I'm torn between CRM providers

The Office
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Okay, I’ve been using Housecall Pro’s free version since I started and I like nearly everything about it. The interface is absolutely amazing. Everything is easy and intuitive. I recall it took me about 15 minutes to set it up… but I need to add a user so my free CRM jumps to $942 annually (with the WCR discount)! That’s a pretty damn big jump. So I decided to check out TCF for $299 per year with the WCR discount. I like the price, but after using HCP for a few months I have to say that it is a very difficult setup and there are noticeable problems. I set up one customer and schedule a job and there is no 4 week scheduling option, just monthly. I can’t figure out for the life of me how to add taxes to line items. After I set up the monthly recurrence, the job doesn’t show up for the following month.

I hate the idea of dropping nearly a grand, but the simplicity might actually be worth it. Has anyone gone from HCP to TCF and not pulled their hair out in the process?

HouseCall Pro Interface

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TCF Interface

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TCF - you have the “scheduling” section and then you have the “reoccurring” section. If you’re entering the info, you click on reoccurring and then search/find check box that lets you copy the data. Then select the frequency and day.

Yeah, it’s not intuitive.

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Oh, and I guess “recurring” is the correct word and “reoccurring” not quite right. Stupid english.

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TCF isn’t sleek at all, but has taken some steps to turn that around recently with a nice new homepage and very intuitive features in ways of syncing with Google calendar and Quickbooks. I mean, that’s all I really need but then I got into Mailchimp and they make it easy to import and export contact information for mailing lists.

The thing with me is, I don’t use TCF to schedule jobs. I am essentially an owner operator in the off season and manage a full time guy through the summer months, so I don’t need to work on “assigning” people and doing all that stuff for my guys on the spot because we work together, until this year because it’s already busier than last. I like Google Calendar because I can answer a call, put them on speaker and get into google calendar immediately. I wish I could be confident with TCF mobile app. It’s just not intuitive enough for me like google calendar is, when you are working quick to get somebody on the books. However, I am hiring my first receptionist so TCF will unquestionable used as intended. I have just been using TCF as a database for customers and accounting purposes. Can’t wait to change that.

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$989 a year? Think of the ROI the follow up the new plan will now allow with emails and postcards that you just set once and the program does the rest. It will more than pay for itself

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That’s another thing. I can do everything in the HCP app that I can do on desktop. I opened the TCF app and it is very basic. I don’t even use google calendar.

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When I reflect on the size of my customer list, my crew, and the demands that are needed to keep it all going and keep me sane… I give a lot of credit to Steve Wright and TCF for being one of the main instruments in my business since day one.

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I hear Steve is a great guy and has excellent customer service skills. If I had used TCF since day one it probably wouldn’t even be an issue, but the transition is painful to say the least.

Thing is, both of them are raising their price in a couple weeks so if I try TCF for a month and still don’t like it then HCP will cost me even more.

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Question: Can your customers pay with a credit card online when you email them an invoice or do you have to swipe their card in person?

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yes, its awesome. I just send and email, they click pay with credit card and I got my money

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Cool, do you use Stripe or Square?

I asked because HCP does allow online pay too. TCF has you choose a provider, but it wasn’t clear if that functionality was available since the providers talk about a free card reader.

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@Gotlift I would keep HCP and pay for a month of TCF and mess around with it

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any questions you have about it, feel free to reach out to me

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when i looked at hcp the crm side was so weak there was no way i could make the transition from tcf. yeah most are flashier than tcf, none are as powerful.
add to that a WAY lower base price AND UNLIMITED users.
i am still new in the business and very small, last year i almost doubled my volume, tcf gets ALOT of the credit. and will help me double again this year.
and no i could have done the same plan with hcp or any other i looked at.
i am solo and use the app everyday for day to day estimates, appointments emailing invoices accepting payments.
i even opened a user account for phone center and they looked up past jobs and scheduled new appointments for me.

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I read your thread where you almost signed on with HCP but got peeved with the price. I’m looking at TCF and it doesn’t really seem to do anything that HCP doesn’t do with a far more intuitive user interface and their plan also has unlimited users.

Where was HCP lacking to make them so weak? Maybe I’m not seeing something you saw.

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i DID sign on. pm coming

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No! Don’t take the discussion to PM. I need to hear what’s being said. I am looking at CRM’s as well.

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Post removed. I have apparently offended the King beyond the wall.

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The thing I hate about TCF is (content removed) but it makes up for it with (content removed).

Then HCP does (comment removed) and I can’t stand how it (content removed).

  • Sorry couldn’t resist *
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ok i just spent a long time on line and on the phone with hcp to update my awareness.

first: hcp is not a crm, i have been told this TWICE by their tech support people, once while i was signed up, and once today. they advertise as a crm and they do have some very limited crm functions but they are not a real crm as their tech support will tell when you actually try to use it for sophisticated crm functions

second: while they may have changed and improved many features they have not changed, improved or added any of the most valuable features i use in tcf, and they told me flat out if i want to do those things hcp is likely not the right choice.

third: they do not support email marketing except as automated reminders which of course anyone can do but tcf also has very powerful email function that are definitely not available in hcp wher you must go to another app like mailchimp etc

there are many good crm’s and many good field service programs but i still cannot find one that even comes close to tcf for both categories in one and as a bonus has more marketing abilities than most crm’s and many email marketing programs so you actually get 3 types of software at a lower cost than one in most cases. you also get abilities you need to use word and excel for.

many users on here love hcp and that is great, i am not slamming hcp it looks like a very slick field service app but i need way more relationship management and marketing ability than hcp can provide.i can honestly say that if i had stayed with hcp my sales would not have grown as they did and my costs would have been higher.

i have only mentioned a few of the MANY features i use in tcf that are not present in hcp.

thank you @Gotlift for inspiring me to re evaluate this. (that is a sincere thank you i have been meaning to do this for a while now)
:slight_smile:
:cactus:27

CRM (customer relationship management), CRM software is a category of software that covers a broad set of applications designed to help businesses manage many of the following business processes: customer data. customer interaction. access business information. automate sales.

FSM most commonly refers to companies who need to manage installation, service or repairs of systems or equipment. It can also refer to software and cloud-based platforms that aid in field service management.