I have been tasked to shoot my churches team and individual basketball portraits for their annual Upwards program. I did it last year and used paper order forms. This year, now that I have an iPad, I'd like to streamline my ordering process and do without the paper.
Does anyone have any experience in this regard? Is there a suitable app you have used?
Go with paper.Get your $$ up front! It's been my experience that if you have them wait, they won't buy.... Plus, some parents don't go to the shoots. Buy rate is lower with Basketball anyway.... I shoot two upward programs out my way..... some parents don't know what an iPad is and rather than be embarassed, they just won't buy. I tried iPad orders with some action, while it was cool, the buyrate was down a bit..... over other years.
Ralph Thompson wrote:
Go with paper.Get your $$ up front! It's been my experience that if you have them wait, they won't buy.... Plus, some parents don't go to the shoots. Buy rate is lower with Basketball anyway.... I shoot two upward programs out my way..... some parents don't know what an iPad is and rather than be embarassed, they just won't buy. I tried iPad orders with some action, while it was cool, the buyrate was down a bit..... over other years.
The voice of experience rings loudly for those that will listen.
Allow me to clarify. I am not looking for an app for the parents, but more of a Point of Sale app that I would use while gathering the parents order information. That is how I did it last year, only with the use of order forms the day of the photo shoot. I have my teams split up over the next week, and might have 20-30 kids each night. each parent would deal with my assisstant takign orders and paying up front, while I take the photos and write down file info etc that pertains to each order form.
What I am looking for is something that eliminates the large stack of order forms. Just an order form in digital form that I or my assisstant fills out when taking the order from the parents.
If I can't find anything, I suppose I can create some sort of spreadsheet that will help. Name, Coach, jersey number, team name, digital file numbers etc, plus which package was paid for. I was just wondering if there was anything already available. Thanks.
Ralph Thompson wrote:
Go with paper.Get your $$ up front! It's been my experience that if you have them wait, they won't buy.... I tried iPad orders with some action, while it was cool, the buyrate was down a bit..... over other years.
I think what Ralph is trying to say is do not do it. You might try the reverse of this and get an excel sheet from the league with most if not all of that static info that you can use to speed things up. I can only imagine the bottle neck at one of my shoots with teams showing up every 15 minutes and parents looking like they are trying to swarm a nest.
I understand what you are looking for, but I still believe you are better off with that "stack of paper forms". In our work flow for T&I, we send the forms home to the parents a day or two ahead of the shoot. This gives the parents a look at your product and pricing. Secondly, the form (in the parent or childs handwriting) is proof of what they ordered. I recently had a parent tell me she did not get all her pictures. She had given her son $35 for a package. The son filled out the form for a $20 package and pocketed $15. When I showed her the form, she knew imediately what happened.
If a more automated work flow is what you are looking for, H&H Labs has bar code scanners and templates for Excel that work great if you have roster information in advance.
Let us know if you come up with a iPad solution. I have one, but mostly use it for proofing seniors.
I've done it pre-pay with order envelopes, buy onsite via CC machine, iPad/iPhone (still need the envelope for lab data entry etc) and on-line for those who wanted to see the image before they bought (or so they said)..... 99% that bought, filled out the order form. Those that say they wanted to see the image first, rarely if ever followed through... But I don't see that as your point.... In the T&I business, low tech is the way to go. In order to make it work, the parents need to see & hold the order form ahead of time. It's a back up for them to see and remember what they ordered. I fill the order and give it back to them in the envelope THEY filled out. That's just me, I'm sure others here on the forum have some different ideas and methods that work for them...
SQUARE for IPAD. You can pick it up from Target/ Walmart/ Best Buy. It's a little square that connects vis audio jack. I believe you have to make a order form an upload it (same as paper). They say what they want and sign with a IPAD pen and pay with their Debt or Credit card. The reciepe can be emailed to them on the spot. You need WIFI for this of course.
Square is cool. I dumped my Costco CC service after a short test drive. I use an iPad at home via wifi. I use my smartphone on the road. It's the wave of the future in cc processing... No monthly minimums, no air time charges for wireless terminals.... If you jailbreak your iPhone & iPad you can tether the two (or so I was told)... eliminating more fees.... This way you always have a cc machine with you for that rogue customer (hyper vigilant) who won't write their cc # anywhere...
