Pianotech

Hi gang:

We created a Google Sheets database for requesting service and collecting service data using QR codes. These are primarily for institutions. A version of this existed at Stanford when I got there in September, and me and my assistant have been expanding the system. 

But the harder thing to keep track of is getting people back on the schedule for a repair which requires ordering something, using a sub-contractor, or some other hang-up/delay/complexity. 

Having an assistant is great - Dexter has been with me for 3 years now - but even he gets overwhelmed with warranty work for two companies and private stuff (parts management has become a thing!). 

I'm thinking of creating an AI agent to dumping all this stuff into so it ends up on the planner (maybe Notion?), and eventually in ClickUp for complex stuff. Gazelle doesn't handle this sort of thing for us, we just use it for scheduling and reminders. 

Am I alone in this nutso world are is someone else struggling with or mastering these systems? 

What other systems have you found handy?

Vince

Thanks Wim! 

I think you're right… writing out the workflow on paper is very helpful.

I wish the calendar was easy, but sometimes it's not simply a matter of when I can make it, but when the instrument and room is available, and in some cases, I have to book an extra person. 

but I'd be lost without my legal pad and Post-it notes.

Hi Vince,

I value simplicity. Gazelle works well for me, and since I'm not especially tech-savvy, I prefer a low-stress way of operating. If repair work or parts management starts to feel like too much, I take that as a sign to slow down. In practice, working with fewer clients has been a positive change overall.

Apologies if this isn't quite the answer you were looking for.

I work as a contracted technician for a smaller university, 64 pianos, and I use a platform called Limble. It is one of many Computer Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) platforms out there.  It's more designed for perhaps a factory running machines all day, but I've gotten it to work very well with pianos.  I'm still learning and tweaking how I use it. 

I've also been playing around vibe coding (directing an ai agent to make software, rather than directly coding yourself).  You might try something like Replit or Base44.  The basic plans are not too expensive, though it's subscription based like everything.  But with these platforms, you can just describe what you want, wait 15 minutes,, try out the program, and then tell the AI agent what you want changed.  Rinse and repeat until you have the perfect custom app.  Like I said though, I’m just playing with it now, I haven’t actually used it for anything serious.

Feel free to message me if you want to talk more.

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Tom Dowell
Hulbert Piano
tom@hulbertpiano.com
262-221-0792
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Sounds fun! 

Have you played with AirTable? 

I appreciate your insight and will reach out. 

What you're describing sounds like a workflow clarity problem more than a software problem.  Since you're considering ClickUp anyway, the thing to do might be to go all-in on ClickUp rather than create (and wrangle) new AI agents and multiple platforms.  From what I can tell, ClickUp appears to be built for exactly this.  Fewer tools, deeper use.







(Also, I think this is the first time I've posted on this forum.  Hi, y'all!)

Hi Dale!!!

Thanks for your suggestions and  welcome to the board!!!

We're going deep on ClickUp which I've used for 6+ years. It's great for complex tasks requiring numerous follow ups

We do have a workflow problem. Right after I posted this I rewrote my concert agreements for touring  versus resident instruments, including onboarding, full prep, readiness prep (day before), and day of services. Once I did that it was clear we had an internal and external communication problem.

Sometimes we need to coordinate with several people to gain access to an instrument, for instance we need to book a room to service a piano, an IT tech and a piano tech. That's a lot of stars and moons aligning. 

Anyway, thanks for that reality check. 

And it was sort of what Wim was saying: put it on paper first. In this case we describe the workflow first. 

Once I inspect an instrument and make a bunch of notes, it would be great to have all the subtasks automatically created in ClickUp. Then we just add dates and dependencies. 

Some of this work is planned out over 4-6 months so workflow is key. 

Man I got to get back to work! 🤣 

Thanks again!