How we use Simple Groupware
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paulzarucki
Oct 18, 2016, 2:30:24 PM10/18/16
to Simple Groupware
Hi all,
This is in reply to Volker's question. Please feel free to add your own stories.
Together with my partner I have a small company and we divide our time between the UK and France. We have two clients who use Simple Groupware, both are small businesses in the UK.
The first client is a coach and bus hire company with a web site through which customers can buy bus tickets. The web site is run by a Perl script which interacts with the Simple Groupware database. Simple Groupware, which runs on a separate private server, is used for a variety of admin tasks (communication between the two servers is via SSH). Custom Simple Groupware modules hold information on bus routes, fares, timetables, and so on. The htmldocuments module is used for the static content of the web pages; these act as templates into which content generated by SQL queries is inserted by the Perl script. Other custom modules are used for customer accounts, bookings and payments. New customer account "sign ups", ticket bookings and payments appear in Simple Groupware as they happen on the public web site. Incoming enquiry forms from the web site appear in an Enquiries folder which uses the email module, allowing admin staff to reply to customers directly from within Simple Groupware. The calendar module, with its Gantt view, is used for allocating drivers to buses.
The second client is specialised a legal services company which uses Simple Groupware for generating documents from templates. A custom "cases" module holds data on each case. The Contacts and Companies modules hold data on clients, parties, etc. I have added a crude scripting language, which I call SGSscript, to Simple Groupware which is used for document generation. I also use it for reporting and custom web interfaces which are simpler to use than Simple Groupware's default user interface for certain specialised tasks or workflows. Documents (htmldocuments module) are generated from templates (also HTML documents) into which data from SQL queries is inserted by means of an SGSscript. Documents are typeset for conversion to PDF or printing using Lout (http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/lout/) with the help of a crude HTML-to-Lout converter which I wrote. I'm also in the final stages of adding a document generation facility which produces documents in Open Document Format (though it can also work with OOXML) using TBS (http://www.tinybutstrong.com/).
We also use Simple Groupware ourselves in a very simple way, just using the Contacts and Calendar modules and the htmldocuments module for notes.
I plan to document and publish the SGSscript interpreter and other code I have written when I get time, but if anyone is interested, they are welcome to have the code "as is".
Regards,
Paul
This is in reply to Volker's question. Please feel free to add your own stories.
Together with my partner I have a small company and we divide our time between the UK and France. We have two clients who use Simple Groupware, both are small businesses in the UK.
The first client is a coach and bus hire company with a web site through which customers can buy bus tickets. The web site is run by a Perl script which interacts with the Simple Groupware database. Simple Groupware, which runs on a separate private server, is used for a variety of admin tasks (communication between the two servers is via SSH). Custom Simple Groupware modules hold information on bus routes, fares, timetables, and so on. The htmldocuments module is used for the static content of the web pages; these act as templates into which content generated by SQL queries is inserted by the Perl script. Other custom modules are used for customer accounts, bookings and payments. New customer account "sign ups", ticket bookings and payments appear in Simple Groupware as they happen on the public web site. Incoming enquiry forms from the web site appear in an Enquiries folder which uses the email module, allowing admin staff to reply to customers directly from within Simple Groupware. The calendar module, with its Gantt view, is used for allocating drivers to buses.
The second client is specialised a legal services company which uses Simple Groupware for generating documents from templates. A custom "cases" module holds data on each case. The Contacts and Companies modules hold data on clients, parties, etc. I have added a crude scripting language, which I call SGSscript, to Simple Groupware which is used for document generation. I also use it for reporting and custom web interfaces which are simpler to use than Simple Groupware's default user interface for certain specialised tasks or workflows. Documents (htmldocuments module) are generated from templates (also HTML documents) into which data from SQL queries is inserted by means of an SGSscript. Documents are typeset for conversion to PDF or printing using Lout (http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/lout/) with the help of a crude HTML-to-Lout converter which I wrote. I'm also in the final stages of adding a document generation facility which produces documents in Open Document Format (though it can also work with OOXML) using TBS (http://www.tinybutstrong.com/).
We also use Simple Groupware ourselves in a very simple way, just using the Contacts and Calendar modules and the htmldocuments module for notes.
I plan to document and publish the SGSscript interpreter and other code I have written when I get time, but if anyone is interested, they are welcome to have the code "as is".
Regards,
Paul
Massimo Arnaudo
Oct 20, 2016, 12:18:20 PM10/20/16
to simple-g...@googlegroups.com
Hi all,
I am a representative of companies that distribute their products in supermarkets: the work is to find customers, sell products and services through monthly visits. For this activity I make use of the collaboration of four representatives.
I Use SGS to take note of existing and potential customers, send mailing list with promotions to those who are interested to receive them, to take note of the appointments, to group different activities within a project (phone calls, email, site inspections, etc), to take note of the activities to be performed at a retail point even after months, etc. etc.
I did develop from a professional (I do not have the skills) the geolocation of the Leads, in order to make efficient road trips aimed at the development of customers.
Unfortunately my colleagues are not very technical, one of them only use the fax and not an e-mail, but I am hopeful that sooner or later this machine that I'm adapting to my work can operate at full capacity.
Unfortunately the development of SGS stalled, but the mailing list is always active and is able to provide answers to my questions!
Thank you all for your contributions!
MassimoI am a representative of companies that distribute their products in supermarkets: the work is to find customers, sell products and services through monthly visits. For this activity I make use of the collaboration of four representatives.
I Use SGS to take note of existing and potential customers, send mailing list with promotions to those who are interested to receive them, to take note of the appointments, to group different activities within a project (phone calls, email, site inspections, etc), to take note of the activities to be performed at a retail point even after months, etc. etc.
I did develop from a professional (I do not have the skills) the geolocation of the Leads, in order to make efficient road trips aimed at the development of customers.
Unfortunately my colleagues are not very technical, one of them only use the fax and not an e-mail, but I am hopeful that sooner or later this machine that I'm adapting to my work can operate at full capacity.
Unfortunately the development of SGS stalled, but the mailing list is always active and is able to provide answers to my questions!
Thank you all for your contributions!
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v.lo...@ifbcon.de
Oct 25, 2016, 9:29:53 AM10/25/16
to Simple Groupware
Hi all,
well, I started to ask about some stories and after Paul and Massimo told their story, I will now contribute mine/ours.
My two business partners and me are running a small, but very specialized consulting company in Germany since the late 80s. Our fields of expertise are room-acoustics, sound- and conferencesystems and audio-visual-media. We offer planning, consulting, controlling and educational services. Typical projects are convention facilities, paliaments, sports arenas, fairgrounds & exhibition halls, schools and universities, conference centers, street tunnels, transportation facilities, houses of worship, courts etc.. Besides that we are developing and selling an acoustics & sound system simulation software.
2012 I came across Simple Groupware and started to use some modules of it in our company in a productive way (calendar, timesheets, files etc.). It took me very long to find out how it works, but after a while I became a Simple Fan, perhaps except the GUI ;)
Becoming more and more familiar with it's potential and the extreme flexibility we are now starting to use it (or try to use it) for more or less every administrational issue of our business.
Well, I think we all have to say thanks to Thomas for this brilliant and consequent piece of work and I am still sad he left it all behind this way.
And I have to say thanks to all of the forum who supported me and others in the past, especially after Thomas was gone.
So this is specially dedicated to Paul, Massimo, Hassan, Patrick and all those who I forgot about: Thank You very much for all your help and time and be sure I will be back soon with even more questions.
Maybe after some time I will be able to support others if they run into trouble.
Cheers, Volker
well, I started to ask about some stories and after Paul and Massimo told their story, I will now contribute mine/ours.
My two business partners and me are running a small, but very specialized consulting company in Germany since the late 80s. Our fields of expertise are room-acoustics, sound- and conferencesystems and audio-visual-media. We offer planning, consulting, controlling and educational services. Typical projects are convention facilities, paliaments, sports arenas, fairgrounds & exhibition halls, schools and universities, conference centers, street tunnels, transportation facilities, houses of worship, courts etc.. Besides that we are developing and selling an acoustics & sound system simulation software.
2012 I came across Simple Groupware and started to use some modules of it in our company in a productive way (calendar, timesheets, files etc.). It took me very long to find out how it works, but after a while I became a Simple Fan, perhaps except the GUI ;)
Becoming more and more familiar with it's potential and the extreme flexibility we are now starting to use it (or try to use it) for more or less every administrational issue of our business.
Well, I think we all have to say thanks to Thomas for this brilliant and consequent piece of work and I am still sad he left it all behind this way.
And I have to say thanks to all of the forum who supported me and others in the past, especially after Thomas was gone.
So this is specially dedicated to Paul, Massimo, Hassan, Patrick and all those who I forgot about: Thank You very much for all your help and time and be sure I will be back soon with even more questions.
Maybe after some time I will be able to support others if they run into trouble.
Cheers, Volker
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