Question for the Community: Scheduling software - How do you book, schedule, and invoice?

Js_Garage_Door1

Hey pros! We have been toying around with different scheduling software for over 2 years now and we can't seem to find one that's the perfect fit for us. We have tried multiple at this point (I might botch some names here) we have tried workez, field service pro, house call, and service Titan. We have continued to go back to breezworks. Breezworks is simple and easy to use but because of it's simplicity it's limited and hard to scale up. So I'm curious what do you use?

@DustiO maybe you can help this message get to some other pros or maybe even a topic to talk about on a Thursday?

DustiO

@Js_Garage_Door1 I pinned this discussion to the top (and slightly edited the title to hopefully catch everyone's attention! I recently interviewed a pro who uses Client Tether and had soooo many good things to say about it. It can also be connected to your TT account. Check it out here (you'll also be able to see what other integrations are available there). Hope this helps!

In the meantime let me tag in some other pros in your industry - @4brothersgds @Texasopeners @SiinoWindowsAndDoors @bigken1979

Js_Garage_Door1

I'll definitely check out tether! Our biggest things are

Using the software from a cell phone

Address verification

Tracking job progress

Capability of customization

ShaquealThomas

@Js_Garage_Door1 we use QuickBooks for a invoices and scheduling never used any other software cause it’s been working but would be interested if there’s one with more features good pricing etc

Js_Garage_Door1

@ShaquealThomas

If you're looking for something simple and affordable I'd recommend checking out breezworks. It will link with your quick books as well. It has worked great for us but we're outgrowing it and need some more features. But I'd highly recommend ya check it out it's very simple and easy to use.

ShaquealThomas

@Js_Garage_Door1 ok I will definitely try it out appreciate it.

samthomas

@Js_Garage_Door1 I had a call from this new company viizr.com last year. They are building heaps of new features and really nice support team, I have enjoyed it so far.

The app for our staff (3) is really useful for customer communication to, so nothing is on anyones personal devices just the app. It does everything you are looking for scheduling, work orders, mobile app, staff chat etc.

HHLLC

I'm a Breezeworks fan as well. It integrates with Square and Quickbooks. One of the nice features is the Service Request feature. It frees up my time by having the lead enter their info into the platform to book either a service or an evaluation/estimate. Turning leads into jobs has gone up significantly. No more back and forth to line up schedules. I put the link below in my text and email correspondence across multiple referral platforms. If you want to see what it looks like from the customer POV just click the link, (be sure to use a fake name or city and "Test" as the job description so I know to delete the customer: https://portal.breezeworks.com/s/b5068282e4b8c66a398055d7 Thanks

Mage

I love how Calendly allows for easy bookings that integrate with Google Calendar and both Stripe and PayPal. I can easily set my availability and block out times as needed. It would be awesome if Thumbtack could integrate with this service in their inter-app collaborations. I know they have partnerships with other companies such as WiseTack.

In terms of recurring billing for repeat clients, my main business is in music lesson sessions held over Zoom, so I use Duet Partner for that, but that's a very niche industry with very specific software. You could easily use something like QuickBooks to bill your repeat/recurring clients. I am sure other Pros have other ideas. I am just sharing what I have been using for years.

mbrand15

I used to use Breezeworks for my scheduling, booking, and invoicing needs, but recently I switched over to Markate and I have to say, it's been a game-changer for my small handyman business on Thumbtack.

First of all, Markate is highly underrated. It has a cleaner interface than Breezeworks and is more robust in terms of better functions such as job tracking and time tracking. It also has better Google Calendar integration than Breezeworks, which is a huge plus as it automatically creates events for jobs in my Google Calendar for me, while Breezeworks can't.

One of the things I love about Markate is the add-ons that you can choose to include. For example, it has great built-in marketing features that help you build a strong customer base. You can easily send automated mass text messages, emails, or voicemails, and even create personalized postcards without the need to use extra third-party sites. This has been a great way for me to keep my customers engaged and coming back for more.

I also like that Markate is very affordable. While Jobber or Housecall Pro charges really expensive prices for those features, Markate's price is very affordable and is similar to Breezeworks, but it offers much more. It also has an integrated feature that automatically syncs all your existing contacts from Quickbooks over or from other CRMs (which I used to transfer all my contacts over from Breezeworks) for free! And of course Markate syncs with QuickBooks flawlessly, which is another important factor why I chose it.

So if you're looking for a reliable and affordable CRM for your business, I highly recommend giving Markate a try. Breezeworks was starting to become limited and with my business expanding, Markate has been the best switch I made. I have had good experiences with it, and I believe everyone can benefit from this affordable and robust program.

Mage

Thanks @mbrand15 for sharing that! Markate reminds me of Fons. I currently use Duet Partner, which is made specifically for independent music teachers or other studio music teachers, but if I was given a choice to start with something, whether I was a music teacher or other professional with bookings including recurring ones, I would consider Markate or Fons. 😎

WDodson

In my past career I helped contractors with marketing. Many of them used Zoho; which has an entire (rather daunting) suite of boring old business management software: invoicing, scheduling, all that stuff.

Currently I use the free version of Joist for my invoicing. And I use the Thumbtack payment system sometimes. But I still have to go back and make an invoice in Joist for accurate reporting.

What I wish for is an integration to send customer info from Thumbtack to Joist.

Anyway, check out Zoho.

DustiO

Hi all! I wanted to drop our latest integration announcement here in case you haven't seen it and it may be helpful for some of you!