Clean out Clients Not in in 10 Years ~Resolved~

[Crescentbunny]

I was curious how I would go about cleaning up the database of clients that haven't been in by last in date in 10 + years? I assume I'll need to back up the database as it is currently before I get started so I've at least done that much. Our database has become this unwieldy leviathan that seriously needs to be tamed, I can't even use the Microsoft Query tool in Excel without running out of resources because even the smallest parameters are yielding huge unmanageable numbers. We've got every client, duplicate client, typo client, blank clients, and accidentally saved quotes turned clients all the way back to 1992.

[timbre4]

Wow. Sounds like (In Command DOS) to Series I/II to Manager 5.9 to Manager SE.

While 5.9 did have an Archive Records option under Special Maintenance, all it did was flag the records not to appear in History searches, etc. There is no option in SE to do any kind of mass cleanup. You might get some suggestions from 2nd level support, it would definitely take a data geek to assess the situation and advise.

[Crescentbunny]

Thanks for the info, I just called in and talked with support and they said it's not something they can help with just due to the liability on their end. Surely other people have this problem too. Hopefully I can figure something out other than weeding the database by hand and deleting all the over 22,000 people listed in here.

[steven kiser]

I to have issues with old customers or one timers along with a lot of incomplete customer information that is stored in the system. There was a time when I along with three others didn't realize if you just deleted an order it didn't eliminate the person from record. I started dealing with these issues when they came up when opening and order. I would type in the customers name and see them listed numerous times with no history. I wrote the name down and dealt with it usually the next morning. I have issues with customers listed under companies and personal headings. I also have a few that are misspelled and are in the system under two names that I deal with on occasion. I just open the incorrect one, overwrite the name and accept the prompt to change and add to other name.

Occasionally I will do a mass mailing containing all in the data base. On occasion I'll get responses from old customers that aren't happy with their current shop and were afraid to come back. I also use the ones that return to me undeliverable with no forwarding address and delete them from the data base and add the addresses to the name that have forwarding ones. Eventually I feel that I've covered all my bases. I feel that as long as there is a chance to get an old customer to return or even maybe one that does get delivered to an old address has a chance of catching that persons eye.

I look at it like this. There are times in my life where I frequent different establishments for long periods of time then for one reason or another stop. After a period of time I feel that maybe I'm not mmmmm welcome there at the level I liked when I went there all the time or the people that I knew there are no longer there so I may avoid it. A perfect example is a little Breakfast joint that supported all the High School Athletic Teams and the School Clubs. I had three children go through that school and supported all the local merchants that supported them. I went to that breakfast place every Saturday and Sunday (missed a few but far to few to mention) with my family for eight years. I knew everyone and everyone knew me. After my last child graduated I started missing a few days and then a few months and after a while hadn't been there in so long I felt, funny as it sounds unwanted. I was at a Thanksgiving football game and the owner of the shop came up to me and started chatting away like I never had stopped going there. He asked me about my children and I asked him about his etc. After a while I felt like I never left and started going there once or twice a month. Just by coming up to me and talking he added another 50 bucks to his gross a month.

When I go to events I look for customers I haven't seen in a while and start up a conversation with them and let it go from there. I had one customer that started going to a shop closer to her home and work and while talking to her I told her if the other shop needed any information that I may have about her vehicle that may help them repair it tell them to feel free to call me. She told me it was nice to offer a competitor information about repairing a vehicle. I told her it was about helping and hopefully saving her money not helping the shop. If they called me about other vehicles they couldn't repair without help I wouldn't help them but I would on her vehicle. A few months later she started coming back to my shop and told me that if I was willing to help another shop repair her vehicle then I should get the rewards.

So basically what I'm trying to say is if you can get back just a few of those customers you haven't seen in a long time I think it's worth the effort to try. I've found that there are a lot of weird ways to get new or customers that have been away for a while to return. The first mailing is directed to the customer at that address. The second I add "or current resident" hoping for a nibble. The mail service isn't as precise as they once were but it's worth a try.

[Crescentbunny]

You are definitely right about that, we have a few mailings and call programs set in place to check in with clients that haven't been in in awhile. A database wide mailing would unfortunately be out of the question though since our database spans about 23 years of business with NO ONE trimming it up or double checking things before I started working here 2 years ago. I eliminate duplicates and errors as I see them but there are tens of thousands of people in our system! This shop was a Mieneke at one time and the owner got away from the franchise, so there are countless people that came in once in 1995 that are still in the system. I've spent today weeding the A's by hand. I've been at it for about 5 hours and I'm only in the AL's.

I'm tempted to just back up the database as it is and just start a new database fresh and just re-type in the maybe 500 or so people that are usual clients as they come in. It sure would be easier. If we needed to look up previous histories on vehicle we could just load up the old database. *sigh*

[timbre4]

Given the forest of deadwood you just described, that's a reasonable idea.

Often during a conversion from an older system to ours, I suggest that if the shop knows they have a ton of garbage (obsolete or incomplete data) to consider running it on one of the old boxes with a KVM switch to go back and forth. After a few months, the need to look at the old system diminishes greatly and the practice may be discontinued.

Not sure what you're using now to determine what has to be purged, the Followup - New/Inactive tab (date ranged) could be useful.

[Crescentbunny]

I'm just going by last in date mostly. If they haven't been in since before 2004 I'm deleting the client and their vehicles. And forgive me if I'm wrong but that Followup- New Inactive tab (date ranged) is a report correct?

[ricmorin]

Yes, it's a report. It's a good way to get a list of clients who haven't been in since <enter date here>.

[MRISICH]

Are you running Mitchell 5.9 or Mitchell SE?

[Rich]

On a side note, when your feeling down and that your not catching up, go to "Z" and work that. You feel like a champ getting it done.

[Crescentbunny]

I'm running 6.4 SE. That made me laugh Rich, mostly because I already did that great minds think alike. I've also knocked out letters like Y and U that don't have hardly any names under them, just to make myself feel better since it took me 5 hours yesterday and I'm not even halfway through the A's yet.

[MRISICH]

Follow this link http://www.boltontechnology.com/support.html fill out your Shop Name and Shop Phone Number, I have a solution for you. When you connect to the support ask for Tom, I will instruct him on your needs...

[steven kiser]

I would be interested to know if there was a solution. I really never put much thought into it but since I read and contributed to the post it seems I'm getting more and more interested, not that I have what is referred to as spare time and I have a feeling I'm going to have a bit less, thanks a lot . Although it's kind of fun looking way back and seeing how things were going when my labor rate was 48 dollars an hour and people were complaining then. I remember a rule of thumb for a quick tune up quote was a 4 cylinder 40 dollars, 6 cylinder 60 dollars, 8 cylinder 80 dollars. As a rule plugs were 90 cents air filter was about 3 bucks and a fuel filter was a buck or two. Points were cleaned and adjusted and if needing replacing an additional 6 or 8 bucks. So a 20 dollar investment put 60 bucks in my bosses pocket. I wish the % were the same today . Wait I made a mistake, I didn't take into consideration the 6 bucks and hour I was making back then. I worked 60 or 70 hours a week and I was rolling in dough. A 18 oz draught beer was 45 cents back then and I could get a tank of gas, pack of butts and a case of beer for around 20 bucks.

[Crescentbunny]

So I got on the line with support at bolt on and I could not be any more ecstatic! Thanks so much to the whole crew over there and special thanks to Michael Risich. After just a few minutes and a few lines of code I'm sitting pretty on a database that goes back to 2004 instead of 1993. Oh I'm so excited, now I can use the Microsoft Query in Excel!!! Maybe marketing wont be such a night mare now! I've been hand crafting lists of 5 to 600 clients for mailings, text messages and the like! I'm talking looking each of those 5 to 600 up by name and writing their information in excel spreadsheets! Now I can type in a customers last name and not have Mitchell lock up for 10 seconds ( or more) while searching for that person. Now I type in a name and it pops up instantly! Imagine how annoying it was to get a phone call and sit here waiting for the program to look someone up, uggh agonizing. I've gotten precious hours of my day given back to me. I could never say thanks enough for all the help! This problem had a happy ending.

I might even get out of here on time tonight instead of staying after to craft lists!

[MRISICH]

Crescentbunny thanks for the kind words!
I couldn't imagine waiting 10 seconds for the software to lookup a customer. As a technology professional you can imagine how that would not fly with me or my team. On a side note (selfless plug) check out this solution http://www.boltontechnology.com/whos_calling.html it can deliver amazing results for your ability to provide great customer service as soon as the phone rings!

[Crescentbunny]

Oh I have been looking at the "Who's Calling" software you guys offer at least once a day! I've been trying to convince the boss man to give it a go, and we want to of course and to get back on with Bolt On (I am so ready for more reports easier) but after a service writer that outright stole from the owner and pushed repairs people didn't need we really lost a lot of long time customers AND revenue. Then came the Service Writer that (not maliciously) just did not have a CLUE what she was doing, much less what a car needed at any given time...which lost even more customers. Combine this with the owner wanting to be out of the shop after being in the shop every day for 13 hours for 25 years so not being around to supervise any of this while it was happening...and its not a good recipe. So for the last year or so we've just been cutting anything we can to save the sinking zeplin. Things are looking much better, the owner took everything back over, he's here everyday all day and together we service write just keeping the shop afloat. He's been out of the game so long tech wise it's hard for him to write orders, I'm up on the tech game but know little about cars. Together we make a whole haha. Anyway that's a bit off topic, basically as soon as we start pulling out of the hole here we will gladly be back on with Bolt On.