Service Monster, HouseCall Pro, etc.

[rosselliscarpetcare]

Two weeks ago we took the plunge and made the switch to HouseCall Pro as our new way of managing our invoicing, scheduling and customer retention. So far we love everything about it. I can't compare it to any of the other options out there so this is not about which is best but it already has improved our connection with our customers dramatically.

What scares me is what happens if this company or any similar fold up?? After months of using one of these programs it would seem a devastating loss of information. Am I missing something?

I'm sure this has been talked about but couldn't find a thread on it.

Thx for your input in advance.

 

[Newman]

I do hope both vendors have all data backed up in case of catastrophe.

Neither Service Monster or HCP are good accounting programs. You still need Quickbooks or something similar for accounting functions.

All of my customer and job information is backed up on my own Quickbooks program.

 

[PrimaDonna]

I can assure you that Service Monster isn't going anywhere. They have been around for years and Joe is expanding. We've been using it for 7 years...maybe even more.

As far as HCP, Rolland is a super smart dude. He is constantly in talks with new investors and has been partnering with some well known/established sites like Yelp and Zillow. They wouldn't partner with a company like that if they didn't' feel they would be around. Keep in mind HCP has a much further reach as it wasn't designed for cleaners, like SM was. Carpet cleaners are just a segment of Service Providers that use HCP. While SM was based off cleaners, there are other 'trades' that use it too. But it's more specific to our industry.

I'm sure that both companies have some sort of succession plan in place if something were to happen so you can have your data. I'd reach out to HCP and ask what their protocol for this is.

Not a bad idea to export your customer data into excel every few months just in case so you have a contact list. Or, if you are using quickbooks and import the data to that, you'll have everything (customer info, history etc) you need already in your QB.

 

[hogjowl]

Once I saw ServiceMonster Joe's FB guru stuff, I started working hard to make sure my QuickBooks was up to date.

Just in case!

 

[Desk Jockey]

Do you mind xplaining that Lucy? English this time.

 

[hogjowl]

You're not on FB.
So you'll never know.
Idiot

 

[PrimaDonna]

Joe had been doing lots of Facebook live videos. Everything from marketing tips, to podcasts, to personal exercise. He was all over the place for a while. Something new each week.

All the while many of us were waiting for SM6 and seeing all the other things he was focusing on. It was frustrating for many.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Thank you Meg.

The pig could have told me but he is just an IDIOT!

 

[WillS]

Joe had been doing lots of Facebook live videos. Everything from marketing tips, to podcasts, to personal exercise. He was all over the place for a while. Something new each week.

All the while many of us were waiting for SM6 and seeing all the other things he was focusing on. It was frustrating for many.

Exactly. Focusing on how the web app is working (or not in some cases) and the mobile app with its issues in general - would be more of a money maker for SM then trying to teach people how to market. Is he making money on that or just doing it to try and boost interest? Putting more of your time into engineers or out sourcing so things get done faster. By this time you should be able to choose post card templates instead of having to call someone on the phone to switch them around.

Don't get me wrong, I would chose ServiceMonster over other apps and have highly recommended them to people asking what is good to use. But scrolling through and seeing these Sponsored ads from SM on videos on how to market on FB is agitating when the focus should be on making the best app possible for the $ people spend on it monthly. Maybe it only takes up 20 minutes of his time making the videos so it's not that big of a deal on the scale of things.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I like his social media blogs. Pretty good stuff especially for the novice marketer. Haven't seen the videos.

I'm not much for videos unless Saiger does them.

 

[WillS]

They aren't bad. But if that is what the guy is into then he should be working on that and put someone in charge of getting shit done on the SM app.

I truly don't know why the fill my schedule deal can't be made easier to setup and change by the end user. It's the perception I guess. Or maybe it was just the thread I was waiting for to vent my frustration.

 

[hogjowl]

I like his social media blogs. Pretty good stuff especially for the novice marketer. Haven't seen the videos.

I'm not much for videos unless Saiger does them.

You're only encouraging him to piss me off!
Don't think I don't know what you're doing.

 

[Desk Jockey]

 

[Able 1]

It would be nice if they changed the postcards with the seasons.. Now a spring front should be on them no matter how long it has been. They could do the generic ones between seasons/events and holidays.

 

[PrimaDonna]

It would be nice if they changed the postcards with the seasons.. Now a spring front should be on them no matter how long it has been. They could do the generic ones between seasons/events and holidays.

I agree...the pictures are a bit dated looking on the cards. I'd love some nice more visually appealing graphics or to be able to select the image you want. They say that is coming when they get the Send Jim thing off the ground, but it's just another thing that has been promised to come no clear timeline as to when it will be available to us.