You’ve had team members in your landscape company come to you suggesting that it’s time to upgrade the company’s software. You realize that your business would run smoother with specialized software that would provide more accurate estimating, better accounting and connecting functions with the various departments of your company.

You’ve heard about landscape business software and may even know of a few industry peers that use these systems. Is it really a good investment? And you wonder, “How much does business software cost for landscape companies?” You and your team work hard for your profits and if you’re going to make a transition, it has to pay off. Your business depends on it.

Maybe you decided to send your operations and technology folks to do some research because you need to decide if the landscaping business software costs are worth the investment. Or maybe you’re thinking about contacting an industry peer or consultant to get their take on the matter.

We want you to have enough knowledge to start those conversations. This article is designed to answer your landscaping business software pricing questions so you can make a sound investment.

Increasing Productivity and Improving Performance with Landscaping Software

You know that your company has outgrown Excel and QuickBooks. Everyone finds these systems to be limiting and confusing because the two systems aren’t seamlessly integrated. Plus, there are many functions the multiple tools still don’t provide. Yet, is it worth the investment for specialized software for your green industry company?

Your employees have also noted that the current software makes getting all of the information that they need to generate reports and assign work crews difficult because one team is waiting on another to provide the information that they need.

Plus, operations, sales and the office manager want a program that connects their departments together so there’s less tracking down needed information.

And you know that if the office staff, operations and sales can start working together using one software program, there will definitely be better productivity and improved performance in the company. Being more efficient has to translate to the bottom line, after all.

Dollars and Cents

Speaking in broad terms, investing in landscaping software will cost about the same amount as what you would pay to hire an entry level administrative assistant—not including medical insurance, 401k, vacation and sick days, or the amount it costs to buy a new pick-up truck for the company.

Landscaping business software costs starts at $15,000 for the landscaping software’s base system and five included, concurrent licenses. You also need to add an additional $15,000 for the data migration and software training costs at the onset.

Your ROI Compared with Landscaping Business Software Costs

While it’s a big change to go from Excel spreadsheets and QuickBooks, the ROI is enormous. There is a period of two to three months where information is transferred, folks are being trained and change is taking place.

Yet, once your company’s fully functional—say in about six months—you’ll start seeing sales climb. You’ll also save money because you won’t need to hire additional office staff to maintain piles of spreadsheets and other data.

When you work with the software company, you’ll also know that they’ll make recommendations on best practices to run your company. Not only does the software itself make your job easier, but your work is also streamlined:

• Your sales team will spend less time in the office and more time selling.
• Your team will have less paperwork to shuffle, creating an organized company that can get more work done in less time.
• You’ll get your financial reports on time which will help you see how the company is progressing, making regular adjustments for maximum profits.
• All data entry is accurate and in one software program. Your office manager can now download financials and other information that you need in less time.
• Sales estimates are more accurate for better gross profit.
• Your employees are happier and more productive in their work, leading them to provide better service to your customers, which leads to more customer referrals.
• You save money on supplies because the software tracks all of them in one database.
• There’s no need for last minute runs to Home Depot or the nursery. Now your crews can get to job sites on time and get right to work instead of logging so much non-billable time.

Landscaping software maximizes productivity, improves the quality of your company’s processes and ultimately impacts your bottom line.

The Benefits Outweigh the Landscaping Business Software Pricing

There are also additional benefits to landscaping business software that may not have a definitive dollar value. This software supersedes other software programs that have limited or multiple tools making record-keeping, estimating and communication between departments difficult.

With landscaping business software, your operations manager can now organize where crews need to be and map and organize their work week. And there’s no more whiteboard for crews to refer to.

Instead, all of their work details are on the downloadable app that connects with the company’s software. The crews plug in their work and timesheet information directly into the app that will instantly upload the information directly into the software--all in real time.

Additional Benefits of Landscape Business Software

Here are some other benefits that you’ll receive with landscape business software:

• Customer relationship management, sales management, estimating and operations management are now in one system and easily accessible to all departments.
• Scheduling, production calendars and routing with Google Maps can be done accurately and in real time. It’ll be easier for sales to get operations the information they need to schedule their work crews and map out the best routes possible.
• Crews can take pictures and record field data collection with handhelds and Smartphones.
• Your bookkeeper will now have certified payroll and prevailing wage data right on her computer. There will be less paycheck disputes.
• HR can now track and report on the crews’ certifications. Employees will now know when they need to take classes and tests to recertify their pesticide applications and other required certifications. It also helps the HR department know when each employee’s certifications need to be renewed.
• You and your operations manager can now stay updated on fleet and equipment management.
• Your bookkeeper and accountant will know that Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that’s required by the federal government is easily accessible in the accounting software.
• Sales and operations will be able to better budget for each job,
• Your sales and operations departments have accurate and updated job costing as well as job costing for multiple profit centers per job.
• You and your entire team will be able to coordinate between multiple profit centers, branches and companies because every one of your businesses, branches, etc. are using one database with real time information stored there.

Partnering with Your Landscaping Business Software Company

When you break down the landscaping business software costs and its value, it’s not a once and done deal. Instead, you and the landscaping software company are committing to a long-term working relationship. In one sense, a business partnership.

While, you may need to know how much business software costs for landscape companies in your decision process, you also need to consider the benefits that will make your company a better organization by partnering with a software company that gets your industry and your company’s unique challenges.

Life on the Other Side   

Fast forward. It’s been a few months since the software program has been implemented and while there have been some challenges and adjustments, you feel positive that you made the right investment.

The implementation isn’t as scary as you assumed. Your team worked together and made it happen.

You’re also really impressed with the software team that you partnered with. They brought in new business models that have helped your company run more smoothly.

You’ve improved the jobs of both your work crews and their supervisors. Routes and work weeks are optimized and life is getting more manageable for everyone.

The crews no longer need to make as many emergency supply runs. Every morning, they can load up their trucks and be on the road to job sites instead of scrambling for what they need.

And your beloved office manager seems happier in her job. She’s able to get all of the information she needs from sales, the crews and other departments. And her financial reports are in your email inbox in a timely manner.

The customers are happy since they now find that the sales team can deliver detailed proposals that are competitively priced. Their projects are getting completed as promised and they can enjoy them with their family and friends.

You’re finding that you’re not tied to your desk anymore managing all kinds of paperwork and putting out so many fires. It kind of reminds you of simpler days when your company was smaller with less staff.

You now feel confident that the company is better equipped to meet all of the demands of running it and helping it grow.

It turns out the benefits certainly outweighed the concerns of landscaping business software costs.

If you dream of making your company run like a well-oiled machine, then see how Include Software’s Asset program will transform your landscaping business. To learn more, check out video testimonials from our clients, contact us at 800-475-0311 or request a free demo.