus, you can refund payments directly through ShootQ! 

Click Here to Connect your Authorize.net Gateway
Click Here to Connect your Skipjack Gateway
Click Here to Connect your Paypal Pro Gateway

You can also add links to third-party solutions such as Pictage P3, Paypal standard, Google Checkout, PicPick and RedCart. Click here to learn more!

Is your calendar integrated with ShootQ?

Time management is key to running a successful business. Your calendar is your gateway to effective time management. Team up with ShootQ to maximize your time!

ShootQ utilizes calendar "feeds" that connect your ShootQ account to popular calendars, including iCal Google Calendar and Microsoft Vista Calendar.

By using inbound and outbound calendar feeds, you get a full picture of your appointments and events — both on your calendar and in your ShootQ account.

Some advantages of using calendar feeds:

1) No fear of double booking! ShootQ reads inbound feeds from your existing calendar, displaying potential conflicts as you design a proposal. You can decide if the appointment or event on your calendar is a true conflict before deciding to send a proposal to your client.

2) Daily management. Log into ShootQ and get a full picture of what's on your plate for the week — from appointments to tasks to production. ShootQ displays both shoots booked in ShootQ and calendar items in an easy-to-understand 7-day view.

3) Comprehensive overview. Use calendar feeds published by ShootQ to update your Google Calendar, iCal or Microsoft Vista Calendar. Your shoots and appointments are displayed together in a month-to-month view.

4) Need to know. Any photographer working for you can subscribe to their own calendar feed that shows just their shoots. They won't get shoots for other photographers mixed up with their own!

Here are some useful knowledge base articles:

What are Calendar Feeds?

How do I subscribe ShootQ to my Calendar Feed?

How do I connect my Calendar to ShootQ?

Video: Getting Started with ShootQ

Are you using ShootQ to keep your relationships database up-to-date?

By associating Relationships with Shoots and empowering your clients to keep their contact information up-to-date in ShootQ's customizable Client Area, managing your Relationships becomes a simple collaboration between you, your clients and ShootQ.

When you're getting started with ShootQ, import your relationships! You can do this by exporting industry-standard vCards from the software you currently use. Here are step-by-step instructions:

1) Export your contacts from your current software to vCard. Here are instructions for some popular address books:

Apple Address Book
Microsoft Outlook
G-Mail
Successware

vCard is an industry standard format for sharing address book files between programs. However, not all vCard exporters are created equal. ShootQ uses the latest standards to import vCards, but some other applications don't always export in using proper vCard standards. This may result in irregularities in the data that is imported into ShootQ, or may result in an error. If you have trouble, please submit a help ticket, and attach the vCard.

2) Import your contacts into ShootQ. 

Click on the "Relationships" tab and then click "Import."

From there, navigate to the vCard file you downloaded from the other software, and click "import." Volia! You're done!

If you want to export vCards or a CSV file of contacts from ShootQ, simply click the "export" button after clicking on the "Relationships" tab.

If you download a vCard file, applications such as Apple Address Book will search for redundant cards and "synchronize" the changes. Check your software's user manual before importing vCards from ShootQ to avoid redundancy. Happy ShootQ-ing!

Are you Outsourcing Work to your Clients? Why not?

Use ShootQ's Client Area to save you time while making your clients feel in control.

1) Make the Client Area your customers' best friend. Reduce your customer support burden by giving your clients access to the Client Area. ShootQ's Client Area gives your customers access to information such as correspondence, contracts, invoices and questionnaires. This minimizes "busyness" phone calls or emails, and allows your direct communication with clients to be fun. Clients will think of you as an artist and a friend, not a bill collector!

When your client books online, send them the Client Area link and security code. ShootQ includes two default email templates to help you communicate with clients. One is called "Wedding Booking Completed," and the other is called "Portrait Booking Completed."

The "Variables"  included in this email template will provide your clients with instructions about logging into their account.

You can also automate this email by adding a workflow "Event" to the beginning of your shoot workflow. An "Event" that sends your customer an email with login information is included with the default wedding workflow in ShootQ. Just make sure you select the correct workflow when designing your proposal!

2) Use the Client Area to collect information and payments. The Client Area makes collecting information and payments passive. No more nagging clients to pay bills or provide info about the shoot. If the Client Area is your customers' best friend, they will do this work for you!

3) Customize the Client Area with Questionnaires. Create Questionnaires for your studio to gather specific information you need to do the job right. Collect everything from wedding day logistics to vendor info through ShootQ's Client Area!

Select from a variety of question types to gather information you need. By using "vendor questions," your clients can add vendors to your ShootQ relationships database for you!

Plus, you can add paragraphs of text above questions to give your clients instructions.

Start saving time today by using ShootQ's Client Area to outsource work to your customers! They'll appreciate feeling in control, and you'll appreciate the extra free time. What will you be doing while ShootQ (and your clients) are working for you?