I had a discussion with my son in law about modernizing my business. He’s super into tech and gave me some pointers about a CRM and asking AI how I can expand and streamline my operations.
I wanted to ask you guys which BASIC CRM you’ve found works best for PW and WC, keeping in mind about 50% of my current clients still have land lines. I’ve come to the mindset now that I probably shouldn’t be stuck doing these $200 houses and move more into larger, more profitable jobs.
Markate
Online help is great.
FB page which you can search for past questions/answers or ask a question.
Markate is nice. You can get the free trial & check it out but it’s not going to do anything to prevent you from underquoting $500 jobs for $200. Keep in mind, nobody is going to miss a meal for a house wash & most folks would prefer to spend the money on the quality of service like you deliver than get a great deal hiring a chuck in a truck. When they fall through the cracks, let them hire Chuck & it will pay off for you in the long run. Sell your expertise, not your sweat.
I use the Customer Factor. I like it, it’s $44 a month but it does just about everything the expensive ones do. Once you get a CRM you’ll wish you did it earlier. It makes your life easier. I also found that most people, even old people use email on a regular basis and like it. Start collecting email addresses now and start integrating them into your customer accounts. There is a learning curve but once you get used to it you’ll love it.
It depends, do you have employees you are dispatching or are you solo-ing? I use jobber, and I really like it. I have 20 employees, and it has been a godsend for keeping everything together. They have a lot of tools now that aid in marketing and keeping up with clients.
Second the Customer Factor. Lots of my customers are old-school as well but if they have email, the Customer Factor has been great for us. Been using it for years for our mom-and-pop operation. Customers seem impressed with the “polished,” automated features (i.e. one-click job acceptance, auto reminders, etc). Their tech support is super-responsive. It has lots of features I haven’t even used yet i.e. you can use just the basics or go whole-hog. No complaints.
It’s just me, solo operator. I don’t need payroll or any of that other stuff.
My son in law demonstrated this AI answering service they pieced together, it sounds exactly like a real human, not robotic at all. Crazy.
Dude! You could have Chuck Norris answer the phone. You’d have a 300% close rate.
Gotcha, yeah, it might be overkill then. I know guys that love Markate, but I haven’t used the new version.
As for the AI answering service, I’d be cautious with it right now. I’ve tested it recently, and it still has flaws. It can go off the rails and tell folks things it shouldn’t. I use it now as an answering machine type thing so it can answer very simple questions and make a request/task for us to follow up with the client.
I use Customer Factor too. Have been for probably 8-9 years now. Has way more features than I use. It’s relatively easy to set up
Been using TCF for 7ish years and we like it.. we’re actually considering switching to housecall pro but we’ll be looking into it more closely over the winter but they have more ai capabilities. But for sure you will love having a crm I promise you
Ive been using Markate for 4 years and its great! I couldnt effectively run my business without it. I used Joist before that and it was borderline useless.
What parts of Markate do you use the most? Do you have employees? Most of my customers are elderly and mainly leave their cell phones on the counter most of the day
I haven’t began to use AI in my business other than on the marketing side of things, but I can definitely vouch for Markate. It helps me keep track of my estimates, schedule, and numbers for the year very easily. Also sending invoices are effortless.
I have tried the add ons and such, but they are not perfect ( like request for review). However, for scheduling, estimating, invoicing and basic gross, its perfect. Customer service responds fast enough as well.
About the estimates, how does that work using a CRM if you don’t personally go look at it? I’ve tried bidding jobs over the phone only to realize it was triple the job when I got there
This past year, I only did a handful of in-person quotes, mostly for paver patios, since I like to see drainage and slope firsthand. What information do you typically ask customers for before submitting a bid?
It never fails, the customer calls and asks to get their “deck washed”. I get on Google and have a look, get a price in my head after measuring square footage but when I have a look in person it’s covered in lichen.
I’ve been slowly moving away from wood over the past year for that reason. The price I need to charge to make it worth my time usually isn’t what most customers are willing to pay. It almost always takes longer and is messier than anticipated. See if the customer can provide photos of the area, if not price with the assumption of a worst-case scenario?
Exactly…..same here. At least in our area….
