How much time do you spend using Service Monster?

[Walt]

We are switching over from an excel / paper based system. It's very limited, but very fast. All we did was write out the invoices by hand and then input name, address, phone, and total job amount after the job was complete. quick and dirty.

Now that we are switching over to Service Monster, it seems we are spending a lot more time inputing information. With one truck doing 3 - 4 jobs a day, 6 days a week - how much time should we be spending messing with service monster daily? Not counting campaigns or any marketing. Right now we are spending a lot of time getting set up. What should we expect in the future?


Thanks

 

[Ron Lippold]

it takes a little time to get used to it. It takes me about 2 min to enter in a customer for the first time, a little less for repeats hit complete and do payment and print and we are done. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mikey P]

You'll spend 10 minutes putting a route together in the AM and about 10 minutes entering those same jobs in the evening and then about 20 minutes dicking around every few days with all the neAto features after that.

 

[hogjowl]

Personally, I haven't found SM to be any more time consuming to enter new customer info. than Quick Books is. I just wish it integrated better with QB's. After importing data into QB, I still have to go into the customer file and change a few things around.

All in all, I am happy with SM, so far. If the reminder cards really help me retain my customers, then in a year I will be REALLY singing it's praises.

 

[tracywalker]

Do you guys use the reminder cards they have or can you write your own? I like their Thank you, 3 month, 6 month, and 9 month cards, but the others get a little hokie to me when I start telling my clients that something might be growing in their carpets. Most of my small town customers just want to know when they last cleaned not that they have mold spores. I see how it can be effective, just want to go about it a different way on those over a year. The card program does work though. I get positive comments all the time, just haven't looked into custimizing them.

 

[klewis4]

I didn't like the fact that all of the cards ellude to a special offer. I called and asked about customizing. They sent me the templates in Word files. I changed each of them, sent them back and they changed the cards for the next order. It was easy.

 

[Brian R]

extra time spent on SM is well worth the customer retention. You want to put as much info in as you can about a customer so you have it.
I like looking at the reports and graphs to see where I am at as a company. You can grow your company better if you track it.

I don't think Service Monster is any more time consuming than when I used QB to track everything. But it is more complete when it comes to customers...because the SM is for the customer part of the business...and that's what we need to have.

 

[hogjowl]

My marketing ability sucks. I have done nothing in my 21 years in business and know nothing about how to start. So, I did not change a thing on their cards. I figured their mistakes had to be more intelligent than the one's I would make.

 

[Mikey P]

I changed my card text just a bit.




For the money spent they get excellent results.

I'm sure all the new clients I collected this year will be far more productive due to this program.

 

[Wandslinger]

I called SM this morning and offered them an idea, which is probably not the first time it has been mentioned. It would be awesome that when you get prompted by Fill My Schedule to send out a campaign that it would include one for a Thanks for your referral. Since you're applying the lead source it should automatically generate one and merge the name. Call me lazy, but it would easier to stay on top of saying Thanks. I was told they are working on some big updates but my suggestion would be next year. Oh well!

 

[Doug D]

I called SM this morning and offered them an idea, which is probably not the first time it has been mentioned. It would be awesome that when you get prompted by Fill My Schedule to send out a campaign that it would include one for a Thanks for your referral. Since you're applying the lead source it should automatically generate one and merge the name. Call me lazy, but it would easier to stay on top of saying Thanks. I was told they are working on some big updates but my suggestion would be next year. Oh well!

I would agree to this!