Popular Client Management Systems used by Small Business Owners

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners, on launching their business, do not anticipate the paperwork that takes place in the background. Leads must be captured. Proposals, contracts, and questionnaires sent to clients. These should be stored for reference later on. Invoices must be created, payments accepted and all relevant client information must also be saved somewhere easily accessible.

As your business expands it becomes evident how using client management systems can help organize and streamline your business processes. Using client management or CRM software elevates the professionalism of your business and increases your efficiency. Your workflows are automated and run like clockwork. Your documents have a consistent look and feel unique to your brand. And most importantly you get to spend less time on paperwork and more time on the creative services you offer to your clients.

Outlined below are 3 popular client management systems used by small business owners.

Honeybook

Honeybook is primarily used by creative entrepreneurs. It has a beautiful and user-friendly interface. This client management system has already helped thousands of small business owners to manage their business. Honeybook is popular for the following reasons:

• It offers an all-in-one solution to streamline your business, from initial inquiry, booking to payment.
• All your important files, such as proposals and contracts are stored in one place. These are accessible to both you and your client. You can also customize templates for your business.
• You can create automatic workflows to suit your business needs. For example, sending a questionnaire automatically when an inquiry comes in, and then send a follow-up email 2 days later.
• Honeybook offers a Concierge customer service and will set up your account and upload all your existing projects and templates.
• It has a task dashboard and you can assign tasks per client and per project.
• You can link your emails to Honeybook so they are also saved within each project.
• It integrates with Quickbooks, Stripe, Calendly, Zapier, and Gmail.
• Honeybook prides itself on offering great customer support and is passionate about helping creatives build thriving businesses. Additionally, they are all about community and you are able to find other creative businesses to collaborate with.
• Honeybook costs $40 per month if billed monthly or if you select the annual option $400 annually (which works out to $34 a month). There is a free trial period for 7 days during which you can access all the features.

17Hats

17Hats helps you leave the chaos behind and get organized in your business. It is an ideal system for solopreneurs who want to offer their clients a streamlined experience. Features include:

• An all-in-one suite of business tools to make running your business easier. You can manage leads, contracts, quotes, billing, scheduling and meetings all from one system.
• 17Hats simplifies repetitive tasks with templates and automated custom workflows for your business. Respond to emails instantly, instantly get paid, send automatic reminders to clients, while looking professional and improving customer service.
• The dashboard highlights in one place what is happening in your business. You can view a 3-day snapshot of upcoming meetings and deadlines.
• Save client contact details and notes within the system.
• Add client lead forms to your website to capture information from your clients.
• You can sync your emails, track time spent on projects and integrate with your Calendar. Other integrations include Stripe, Paypal, Facebook, Quickbooks, Square, Authorize.net.
• The cost is $45 a month, or $295 annually (which works out to $25 a month). It has a 17-day free trial period.

Dubsado

Dubsado helps you to run your business efficiently and manage your clients from one place. Small business owners rave about Dubsado because of the following:

• You can set a financial goal for your business and view your target every day within the system. Open invoices alert you to which invoices still need to be paid. The revenue indicator compares month-on-month how you are tracking.
• Dubsado has many automated workflows which are a time saver for your business.
• Embedded lead contact forms on your website, allow for client information to be updated automatically into Dubsado. Automations include lead management and onboarding, payment processing, contracts and forms, accounting, client and project management.
• There is also an automated testimonial request and 6-month or 12-month follow up with the client.
• Each client can access their client portal, where all their relevant documents such as contracts, proposals, invoices, etc. are saved. Emails you have exchanged with your clients are also viewed here.
• Dubsado has a task board and to-do list feature similar to Trello boards. This is where you manage your projects, assign tasks and set deadlines. You can also track time spent on projects.
• It syncs with ICal, Google or your Outlook calendar.
• Integrations include G-Suite, Zapier, Stripe, Square, Paypal. You can enable/disable credit card payments and/or bank transfers on individual invoices. There is also a tipping option in Dubsado. Furthermore, Dubsado does not charge a payment processing fee.
• One of the clever benefits Dubsado has over its peers is a no-time-limit free trial in which to use the system. You can use and test Dubsado for free with 3 clients or leads. Once you reach 3 clients or leads, you can switch over to a paid plan. The monthly rate is $35 a month, the annual rate is $350/year (which works out to $29 a month)
• Dubsado boasts great customer service and continually evolves to meet customer needs. It has a thriving community and the Facebook Group is a very helpful platform. Here you can get ideas on all the different things you can do with Dubsado.

Using a client management system will propel your business to the next level. Therefore choosing the right CRM system for your business is such an important decision. We recommend you read many online reviews from other small business owners and talk to peers in your industry before you make your decision.  Take advantage of the free trial periods. Make use of the customer support provided, do a trial run for a few of your processes and see which system fits best with your business. Good luck and let us know how you fare with these client management systems. Or if you are using another CRM system that you would recommend, then please share your experience with us below.