How to Select Landscaping Business Management Software

This article is about how to select management software, and the considerations that matter more than simply comparing the features of one package against another.

What is landscaping business management software?

Landscaping business management software is also known as customer relationship management. Typically it can:

• Handle the creation of quotes and proposals from your work truck or vehicle.
• Get customers to sign contracts and make payments.
• Send follow-up emails to customers and create client portals to improve the customer experience.
• Assign staff to jobs that are ongoing.
• Integrate with 2D software when designing installations.

Does it take a long time to set up the management software?

Each landscaping management software provider typically has support available. When speaking with their sales teams they will give an approximate time to get it set up and live, and then explain what else can be done to optimise it.

When do you need business management software?

A landscaping business can add it to the customer journey at any stage of maturity, whether the business has just started or has been going for many years. When you actually need it depends on the volume of clients you have to handle and reply to.

• When starting the business with a small number of leads coming in, the typical view is that management software is not required. You can handle the admin yourself without it consuming too much time.
• When your business is taking off, leads are coming in and you are doing a lot of the admin yourself, staying up late to respond to clients instead of spending time with friends and family. That is the point it pays for itself.

How do you approach selecting landscaping business management software?

Ask the software company to do a demo from the point of view of the customer, to see if it works for your business.

Every landscaping business is different in how it operates and how its pipeline works, so look at the customer experience from initial contact all the way through to delivery of the project.

What kind of questions should I ask a landscaping business management software company?

• Can you show me how a customer would contact my business through the system?
• Can you show me the full customer journey from enquiry to confirmed project?
• Can you show me the customer portal, and what it looks like from a customer point of view?
• Can customers sign contracts, pay invoices and submit details in one place?
• Can they request additional work or contact my business through the client portal?
• Can I embed enquiry forms, booking tools, widgets, packages or product options into my website?
• How long does setup usually take for a landscaping business?
• What support is available during setup, and what customer support options are there afterwards?
• I have never used management software before. How easy is it to get started?
• When is the right time for a business to start using landscaping management software?
• If I already have a CRM, can you help migrate clients, booked jobs or data?
• Is it worth it for my size of business? State your team size.
• Can I schedule jobs for the team and me, and see a map of where the job is?
• Can you show me the reporting and metrics I would have available after using the software for a year?

The reporting in landscaping business management software

Having data from one, three or twelve months ago and beyond on how many customers have got in touch with you is powerful. Knowing how many converted into a new project or install, and seeing the average spend of each customer, is really important for understanding where the business is going. With that data you can look at which levers to pull to increase revenue.

Conclusion

Do your research and speak with a few different providers to make sure the software has the capability your business needs. Not just today, but for the direction you want to take the business and how you might want to scale. It is important to think about how it all works together.