Frequently Asked Questions
Click on one of the following categories to see relevant questions and answers:
General
Technical
Inventory
Clients
Reports
Accounting
General
Q: Why should I invest in GallerySoft
software?
A: GallerySoft
will help you better organize every facet of your business. By
consolidating all of your business requirements into one program,
you will save time... and we all know that time equals money!
Transactions, client lists, inventory, reports, labels, provenance
records, appraisal and insurance records, artist payment statements,
artist biographies ...you name it! ...it can all be done from one
affordable, user friendly program.
Q: What type of benefits will I experience from using this product?
A: Track your clients' buying preferences, call them when their
favourite artist has a show to
pre-sell your art. GallerySoft tracks this information for you. You'll be able to spend more
of your time doing what you love to do ... selling art!
Think about how nice it would be to simply open up one program on
your computer instead of three or four different programs...
and, from this one program you are able to create mail-merge
letters, labels, emails, reports, invoices, biographies, maintain
your inventory, keep track of your accounting, generate appraisal
reports, convert dimensions, create client statements, commission
statements for artists, keep track of shows, and even update your
website!
GallerySoft can easily be accessed from anywhere you have internet access so you
can bring your laptop and business with you - not to mention your
entire inventory - to art shows, trade fairs, other galleries, and
corporations! Set up your computer at an art show and let
clients browse through the thumbnail images of your entire
inventory! You can bet they will consider you a leader in the
art industry with your cutting edge technology!
Q: Is there a trial period/demo disk?
A: For qualified galleries and artists, we offer a 30-day trial period with a fully functional
version of GallerySoft. To get started,
CLICK HERE.
We also have an overview of most of our screens and functions under
Software Demo. A CD or demo disk is
not required to start using the program.
Q: Is there a sample database for practicing?
A: The software comes with a
fully interactive sample database which you can use to familiarize
yourself and your staff with all of the functions of the program.
This is a great training tool! You can choose to use the Test data
source or your own data.
Q: What if I need help?
A: GallerySoft
(including the trial version) comes with an extensive built-in help
system. GallerySoft provides support from Monday to Friday from
9-5pm Eastern Time (Canada and USA; GMT-05:00) and may be available Saturdays.
Unlimited support is included in the monthly access rate.
If you need help - just call or email us!
Q: Can you copy my data from an old program so I don't have to enter
it again?
A: Yes. We are able to import
almost any existing data from a database, spreadsheet, or other
similar format. We will convert this data to a format that is
compatible with the GallerySoft program. There is a minimum charge
of $250 US. Additional charges may apply.
Q: Is there a limit to the amount of information you can enter?
A: No. There is no limit to
the amount of information you can enter.
Q: Would I ever need to enter the same information twice in
GallerySoft?
A: No, there is never any
reason to enter data more than once into the program. GallerySoft
displays and prints the information in a number of formats as
required by the function you are performing.
Q: What does GallerySoft do with my data?
A: For example, if a client
was to purchase a work of art, the GallerySoft
program would change the status of the work to "sold", record the
sale price, update the client's record to show they purchased
the piece, update the provenance of the work, update the location of
the work, calculate the artist's commission on the sale, update the
artist's commission statement, calculate staff sales, accumulate
information for bank deposits, change the status of the item on the
Theo website to "sold" (GallerySoft will remove the item from the website if you have set the program to
remove it), and more!
Q: Can I customize the fields to suit my needs?
A: Yes, there are many fields
that can be customized to suit your art business needs.
For invoices and show lists, you can choose to print to your
letterhead or let the program print your gallery information; you
can add your gallery logo and choose the font for your gallery name,
mailing and art labels; set defaults for the rates you want (maximum
discount rate, default rental rates, and commission rates); choose
from many sizes and formats of labels; and much more!
Add or delete auto-fill data in the drop down boxes – for client
types, salutations, various inventory tables, and payment methods.
Why keep Visa, Amex and Diner’s Club as options if your gallery does
not use these? If you accept checks – add them to the list!
Technical
Q: What are the System Requirements?
A: See
System Requirements.
Q: Can GallerySoft be run on a Macintosh (Mac) Computer?
A: Yes, GallerySoft
runs on a MAC without adding any Windows emulation software such
as VirtualPC.
Q: Can I set a password to protect unauthorized entry into the
program?
A: Yes, you can set different
levels of passwords to protect against unauthorized entry into
various critical screens as well as against various critical
functions (such as deleting).
Inventory
Q: Does GallerySoft handle images?
A: Yes, you can include up to 4 different images for each piece of inventory that you enter so that you have
a visual representation of the work as well as all of the critical
information about the work. You can even do photo-editing
within GallerySoft!
Print out an Art Information Sheet for your client - this handout
has all of the information about the work and a color images of the
work. Let them bring this home to discuss the purchase with a
spouse.
GallerySoft has an "Image Display" screen –
inventory that is not stored in the main gallery can
now be displayed 24/7. Let your clients select various criteria such
as artist(s) of interest, price range, art type, and/or location to
see thumbnails of all items that match. Clients can click on the
image to see a larger image and any available sub-images.
Clients can even select items that they wish to purchase from here!
There is no confidential information here and access to the rest of
the database can be restricted with a password.
Q: Is there a limit to the size and resolution of the images in
GallerySoft
A: GallerySoft
limits the size and the resolution of the images to the sizes needed
for the proper operation of the program. Although you can import
images of any size and they will be automatically resized, we
recommend starting with an image of no more than 700k.
Q: Does GallerySoft handle editions?
A: All works from the edition
or a selected range can be added easily without re-entering all of
the common information.
Q: Does GallerySoft handle frames?
A: Yes. Frames can be added
into inventory and can also be added to an art item. Where a frame
is added to an artwork, prices will be adjusted automatically to
include the price of the frame. The item can then be sold either
with or without the frame.
Q: Is GallerySoft able to handle measurement conversion?
A: GallerySoft
automatically converts between the two selected dimensions (usually
centimetres and inches) on both the transaction forms and the
inventory screen.
Q: Does the program create labels?
A: Yes, GallerySoft
creates all kinds of labels. Choose from mailing labels, inventory
labels, slide labels, picture labels, or show labels. Choose the
size and format of the label you wish to print, then further
customize your label by selecting the font. You can even choose
where on the label page you want to start printing! You know
what this means...NO MORE WASTED LABEL SHEETS!!!
Q: Can I create and save artist biographies / CVs within the
program?
A: Yes. Artist Biographies /
CVs /Picture can be created and saved for all of the artists your gallery
represents. Create a biography using as many or as few details as
you like. Artist biographies can also be posted directly to your
Theo
website using the GallerySoft
Website Link.
Q: Does the program keep track of which art has been at shows?
A: Yes, Gallery Show lists can be
printed from the program. They include the name and dates of the
show as well as the featured artist at that show. GallerySoft
can also print out lists of art by artist which will appear, or have
appeared, at a particular show.
Clients
Q: Does the program allow me to select which clients to
contact?
A: Yes.
GallerySoft has also included an email eature where you can select
as many (or as few) of your clients as you like. Notify clients
about upcoming shows and events by email! Communicate with your
artists via email. Send out press releases to all of your press
contacts via email! Even include images with your emails! The list of possibilities is endless...
The GallerySoft Website Link adds even more flexibility to email
with Digital Photo Packs (DPP).
Q: Is there a mailing list function?
A: Yes, GallerySoft
creates mailing lists. These can be as specific or as general as you
need. For instance, if you are having a show for a particular
artist, you may want to contact only your press and clients that
have an interest in this particular artist. Alternatively, if you
want all of your contacts to know about your new website, you can
select all of them. Use these features to generate invitations,
announcements, thank you cards, or any other correspondence.
Q: Does the program track what particular interests a client may have? A: Yes. Each time a client expresses an interest in a type of art (i.e. sculpture, landscapes, etc...) by way of renting a work, buying a work, reserving a work, etc., the program will make a note of this. If a client has expressed an interest in a particular artist or type of art, this can be entered manually.
Reports
Q: Can I create reports
in GallerySoft?
A: Yes. You can print
reports for all of your art business needs including inventory
reports, follow up reports, transaction reports, accounting reports,
and many more! You can even store up to nine different custom
inventory reports that you create yourself.
Q: Can I view specific
data without going through the whole database?
A: You can use various filters to view only selected sets of
data. For instance, you are planning a trip to New York and you want
to see all of the patrons you have there – press one button and
presto!...the records have been filtered so that these patrons are
all you see.
Q: Can I export my reports, statements, labels, etc. to Word or Excel? A: Yes. All printouts in can be exported to Word (and most to Excel) and can then be edited and reformatted using all of the features available to you in Word/Excel.
Accounting
Q: Does the program link
to Accounting Software?
A: Yes, all of the financial information can be sent to your
accounting program. Invoicing is done
within GallerySoft and GallerySoft can create all of the daily
accounting statements and reports directly. Reports are provided
detailing all sales and disbursements, e.g. Artist Commission
Statements, Client Statements, Balances Owing to Artists, and Aged
Receivables.
Q: What if I need to do a discount on the sale? A: GallerySoft handles a variety of different discount situations - artist authorized discounts, set discounts for particular clients, discounts pertaining to the entire invoice as well as discounts for a selected item. Discounts can be entered as a percentage or as a fixed amount.
Q: Can the system tell me
how much to pay my artists?
A: Yes. The program keeps
track of any balances due or outstanding to the artist and
automatically calculates the commission due to the artist from works
which have been sold, rented, etc. Charges and payments to the
artist can be entered manually. All of these figures are then
transferred automatically into the Artist's Statement which can then
be printed and given to the Artist. This statement clearly indicates
how much is due to the Artist.
Q: Can I process more
than one transaction at a time?
A: Yes. If you’re in the
middle of a transaction and your client decides he wants to browse a
bit longer but you’ve got another client waiting… instead of
deleting the work you’ve done already, just leave it there and
process the other transaction. Come back to the first one when
you’re ready.
Q: Does GallerySoft
handle foreign currencies?
A: Yes, foreign currencies can be entered for
costs and for amounts due to the consignor. The system will convert
the foreign currency into your local home currency once you have
entered in the applicable conversion rate to simplify the accounting
process.