Have you been thinking that your business processes are no longer working for you? Sick and tired of repeating the same admin processes over and over?
I hear you loud and clear!
As a sole trader it can be hard to wear all the hats and do all the things. Of course, I could outsource and that is something I will need to look at in the near future. But at the moment, I just needed to find a way to deliver a better service and organise my time.
I went hunting down the rabbit hole of CRM’s, Management Tools and other tools of the trade that people use. But to be honest, I got a bit overwhelmed.
There are so many platforms out there!
I settled on Dubsado. It’s tailored for self-employed business owners and more importantly, service providers like, for example, a web designer! 😉
As well as being designed for my field of work, I also wanted something that integrated with programs I was already using. I don’t have time to reinvent the wheel on all my processes!
Here’s the Dubsado features that got me over the line:
QuickBooks integration.
This was really important for me. I love my Quickbooks accounting software and everything is all set up and working well. I needed a platform that would work with this and not against it.
Designed for projects.
As a web designer, most of my work is in the form of a project. A website design or revamp is managed just like a project so I can set up my client projects easily and keep track of where I’m at. It makes it easy to send contracts, questionnaires and invoices all in the one portal – and my emails are tracked too!
Easy to create forms.
I like having things “just work”. Creating the forms in Dubsado was easy and I can easily embed them in my website so a new lead is automatically generated in my portal. Let the onboarding process begin!
Appointment scheduling.
This is something I’ve been looking to integrate into my business for a while and I can thankfully do this using Dubsado and collect payments for sessions if they are paid ones. It alleviates the need for me to pay separately for Calendly or Acuity which I was originally doing.
Competitive pricing.
As a small business, I’m always watching the pennies. So a flat rate of $35 (USD – around $50 AUD at the moment – darn exchange rate!) isn’t too much to find each month when I consider the time I save. It’s also fairly competitive to other CRMs on the market, actually even cheaper than a couple I looked at! You can also pay for the whole year if your cash flow allows it and save on 2 months!
Of course there are plenty more integrations and features that come with Dubsado, but these were the ones that I needed to tick off at this moment.
Who I think it would work for?
Dubsado would be best suited to service-based businesses who need to streamline their processes – particularly when it comes to onboarding clients. A business that relies on contracts being signed, invoices being sent, recurring payment plans or bookings would all benefit from this platform.
- Web Designers / Developers
- Virtual Assistants
- Graphic Designers
- Business Coaches or any coach for that matter
- Social Media Managers
- Online Business Managers
My tips for choosing a new client management tool are:
- Look to see if it integrates with apps and programs you’re already using. This will save a lot of time changing things that are already working.
- Look to see what features it has that you will actually use. Not just the features that sound good.
- Compare prices. Of course price isn’t the only factor, but as a small business, watching every outgoing penny is a consideration.
- Ask in business groups what others in your field are using. Don’t ask in general, make sure you ask in relation to your field as one program might be good for eCommerce, but not for service-based businesses.
- Google reviews to see what other users think of the platform. There’s no better proof than from people who actually use it.
Keen on integrating Dubsado for your business? Use my exclusive Dubsado link and get 20% off your first month or first year!
Note: Affiliate links appear in this blog, so I may get a small commission if you choose to buy. But don’t worry, it won’t go to a retirement fund, it’ll most likely be used for a coffee! I only link to businesses and apps that I use and recommend 🙂Â
