CRM - What software do you use to manage your business?

Hi all,

What software do you use to manage your window cleaning business ? And, what features you like the most of your software ? I am working on a CRM which is in BETA, and will be released by Sept.

I really like to collect your feedback so that we can include any missing features.

And, what will you feel comfortable spending on this software per month ?

Thank you,
Jay

Customer Factor is great but not perfect. The look and feel of it is a little behind the times and updates are fairly slow to release but otherwise it does pretty much everything you need.

If I could change things, the scheduling and the job tracking would be first on the list. Since we do high rise and much larger projects, the calendar lay out is just very difficult to read at a glance. We used clockshark for a while for scheduling and the layout was amazing. The app sucked but the calendar was great. drag and drop scheduling, easy assigning to employees, and easy to read at a glance views.

Job tracking on larger, multi-day projects is difficult right now too. Essentially there’s no easy way to add notes on what was completed each day. So we’re doing it with pen and paper and that’s messy. If there was a feature to have the employees add a note into the system before being able to clock out (preferably a form to fill out) it would make life so much easier.

On that note, clocking in and out has always been an issue. Automatic reminders from the system would be amazing.

Service Auto Pilot has a ton of features and customizability but it has a steep learning curve and is also (or was when we used it) pretty out dated in the look and feel.

Would love to discuss more if you care to PM. I’ve been looking for the perfect software for years.

CRM ? Sorry drawing a blank on your abbreviation.

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I get asked a lot about software with the WCRA/PWRA membership since we offer many software discounts so I can share my thoughts on the subject.

Software isn’t a one size fits all thing. A lot of these software companies offer free trials or demos. Try some out! You really have to play around with it to see what you like and which features are important to you.

We recommend a few to check out:
Customer Factor
Jobber
Service Autopilot
HouseCall Pro - save some money through this link

This isn’t really a CRM but we get asked about it a lot:
ResponsiBid - save some money through this link

Also not a CRM but this is a great reviews software and they build websites as well:
NiceJob

Also, all the popular softwares have been talked about in great lengths on this forum. Use the search feature and you’ll come up with a bunch of threads and great information on each of them!

Good luck! :grinning:

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CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. Basically, any system or software that manages customers, client interactions, etc.

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Sorry WDW, CRM means Customer relationship management software. I am talking about software to manage clients and jobs.

Best,
Jay

This is exactly what I was looking for P43. Thank you so much for taking time to provide this feedback. You can always call or text me at 630-418-1000.

Thank you,
Jay

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Thank you for great feedback. We are building our software and have studied all others out there. Like you mentioned, we like to capture key missing features. :slight_smile: Which software do you use ?

Please look at George Window Cleaners Assistant. Have used it for 13 years now. It is based in the UK and is specific to Window Cleaning. You may see some features you could incorporate.

Thank you much ! :slight_smile:

The online version is Aworka

My number one frustration right now with HouseCall is it’s herky-jerky workflow (especially on the desktop UI). Not very intuitive at all. My wife is trying to take over the office management this year, and she’s getting so frustrated trying to use HCP, that she’s contemplating going completely old-school - paper customer files and everything :scream:

I love a bunch of the features of HCP, but it’s just lacking in some basic common sense items. Here’s a thread on PWR about it:

CRM is really a database that stores everything (invoices, info, details, marketing tags) under an account (customer name)

the difficulty lies in that there are no real standards beyond the basics of what should be in a window cleaning CRM and what it should do (think dentist office software, lots of standards regarding scheduling, reminding, billing etc)

I was able to build my database and invoicing in MS access years ago, but the things I can datamine (because I capture the info to begin with) and change on the fly I could not find anywhere else, on the flipside MS access is outdated and Im missing on some new features

its always going to be about tradeoffs for sure in this industry unfortunately

CleanerPlanner.com that we use is excellent.

squeeg.ee is also up and coming.