Estimate Sign Pricing Software

[1noelee]

We have been using Estimate for about 20 or so years. We have been having trouble contacting them when our yearly subscription was about to expire.
Has anyone out there had a similar experience? We tried to contact them on line but we get the "error" page, also telephone calls and e-mails are unanswered.
Kind of left us in a pickle

 

[CanuckSigns]

My understanding is they went out of business recently, but they seem to have not let any of their customers know. There have been a number of similar posts on here in the last month or so. We used them years ago before their software was cloud based, but we couldn't justify the ongoing monthly charge considering the software was updated once a decade.

Yet another reason I try to limit my monthly subscriptions, now you've paid them every month for however many years and you probably can't even open the software.

 

[rydods]

They were sending the updated license file monthly for at least the last year. I'm going to imagine that this will cease all together. I did have an issue a while back and did get an email response back which fixed the problem. I've been using EstiMate for at least 15 years now so the transition to something new will be difficult.
I wish they would just say what their plans are. Maybe they'll just hand over the full use of the product to their customers before they close up shop. I mean, it's really just a glorified spreadsheet or am I wrong?

 

[jimdtg]

They left business exactly. Website is offline now.

"This website is temporarily unavailable. Please check back later."

 

[ColorCrest]

I've been using EstiMate for at least 15 years now so the transition to something new will be difficult.

I think in another and earlier thread I've asked if EstiMate users are able to export any or all data in any data type at all. That's a start. I don't remember ever getting an answer.

I've been using EstiMate for at least 15 years now so the transition to something new will be difficult.

Seems like good run but the "something new" won't necessarily be difficult really.

I mean, it's really just a glorified spreadsheet or am I wrong?

A very long time ago I learned Cyrious sign shop software made use of 128 data tables. Cyrious accommodates just about any type of sign and not just wide format. EstiMate accommodates many different types of signs as well. How may tables? I don’t know. Certainly, one can create some tools or even complete apps using spreadsheets but they are not readily found because there happens to be far better tools available to create such solutions.

To glorify spreadsheets one would need to add interfaces to extend the capability and improve the user experience. In the case of Excel, it calls for the VBA add-on, and / or Python possibly. In the case of most work-a-day online subscriptions apps, they demand extensions such as Make (Integromat), etc. Even with UI and UX enhancements, topics like performance, security, and data backup are other important issues to be addressed.

More later.

 

[rydods]

I think in another and earlier thread I've asked if EstiMate users are able to export any or all data in any data type at all. That's a start. I don't remember ever getting an answer.


Seems like good run but the "something new" won't necessarily be difficult really.


A very long time ago I learned Cyrious sign shop software made use of 128 data tables. Cyrious accommodates just about any type of sign and not just wide format. EstiMate accommodates many different types of signs as well. How may tables? I don’t know. Certainly, one can create some tools or even complete apps using spreadsheets but they are not readily found because there happens to be far better tools available to create such solutions.

To glorify spreadsheets one would need to add interfaces to extend the capability and improve the user experience. In the case of Excel, it calls for the VBA add-on, and / or Python possibly. In the case of most work-a-day online subscriptions apps, they demand extensions such as Make (Integromat), etc. Even with UI and UX enhancements, topics like performance, security, and data backup are other important issues to be addressed.

More later.

Over the last few months I've been building a workflow and estimation platform on SmartSuite. It's working well so far but quite a lot to learn. There's a lot of flexibility so I'm hoping to have a working template for the estimation side soon. I'll send updates soon I hope.

 

[ColorCrest]

Over the last few months I've been building a workflow and estimation platform on SmartSuite. It's working well so far but quite a lot to learn. There's a lot of flexibility so I'm hoping to have a working template for the estimation side soon. I'll send updates soon I hope

I recommend first creating a basic WIP list to track orders through your workflow. You should find actual success within a few (2~4?) hours instead of months.

Anyone would be hard-pressed to build an efficient sign shop solution using any of the current work-a-day options. It's why they are not already found there as templates or starting points. I'm sure you will want / need more tables than SmartSuite's current limited offering. However, you might press on with SmartSuite because whatever you learn to build there you can easily transfer those developments to something like FileMaker. Picking up with FileMaker right now will save a tremendous amount of time, however.

I've got answers if you've got questions.

Good luck in the meantime.

 

[Jean Shimp]

I bought the EstiMate CD's long before the program went cloud based. I still use it all the time. It's so convenient to be able to create an estimate that includes the product type, cost, customized messages to the customers, terms of sale, purchase order numbers, etc. Then I can export the info into Quickbooks. There are several other features including plug ins for substrates/materials costs. I wish someone had bought the company that would continue to offer the program.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

I could never wrap my head around using spreadsheets for pricing (I run a custom sign shop). I have always based pricing on cost of goods and services sold. Knowing that my non-job related expenses (overhead) is around 20% of total sales, and that I want a 20% profit for my trouble, I put a 40% margin on my cost. I keep a "cheat sheet" in my head of my burdoned labor costs and equipment costs, and look up prices for materials as I go (some things, like digital printing, are priced by the square foot). Estimates and invoices are done in Quickbooks.
I find this system much easier and more efficient than constantly updating data tables. If I offered fewer products over a broader market I could see how spreadsheets would work, but in my world of custom everything in a local market there is no such thing as standardization.

 

[ColorCrest]

I could never wrap my head around using spreadsheets for pricing (I run a custom sign shop). I have always based pricing on cost of goods and services sold. Knowing that my non-job related expenses (overhead) is around 20% of total sales, and that I want a 20% profit for my trouble, I put a 40% margin on my cost. I keep a "cheat sheet" in my head of my burdoned labor costs and equipment costs, and look up prices for materials as I go (some things, like digital printing, are priced by the square foot). Estimates and invoices are done in Quickbooks.
I find this system much easier and more efficient than constantly updating data tables. If I offered fewer products over a broader market I could see how spreadsheets would work, but in my world of custom everything in a local market there is no such thing as standardization.

15 years ago the developer of EstiMate authored a good guide to pricing custom sign work and he used profit and margin values the same as your current post. Those same values were also used in the industry 15 years prior as well. Not really “standard” values but common among a fairly wide slice of shops.

To be sure, spreadsheets are not to be confused with database solutions although they utilize tables of data. Well designed layouts of either helps users tremendously. Database solutions happen to be easier to develop and more powerful than spreadsheet solutions is all.

A primary goal of any solution should be so a novice might quickly and accurately use the software to quote complicated sign makeup leaving shop owners to “work their business” as opposed to have “their business work them.” Hiring sales assistants and CSRs who can confidently manage customers and the work can go a long way to help most anything in the shop. They need the right tools, however. They don’t need to be in the owner’s head because those values are in the software and have been for a very long time.

 

[SightLine]

We also still use the final non-cloud version of Estimate.... Its not perfect by any means and has a few bugs but nothing terrible. They also emailed me a .lic license file which is nice. Never have to activate it or anything. Just drop the file in after installing. They also updated our address in the license for me when we moved about 2 years ago. So now I guess if we ever move again that will no longer be an option.

The database is NexusDB so I guess if someone was really motivated enough they could probably get some NexusDB software and continue development or move it to a more common database system and build a new interface.

Years back I did play with the front end Estimate exe some.... You can edit some of the text in the menus for grins. Its not really "hacked" just played with some of the text is all, if I did anything more it breaks.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

The database is NexusDB so I guess if someone was really motivated enough they could probably get some NexusDB software and continue development or move it to a more common database system and build a new interface.

Quick and easy way would be SQlite with Python and TKinter for the UI (ugly unless styled, but for Windows users it is already built into the python install that they would normally install(on Linux, I would still have to install tkinter by itself)). Despite the single thread performance issues (which isn't a real problem on small-med utilities), that is perhaps the most turnkey solution that wouldn't monetary cost anything. I personally don't care for python, but it has it's place for those that need something down and dirty. Or use something like Godot with the SQLite plugin. Might be little more user friendly, slightly more RAM hit, but it could be easier to handle the UI creation. It is possible to add a little bit of a UI type of flavor to a simple spreadsheet itself, but it definitely be rough, but it would be serviceable. I have done my estimating tooling differently, but it does take a smidgen longer, but better as far as resource management goes, just depends on if just needing down and dirty or need something more robust.

This cloud based solution nonsense though is really getting ridiculous.

 

[Stacey K]

I think I still have my Estimate disk from 2005-ish. I really liked the program but I'm glad I went with SignTracker about a year ago vs. Estimate since they are out of business now.

 

[Sign Pro Salina]

I see people saying Estimate is out of business, website down etc. We use them and their website is still up. They are also responsive when it comes to issues, replying in an hour or less typically. They send us a new license file every month to keep the software active. Now as far as updating the software, I don't think they've touched a thing, not at least in the 10 years we've used it. Been contemplating trying another software that's web based & maybe updated more frequently.