Landscaping CRM software delights clients and reduces organizational frustration.Regardless of the size of your business, keeping track of all of your clients—and all of the specifics linked to each of their accounts—can feel like an overwhelming task. Complicating it even further is the fact that multiple departments and individuals can make decisions that impact a specific account, and none of that information might ever be tracked. Even if the client only has direct contact with their account manager, that’s not to say that various employees within the company are not still involved behind-the-scenes with that account.

Because of all the behind-the-scenes hands on any given account, the number one problem we hear about from landscape businesses that are not using landscaping CRM software is that there is a breakdown in communication somewhere in the chain. There is really no good way to keep track of what everyone is doing and people don’t wind up on the same page. You can have various employees making various efforts in terms of communicating with clients, making sales calls, or updating an account. But with everyone doing different things and no good way to track it all, the company’s efforts feel like a mish-mashed approach.

It never looks good to the client when internal communication is poor. If a client calls with an issue and the message isn’t communicated, it reflects badly on the business. But that’s what happens with outdated methods. Paper notes get lost and verbal messages never end up getting passed on. Suddenly a client’s request or need is forgotten and it makes the whole team look bad (though the most wrath will likely fall on the account manager). It’s a communication breakdown that could have been prevented.

Similarly, keeping track of employee data with outdated methods such as spreadsheets is equally as cumbersome. Paper spreadsheets get lost and the data quickly becomes obsolete, so that you constantly have to be printing something new to share with the rest of your team. It’s time-consuming and inefficient.

In order to connect everyone and to prevent those breakdowns in communication from ever happening—as well as to keep better track of customer data—more and more companies in the green industry are investing in Client Relationship Managment (CRM) software. CRM systems have long been used in other industries in order to help keep the client at the heart of their business. These days everyone expects more personalized service and a CRM system helps you to provide just that. It’s an effective way to manage all of your client data and to communicate internally about how an account is being handled. 

Of course, there are a ton of CRM products on the market. The key is to find the best CRM for your landscape company.

How CRM Can Help Your Business

Generally speaking, CRM software is a category that covers a broad range of systems that are geared toward helping businesses to manage client data and interactions. There are a lot of products on the market as it’s a software category that is beneficial to businesses across the board, no matter what kind of client they service.

CRM software works as a central hub that manages all of a business’ client data. Utilizing CRM software, multiple employees can update information and see where things stand with an account.  

Landscaping CRM software delights clients and reduces organizational frustration.The benefit of CRM for landscaping companies is the fact that it streamlines communication and automates a lot of processes that once had to be done manually. Though it can be initially time-consuming (during the software implementation phase) to get all of that customer data entered into the system, once it’s done—it’s done. There’s no more duplicate data entry.

A lot of landscape businesses do not have any systems in place to manage client data and the thought of having to enter all of that information can feel overwhelming. But the truth is, the time it will save you on the back end will ultimately far exceed what you put in on the front end. In other words, having customer data managed through landscaping CRM software will ultimately save you a ton of time.

It will also help you to better serve your clients, which is obviously the goal. You’ll never be able to lose sight of what’s going on with any given project or account. Streamlining communication makes it easy to keep up with customers’ needs and ensure that they’re being heard. That goes a very long way in keeping them happy.

Utilizing CRM software also makes selling easier. You’ll rarely miss an opportunity to upsell a job again. For instance, you’ll remember that last year one of your clients asked you about possibly adding a new service the following season. A sticky note about it stuck on their file could easily get lost or forgotten by the time the new season rolls around. But with landscaping CRM software, you can set a reminder that will pop up in plenty of time for you to send them a proposal about that service they were inquiring about. The client will be impressed that you remembered and are focused on meeting their needs, while you’ll follow through on an opportunity to increase sales.

Also, always having client data at one’s fingertips will help your salespeople sell more confidently.They’ll feel confident that they have the most up-to-date and accurate information to go off of and that everyone is on the same page.

A CRM for Landscapers

Landscaping CRM software delights clients and reduces organizational frustration.As mentioned, there are a lot of CRM systems out there. It’s an incredibly important tool so it’s no surprise that so many software companies are offering solutions. While there’s a lot to choose from, the best CRM for a landscape company is a system that is specifically designed for the landscape industry. That’s because there are some nuances that are highly specific to our industry. Having a system that “speaks your language” (so to speak) can really make life easier.

For instance, whether you’re tracking square footage of a property for a certain job or you’re pushing snow in only a certain area, a CRM program that is tailored to the landscape industry will allow you to communicate those nuances that are only relevant to this industry. Entering data into a system that was not designed for the landscape industry simply won’t allow you to be so specific.

It’s also incredibly helpful to implement a system that integrates with all of the other software functionalities. For instance, many of the popular CRM systems out there do a great job tracking customer data but they do not connect with your landscaping estimating software, scheduling and operations, or pull the reports your business may need. You’re adding more steps to your day by having to check between multiple (separate) systems. By not having these various systems communicate with one another, you’re also back at square one of possibly having missed information. You still have a breakdown in communication that you were trying to avoid.

Instead, you could invest in landscaping CRM software that is the total package by connecting all departments and functionalities into a single system. With each part of the system talking to the next, everything is interconnected.

The Best CRM for Your Landscape Company

We know there are a lot of choices when it comes to CRM software. However, finding the solution that is right for you will make a big difference in turning your company into a customer service machine.

Asset, in particular, is a great CRM solution for landscapers in that it has some components of the software that nobody else offers. Integrated calendar functions with Google and the ability to tie documents to a plan or account are two such functions that can really be effective in keeping everyone on the same page.

Asset provides the ability to set reminders, create appointments, track leads, view closing ratios, monitor the sales cycle—and so much more. It streamlines communication in a way that everyone in the company is connected and no customer can ever fall through the cracks again.

We’ve already discussed the value in finding a product that was designed specifically for the green industry, and that’s exactly what we’ve done with Asset. We are not trying to take a program and adapt it to multiple industries.

Asset has always been for the landscaping industry and that means it’s truly geared toward your landscape business—and to the specific nuances associated with your landscape clients (and their accounts). We believe that by implementing our landscaping CRM software that you’ll be able to make huge improvements to your client relations—keeping clients happy and keeping things running smoothly internally as well.

If you’re ready to find out why Asset is the right CRM solution for your landscaping company, contact us for a free demo or give us a call at 800-475-0311.

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