FlowNext vs. a spreadsheet
Tracking tools in Excel? The spreadsheet is right the day you finish it
Most contractors start tracking tools in Excel or Google Sheets, and for a while it works. It's free, everyone can open it, and the columns are exactly what you want. What it can't do is change when a generator gets thrown on a truck at 6 a.m. This page is about that gap — when a spreadsheet is still the right answer, and how to move yours over when it isn't.
Why the spreadsheet drifts
Equipment moves in the field
The sheet lives in the office. The rotary hammer changes hands in a parking lot. Unless someone calls it in, the row still says “Shop”.
Nobody edits a sheet on a phone
Finding row 214 and the right column, in gloves, on a five-inch screen, is a job nobody does twice. So updates wait for Friday, then don't happen.
A date in a cell doesn't send email
You can colour an expired inspection red, but only someone who opens the file sees it — and nothing records who changed a row, or when.
What changes
| Spreadsheet | FlowNext | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it's updated | At a computer, by whoever remembers | At the equipment: the crew scans its tag with a phone camera |
| Who changed what | Version history, if anyone looks | Every move, hour reading and problem report signed and dated, and can't be edited |
| Inspection due dates | A column you sort by hand | Taken from the certificate; the office is emailed what's due in 30 days |
| Broken equipment | A note in a cell, or a phone call | Reported from the tag; the item shows out of service and the office is emailed |
| What's on each job | A filter, if the location column is current | Each jobsite and van lists what's there now, with who's in charge |
| Cost | Free | From $39/month for 200 items; unlimited users |
| Getting data out | It's already a file | CSV of every item and the full history, on every plan |
Moving your spreadsheet over
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1. Save it as CSV
In Excel, File → Save As → CSV. In Google Sheets, File → Download → Comma-separated values. One row per item.
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2. Check your column names
FlowNext matches columns by header, and accepts the names most sheets already use:
- Name:
- “name”, “asset name”, “item name”, “equipment”, “item”, “description”
- Asset number:
- “asset number”, “asset #”, “asset no”, “id”, “asset id”, “unit”, “unit number”
- Category:
- “category”, “type”, “asset type”
- Location:
- “location”, “current location”, “site”, “jobsite”, “folder path”
- Serial number:
- “serial number”, “serial”, “serial #”, “s/n”, “sn”
- Make:
- “make”, “manufacturer”, “brand”
- Model:
- “model”, “model number”
- Purchase date:
- “purchase date”, “purchased”, “date purchased”
- Purchase price:
- “purchase price”, “price”, “cost”
- Engine hours:
- “engine hours”, “hours”, “hour meter”
- Barcode:
- “barcode”, “barcode #”, “barcode number”, “qr code”
- Quantity:
- “quantity”, “qty”
- Notes:
- “notes”, “comments”, “description”
Capitals don't matter. Only a name is required; rename anything else you want carried over.
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3. Upload it
The import is all or nothing: if any row has a problem, you get every problem listed by line number and nothing is saved, so a half-imported list never happens. Categories and locations named in the file are created for you.
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4. Print tags and stick them on
Print a QR label sheet for the items. Barcodes already on them can come along: put them in a Barcode column and each is linked to its item on import. From then on, the crew's scans keep the list current.
Changed your mind? The equipment export uses the same columns, so it opens straight back in Excel.
When the spreadsheet is still enough
- A few dozen items that rarely leave the shop.
- One or two people who both update it and use it.
- No inspection certificates to keep on a schedule.
- You need columns and formulas no tracking tool will match — budgets, depreciation, your own math.
When it's time to move
- The office spends mornings calling around for equipment.
- Gear goes out to jobs, vans and subs every day.
- An inspection lapsed because nobody sorted the column.
- You've found two copies of the file that disagree.
Questions from spreadsheet users
Can I keep using Excel for my own reports?+
Yes. Download every item, or every item's full history, as CSV whenever you like, on every plan, and keep your formulas in Excel.
Does my crew need to learn anything?+
Point the phone camera at the tag and tap a button: move it, log hours or report a problem. No app and no password to remember.
What if my sheet has columns FlowNext doesn't?+
Columns FlowNext doesn't recognise are skipped. If you want one kept, copy it into a Notes column before you upload; notes are imported with each item. Your original file is untouched.
How many items does the cheapest plan cover?+
Starter covers 200 items at $39/month. Pro covers 500, Business 2,000.
Bring your spreadsheet. Leave the phone calls.
14-day free trial, no card. Unlimited field users on every plan, from $39/month after that.