Let’s face it your time is valuable, and wasting it in administrative tasks is not a sustainable way to grow your business! If you're reading this, chances are you're on the hunt for the perfect platform to streamline your business processes and make your life a whole lot easier. Well, you've come to the right place! In this blog post, we're going to dive deep into the world of client management systems for your creative service-based business and compare four popular contenders: Dubsado, HoneyBook, Hello Bonsai, and Moxie. So beware, I am giving my honest opinion about all these tools after having tried each one for a bit to compare features and functionality, so I’m going to get real nerdy!
But before we jump in, if you're new to the world of client management systems, let’s understand what they are and how they will help you!
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A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a versatile tool designed to streamline and optimize your interactions with customers and potential clients. It serves as a central hub for managing customer data, communications, and interactions. CRMs help organize, automate, and synchronize sales, marketing, and customer service processes. By maintaining a comprehensive database of customer information, a CRM enables you to enhance customer engagement, improve communication, and boost overall productivity.
Selecting the right CRM for your business is a crucial decision that can significantly impact client experience. When choosing a CRM, there are several factors to consider:
Business Needs: Assess your specific requirements. Are you looking for a CRM that primarily focuses on client communication, or do you need a more comprehensive system that integrates with other aspects of your business like streamlining your projects and tasks?
User-Friendliness : Ensure the CRM platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate for you and your team.
Customization: Check if the CRM allows for customization to adapt to your unique business processes.
Integration: Consider the CRM's compatibility with other software, tools, or platforms you already use, such as email marketing software or project management tools.
Scalability: Think about your business's growth. Choose a CRM that can grow with you.
Pricing: Understand the pricing structure and whether it aligns with your budget.
Support and Training: Look for available support resources, such as customer service, training materials, and a helpful community.
Now, let's dive into a comparison of these specific CRMs, focusing on the key decision drivers that I consider for recommending tools for my clients:
Each of these offer a range of features to streamline and enhance the client onboarding process. While they differ in certain aspects, all of these CRM tools have their strengths in terms of client onboarding process, making them suitable choices for businesses seeking efficient client intake solutions. Your decision should depend on your specific business needs, preferences, and priorities.
Dubsado allows you to create tasks and view them per project but it’s not really built for a friendly project management view.
This is what tasks look like inside this tool:
If you use
Hello Bonsai for tasks
you can create tasks, task templates and assign time tracking to your tasks as well as invite collaborators.
This is an example from Sarah Leigh Day of how a client portal looks like inside
Dubsado:
In terms of customization Dubsado’s client portal is a bit limited in design, you can’t add custom CSS or edit the 4 main tabs at the top. You can change it to your branding and add custom links like this example, but other than that I don’t love the user interface of Dubsado.
In terms of customization this is pretty similar to Dubsado with the logic of adding your branding and clients seeing the main project files, payments and details.
In comparison to all the other client portals I really love how Moxie has a completely different level of customization in the client portal. You can add as many extra pages within your client portal, add custom CSS, and make it more than just a payment and file sharing portal. I also like that it’s aesthetically pleasing and more user-friendly.
Dubsado workflows are one of its main features and the reason why most people use it. It has a powerful built in tool to completely automate your client onboarding process, offboarding or any level of steps with your internal processes.
But here’s the downside:
it looks really ugly and setting up workflows has a bit of a learning curve since the user interface is not user friendly at all, you have to scroll through a ton of automations and read a lot of documentation to understand what each action does. When I played around with it I was honestly overwhelmed (and I’m a tech-savvy web designer...�55357;�56904;)
In contrast to Dubsado, Honeybook workflows seem to be a bit more user-friendly to setup and I have heard of others inside Facebook groups that they prefer Honeybook for the ease of use and setup.
The downside:
If you’re not in the USA or Canada you can’t use Honeybook
Hello Bonsai workflows
are pretty straightforward and solves the same basic automations for onboarding a client like sending a contract or calendar link.
Moxie workflows
are viewed in a different way where you can visualize the steps that are within a process and automate things like sending emails, text messages, invoices, agreements, questionnaires or switch a lead to a different stage in your sales pipeline.
Dubsado mobile app: No, but it is in the works. It’s insane that they don’t have one yet.
Honeybook mobile app: Yes.
Explore the features here.
Hello Bonsai mobile app: Yes.
Explore the features here
.
Moxie mobile app: Yes.
Explore the features here
.
My personal preference is Moxie by far. Moxie is the best CRM because of:
I stopped using Dubsado, Calendly, Hello Sign and Notion for keeping all my client info and projects in one aesthetically pleasing place.
Begin by creating a contact form on your website. This form should gather essential client information, such as names, email addresses, and any specific details you want to collect. These details will help you tailor your services and communications to each client's needs.
Next, embed the form into a dedicated contact page on your website. Ensure that the form is easily accessible and visible to visitors. The goal is to encourage clients to provide their information, making it a seamless process.
Once the form is in place, connect it to your CRM system. The CRM will automatically capture the data submitted via the form. Create workflows that allow for systematic follow-ups, personalized emails, and other client engagement strategies. Your CRM can also automate routine tasks, freeing up your time for more meaningful interactions.
A well-integrated CRM will enhance your client experience. It allows you to personalize your communications, keep track of client interactions, and deliver targeted content or offers. As a result, your clients will feel valued, which can lead to increased client retention and referrals.
Now that we've explored the strengths of each platform, it's time for you to decide which one aligns best with your business goals and vision. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all solution, so take the time to evaluate your needs and try out different platforms. Whether you choose Dubsado, HoneyBook, Hello Bonsai, or Moxie, you're on your way to streamlining your business, attracting dream clients, and gaining the confidence you need to shine.
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* AI Disclosure: This content may contain sections generated with AI with the purpose of providing you with condensed helpful and relevant content, however all personal opinions are 100% human made as well as the blog post structure, outline and key takeaways.
* Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on www.nataliamaganda.com may contain affiliate links meaning that I will get a commission for recommending products at no extra cost to you.
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