So I’m shopping for a Crm software and have been debating getting this one. I have read most of the posts and threads about it that I could find but they seem to be pretty old. So up until now I have been doing everything cave man style( notepad and a calendar in the truck. Which has worked fine but I’ve noticed a tipping point recently where I have a lot of things I’m trying to keep track of. So the plan is to get it all automated. I’m thinking using quick books online for the book keeping and tcf for my client base as well as my scheduling and the follow up reminders. I have always written in my calendar 3 months ahead after I finish a job, then when I get to that week it goes to my calling list on my phone. But I need to change it up as I’m trying to expand.
What are everyone’s newest thoughts on this software or other Crm you use. ( I am a small business still at this point. Me and a helper. But plan to add another 2 guys by next season IF things work out.)
It’s pretty good not really bad.
If you’re doing route work, then TCF is pretty much the only thing out there.
If you’re doing mainly residential, then take a look at housecall or jobber or one of those.
if you’ve looked through old posts you probably know i tried many and finally settled on tcf this spring.
tcf is always working on new features and improved functionality.
i do mainly residential and tcf blows both of those away. not only does it do more IMPORTANT stuff it does it way cheaper.
tcf is not as “slick” looking as the new kids on the block but it has more business building power.
i have no association with tcf other than being a customer for life.
edit:
@Deanswc don’t bother with quickbooks!! wait till you see what tcf can do first. then decide if you want quick books or just hand your accounting to a pro. tcf provides income and expense abilities
Yeah, I use TCF too because I do a lot of route work. So it’s pretty much the only game in town for me.
Thank you for the input guys @JaredAI @cactus27 . I’m going to start with tcf this week and see how it works out. I’ll also wait on quick books too and see if I can get away with just tcf. excited to get it going. I’m going to buy a MacBook Pro in a couple days to use for all my business stuff from now on too. Have you found the mobile app to be good as well?
there was no mobile app at all in 2015 but in 2016 there is for iphone and android and there have been 2 or 3 at least upgrades.
tcf was established before the phone thing so it was built to be a very powerful desktop app. once phones and the cloud really started to take off tcf had to figure out how to get all their good stuff packed onto a phone app. they are coming along great and STILL making improvements to the overall program.
if i am at home i use the pc app but most of the time i am on the job, i enter new customers schedule jobs, create invoices accept cash or card email receipts on the fly on the phone.
i currently auto load info from tcf to qbo but i wish i had not started that.
it is rare that you find one of the highest quality products for one of the lowest prices but this is the case with tcf and it’s legit.
any new app will take some time to get used to so allow for a learning period.
Well it sounds like a good fit for what I want at this point. And ya you can’t beat that price. I like the idea of a cloud based program but not having it entirely relying on the Internet to function. So having both is really appealing to me. I will get it set up this weekend and will give it a try. I know once I get past that learning curve it will be a huge benefit for the business. I’m not a tech person in general so I will be patient for sure giving it a try. It should help to that it is my first software so I won’t be used to doing it another way with other software as well. Thanks for all the input ken @cactus27 I feel confident with giving this one a try.
I used it for a while but didn’t like it over all. It has good functionality but there were a few things I couldn’t do (I don’t recall specifically). I didn’t like the layout at all. I found I spent more time navigating the software than actually getting things done. I’m not saying it’s horrible. I just found myself getting frustrated at times. Steve is a good guy and is very helpful and provides great customer service. A lot of guys like it but it just wasn’t for me.
What are you using for your software? I’m still very open to suggestions.
I’m using QuickBooks right now but am still trying to decide what I want to do for crm. Everything I have looked at or tried so far I didn’t like. Maybe I’m just too picky. I’m looking into having something designed in Access as a possibility.
So do you log everything into a calendar and just do the follow ups manually? Also how many employees do you have? I can see it still being reasonable with one or 2 trucks but would get out of hand if you grew any bigger. At least I would think. I still don’t even know all the features I’m looking for in a Crm to be honest. I’ll compile a list of things I need and want as I start to try one. Then I’ll see again from there what fits best later down the road.
The app doesn’t impress me. It’s still missing a lot of functionality. You can’t fully run your business from the app, but you can run routes from it and do basic stuff.
Housecall pro very easy and effective
Yes I use Google Calendar and track the follow ups manually. Right now it’s just me but I have had employees in the past and did it that way as well but I also had my wife running the office. It can be done manually very easily. I can explain later if interested.
for 3 years i have searched frantically for the right crm/field service answer for me. since starting with and getting to understand tcf i no longer have to look.
i just got off the phone with steve wright the owner of tcf. i had some questions re future updates personally requested/suggested by me and also an issue with a new feature on the the i phone i wanted to check out.
the answers i got have have me dancing about and clicking my heels
Just out of curiosity what are your monthly rates for them if you don’t mind me asking? And what are the most beneficial features you find with their software? I really am looking for a good follow up program with my software and a easy to use and organize client list. How does house call do in these areas?
As long as I can add customers info and have it sync up when I get home. Then do invoices and update automatically when the next service needs to be then I’m ok with that at this point. I like the option of having credit cards as well. Up until now I’ve just done checks( no complaints that I know of yet) but want to add it.
They have a free version and it goes up from there
Features
Geo tracking
Calendar syncs
Automatic postcard and email follow up
Client notifications via text
Ability to send estimates
Syncs with quickbooks online
Full mobile app and desktop portal
Techs can have app for billing out customers and send job schedule to tech
No software is perfect or does everything for everyone you need to find out features you care about vs others that aren’t as important and go from there
tcf is 34.95 per month for ALL features including:
- quickbooks sync to qbo or desktop,
- unlimited users
- vastly superior marketing abilities
- no setup fee
No Contracts
Risk-Free for 30 days
Cancel anytime
No Set up fees
No hidden fees
Lock it in! no price increase!!!
Unlimited Employees
Unlimited Subusers
Send unlimited emails
Unlimited photo/doc uploads
Unlimited data
(one of our users has over 27,000 customers)
with hcp you will need the 99 per month plan to get a second user or qbo sync plus a 99 setup fee unless you pay in advance
pm me if you want i researched these things for years and i’m happy to share.
Hey @Deanswc!
If you’re ever interested in checking out HouseCall Pro we’d be happy to walk you through the platform with a free one-on-one web demo so you can check out the features and see if it’s right for you! Just go to tryhousecall.com and fill out a demo request form. You can also find the rates for our different plans and which features each plan includes. We’ve worked hard to build a program with great customer follow-up, with automated emails and postcards, as that seems like something that’s important to you. Good luck with your search!
