Alternative to the spreadsheet
From the spreadsheet and the paper planner to orders and routes
A spreadsheet holds up as long as the data is small and only one person edits it. Here is where Toitrack changes things, and when you should stay on the spreadsheet.
When it makes sense to switch
Three signs the spreadsheet has reached its limit
The spreadsheet remains an excellent tool: the problem starts when it becomes the company's system of record.
Two customers, the same asset
If nothing stops you from assigning the same asset to two customers in the same period, you need a check that does not depend on someone remembering.
Operators retype at the end of the day
The route on a sheet or on paper becomes a list of stops for each operator, who fills in the outcome from the phone instead of retyping it in the evening.
Invoices and registers with precise rules
Numbering that cannot be changed and traceable corrections are rules to enforce, not habits: a free-form sheet does not impose them.
The comparison
Spreadsheet and Toitrack, point by point
Seven points where the spreadsheet breaks first. On the left the typical situation, on the right what the app does and under which conditions.
| Criterion | Spreadsheet and paper planner | Toitrack |
|---|---|---|
| Asset availability | Nothing stops you from assigning the same asset to two customers in the same period: whoever checks by eye notices. | Assigning an asset that is already booked in the same period, or still out in the field, is refused: the app shows the conflicting assets, the order that blocks them and a few free alternatives. |
| More people on the same data | A shared file lets several people edit the same rows. | Each person has a role and sees and does only what they are responsible for, based on permissions. |
| Planning routes | The route is built by hand, in an order decided by eye. | You drag stops onto each operator's lane. "Distribute across lanes" suggests an assignment by area and capacity; "Optimize km" suggests a new order, as the crow flies and without traffic. Planning permissions are required. |
| Field operators | Work is retyped at the end of the day, with the risk of losing photos and signatures. | The operator fills in the checklist, outcome and photos in the app; the PDF report is generated from the task or automatically, according to your company's choice. |
| Invoices | The FatturaPA XML has to be built separately, and in a spreadsheet a number can be changed without leaving a trace. | The sequential number is assigned when the invoice is issued, per year; from then on the invoice cannot be edited and is corrected with a credit note. The FatturaPA XML is generated with a check for missing data and the invoice goes to SDI from the app. |
| Waste register | For RENTRI registrants the register is digital and corrections must be traceable: check with your advisor whether a spreadsheet can meet the requirements. | With the Waste module and an active RENTRI connection, correcting or canceling an entry creates new entries with their own sequence number: the original entry does not change. |
| Keeping customers informed | To know where a task stands, the customer phones or writes. | The customer portal, a plan feature, shows each customer their tasks (type, status and dates), the documents your company makes visible to them and their open reports. Each customer sees only their own data. |
The left column describes the typical situation with a spreadsheet, not a habit that holds for everyone. Toitrack features have conditions (modules, permissions, plan): they are stated in the rows, and you can check them on your own cases during the free trial.
Honesty first
When Toitrack is not for you
In these cases the spreadsheet is the right choice, or close to it.
Few customers and just one person
If you handle few orders, nobody else edits the file and no document has tax or environmental value, a spreadsheet may be enough.
You need the freedom of a spreadsheet
Formulas, pivot tables and free-form analysis remain what a spreadsheet is for. Toitrack has filterable lists and Excel or PDF export, but it is not a free-form sheet.
You cannot afford a transition period
For a few weeks you will work on two fronts: customers are imported from a file, but assets, orders and history are entered in the app. If you are in peak season, think about when to do it.
Data migration
From the spreadsheet to Toitrack, without retyping everything
We tell you exactly what can be imported from a file and what is entered in the app.
Customers: import from an .xlsx file
You download the template in Settings, Data section, copy your sheet's columns into it and upload the file: up to 1 MB and 500 rows. You see a row-by-row preview (to create, to update, discarded, error, with the reason) and nothing is saved until you confirm. It requires the "Manage tenant users" permission.
Assets: created in the app
There is no file import for toilets, skips, tanks and the other assets. You create them from the Assets list, several at a time by entering the quantity, within your plan's asset limit.
Past orders, invoices and registers
They have no file import: they stay in your spreadsheet, which is worth keeping. New orders start in Toitrack. For retention obligations on documents already issued, ask your advisor.
Try it with your own data
The free trial lasts 14 days: import your customers, create a few assets and follow an order from route to invoice, keeping the spreadsheet as your reference.
The import checks cover a missing or invalid email, a VAT number or tax code with an invalid check digit or character, duplicate rows in the file, and an email or VAT number already in use.
Frequently asked questions
Before you leave the spreadsheet
The questions we hear most often from people starting from a spreadsheet.
Want to see your routes outside the spreadsheet?
Try it free for 14 days on your real cases, with the customers imported from the spreadsheet you already have.
We set up your trial account for you
For support or a tailored proposal write to us:info@toitrack.comWhatsApp +39 378 443 5327