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For the past three years I have been searching for case management software to help me automate the everyday functions of my office.
My search was focused online and I was able to find at least three products out there that peaked my interest.
I visited the product websites and read about the varied features, looked at the screenshots many provided and of course I looked a the price. I saw a couple that looked like they were written by a someone who just learned how to program, I saw another that completely lacked features, I saw another that you had to pay additional monies for the use of different features which could end up costing more than I ever expected or was willing to pay.
Then I found what looked to be "The Holy Grail of P.I. Software".
I finally found what I was looking for.
It claimed it could to everything and more that I needed, but in my typical P.I. way I was skeptical. The other products before this one had no trial version available so I would have to buy them before finding out if they worked for me or not and then if I was unhappy, getting my money back would be impossible.
This one was different. This company offered a free, fully functional version for 30 days with no obligation and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Since I had nothing to lose, I easily downloaded the software from the website and installed it on one of my PC's.
Instantly, I was pleased with the interface, since it looked like every other Windows program I have ever used.
I further explored and saw that this program had a ton of useful features
so I jumped in and started playing around, clicking here, clinking there. All of a sudden I realized I was lost in all its ability and started to feel that it was time to read the manual that came in the help file. The dreaded thought of having to actually spend time reading the manual was killing me, I don't have time to read. I need software that I can open and just start using, I hate to read and I have too much work to do to take time out to read a manual. For the next couple of days I opened the software and tinkered with it a bit and I could see this was some powerful stuff, but I was missing something.
I then decided to write an email to the program's designer James Fortune of Acclaim Software in England.
I explained to him that the software seemed great but I just could not get it to work as I hoped it would and that it seemed there would be no software that lived up to its marketing hype. That evening I was working late trying to catch up on all my paperwork and inputting case data into my own designed database the phone rang, I picked it up to hear a friendly British sounding gentleman ready to answer all my questions about his software.
It was James himself, and he was calling me from England and it had to be past midnight there.
I was amazed that anyone would call at that hour from across the world to make sure that I was happy with software I had not even purchased yet. I'm still amazed at that! Anyway, James took the time with me to show me how the features worked and
I was astounded by how easy it was to use after all.
Oh, I guess I should mention the name of the software. It's Professional Investigator. And in less than a week of purchasing a registered copy, it has already made my life easier.
Now I sit in front of my PC, open Professional Investigator
and it reminds me of what needs to be done today. I then enter my activities on each case, including billing, and it generates a detailed report for my client. No more double or triple entry of information on cases for me!
Professional Investigator has already freed up at least two hours a day
in administration time alone not to mention report writing time. My final reports are more detailed than ever and generated on the fly and that includes all billing.
I'm happy to say I have finally found the most important software package I've ever bought and it comes with incredible technical support directly from the guys who designed it.
By the way, Acclaim Software is a software company; that means you are using software created by professional programmers.
I think some of the other products out there are made by P.I.s which is OK, but just because I know how to apply a bandage does not mean I can perform brain surgery!
I think that Professional Investigator should be a standard part of any sized investigative agency and I'm sure it will be the industry standard for
years to come.
Larry Olmstead
World Investigative Network [W.I.N.]
Investigative Reporters & Editors, Inc. [I.R.E.]
California Association of Licensed Investigators [C.A.L.I.]
Los Angeles County Investigators Association [L.A.C.I.A.]
Web Site: http://www.hollywoodpi.com
E-mail: larry@hollywoodpi.com
California Licensed Private Investigator PI21311
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2271 E. Palmdale Blvd. # B-18
Palmdale, CA. 93550
(661) 266-4219 Voice
(661) 273-5491 FAX
President & Founder
The World Investigative Network
http://www.pidirectory.com
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