6 Best CRMs for Home Improvement Contractors

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is as vital to home improvement contractors as it is to any other field service professional. A CRM is a program that manages customer relationships, and help find new customers, manage their leads, and track the progress of their projects. A CRM also helps home improvement contractors understand their clients better by giving them insights into who they are, what they want, and how much they’re willing to spend.

A good CRM puts a home improvement contractor firmly on the fast lane to success. This article will briefly hit all the high points of what a good CRM must have, some major benefits of using one, and then look at the six best CRMs for home improvement contractors.

4 Essential Features of a Good CRM for Home Improvement Contractors must have

Client management

Home improvement contractors are often on the go. They may be in different cities, states, and even countries, so staying up to date with their clients is a challenge. A CRM can help them manage their clients and stay organized. With a CRM, contractors can stay organized and manage client interactions by making use of key features such as contact management, project management and invoicing. This can help them stay productive even when they’re away from home.

Optimize lead value

A good CRM system should be up to the task of managing the customer relationship process and keeping track of marketing efforts. A CRM optimizes the lead’s journey by capturing data, improving communication, and providing insight into customer needs. Rather than relying on a data-driven marketing approach, which may take too long or not provide quantifiable results, CRM software allows home improvement contractors to efficiently manage the concerns of their entire sales pipeline. This allows them to organize their campaign, measure response rates, and avoid burning resources on campaigns that are not working. It lays the foundation for a proper multichannel contact strategy to create more value for their leads and ensure better service for their clients.

Project tracking

Project tracking is an important feature in CRM software for home improvement contractors. It enables the contractor to keep track of the progress and success of each project with ease. The software gives the contractor a clear and concise overview of their projects and provides them with tracking and reporting capabilities. It also keeps track of the team members and clients, ensures the completion of tasks, and prevents delays from arising in the future.

Scalability potential

As home improvement contractors and firms grow their business, their CRM of choice should be able to keep up. The scalability potential of CRM software is one of the most essential factors that every home improvement contractor should look for in their CRM. A good CRM won’t buckle under the pressure and continue to help them manage their projects efficiently.

6 Best CRMs for Home Improvement Contractors:

1. Builder Prime

Builder Prime boasts a friendly interface and easy-to-use process to maintain customer data in a secure system. It helps contractors manage the workflow and operations of their business on a day-to-day basis while also providing them with important metrics, so they can understand how they are doing. Builder Prime is the only complete CRM on this list that can truly manage your production, as well as being simple to learn. Builder Prime is a time-saver and a money-maker. It is a great fit for any home improvement contractor, from those with annual sales of zero to $50 million or more.

Key features:

• Client Tracking
• Contract/License Management
• Forecasting
• Project Management
• Quotes/Estimates
• Sales Pipeline Management
• Scheduling

Pros:

• Build projects quickly and easily with the drag-and-drop interface.
• Client tracking allows the clients to track their projects from start to finish in a hassle-free manner.
• Excellent budget projection
• Its forecasting feature helps plan ahead for their projects by predicting what will happen in the future.
• Provides all the essential information about the project at one place so that they can get an overview of what’s happening at any given time.
• Allows you to automate tedious tasks like lead scoring, qualification or getting feedback from customers.

Cons:

• Mobile apps aren’t as fluid as their desktop counterparts.
• Requires a steep learning curve to fully able to exploit the potential of this powerhouse.

2. ServiceMonster

ServiceMonster is a cloud-based CRM that helps field service professionals including home improvement contractors manage their work and leads. It makes it easy for companies to find opportunities and schedule appointments, track their time and provides a variety of reports that allow them to measure their ROI.

Key features:

• ServiceMonster lets you schedule jobs, take notes, generate invoices, accept payments, and manage your technicians’ routes.
• Its automated marketing tools are designed to keep contractors at the top of their customers’ minds.
• The software offers simplicity and control over scheduling to both a single contractor and a company.
• It instructs on how to proceed before, during, and after a job.
• ServiceMonster provides detailed reporting and KPI dashboards, offering you granular control over your operations.

Pros:

• Offers excellent service history tracking
• Allows collecting payments on the field
• Automatic quote generation and estimates
• Good set of invoicing features baked into it
• Excellent work order management capabilities
• Good client management module
• Robust reporting tools
• Intuitive dashboard that is easy to understand

Cons:

• It can get glitchy at times.
• Daily reports lack estimated and actual hours for that day.

3. JobProgress

JobProgress CRM is a cloud-based software that helps field service professionals manage their projects in real time. It provides an in-depth analysis of your project progress and contractor’s performance, offers insights on how to improve productivity, reduce the time spent on administrative tasks, and create rich reports. JobProgress has a variety of features such as applicant tracking, automatic email reminders and notifications that allow managers to stay on top of current opportunities.

Key features:

• Bid Management
• Billing & Invoicing
• Activity Dashboard
• Customer Database
• Dispatch Management
• Job Scheduling and management
• Service History
• Subcontractor Management

Pros:

• Lets you track timesheets and generate reports on the number of hours worked by each contractor. It also includes a time-off tracker which lets you know when employees will be taking their next vacation.
• Has a fully functioning mobile app.
• Its excellent activity dashboard provides an overview of all the jobs on the contractor’s database and how each one is progressing.

Cons:

• Getting around the email load chain can be frustrating.
• There is no direct way to convert estimates into contracts.
• Closed or archived jobs cannot be easily accessed.
• Has some options that are irrelevant in the home improvement service sector.
• Some pretty basic information is buried deep in the UI.

4. MarketSharp

MarketSharp is created exclusively for contractors, remodelers, and home renovation specialists. It is a cutting-edge cloud-based software designed to help them sell more and grow their business. This user-friendly software helps them manage their projects, process sales, and stay organized. It offers top features such as visual project management, network visibility, integrated analysis tools and more.

Key features:

• Lead scoring
• Lead distribution
• Lead qualification
• Reporting
• Analytics

Pros:

• The tools in MarketSharp allow marketers to track the performance of their campaigns and identify trends in sales conversion rates.
• Provides a 360-degree view of the customer’s needs and wants, which helps in better marketing strategies.
• Helps make better decisions based on data and insights that come from their CRM software.
• Helps contractors improve their ROI with increased revenue generation thanks to its predictive analytics tools.

Cons:

• Pricier than other CRMs on this list
• It has a complicated interface with plenty of features that might be overwhelming for new users.
• There are some bugs in the software that need to be fixed to make it more functional and user-friendly for customers.
• The training process can be time-consuming since there is a lot of information to absorb at first glance and the software doesn’t have an intuitive interface like other CRMs.
• It’s marketing-focused, and several key project management features are lacking.

5. Jobber

Jobber CRM for field service professionals is a cloud-based solution that creates, manages and tracks campaigns from customer visits to projects. It simplifies customer interactions by integrating with other systems such as website management platforms, CRM, and email marketing. The software also provides powerful analytics for businesses to better understand their customers and the different touchpoints with them.

Key features:

• Dispatching
• GPS tracking
• Estimates
• Invoices & Quote Tracking,
• Scheduling

Pros:

• Jobber is designed to help field service professionals build relationships with customers to increase the number of referrals they receive, which leads to more business opportunities for them in the future.
• Cuts down the time taken to complete a job.
• Reduces the amount of time required for a customer to be serviced.
• Helps field service professionals improve productivity and efficiency.
• Helps home improvement contractors manage their customer relationships better and most importantly, it helps them reduce their operational costs by 20%.

Cons:

• It is difficult to manage multiple projects and clients.
• It is not easy for contractors to keep track of their projects and customers.
• There are no reports that show the performance of your business.
• Ongoing projects can’t be easily modified.
• Has a questionable pricing model. Some essential features are locked in their top-tier plan.

6. AccuLynx

AccuLynx is the first and only all-inclusive roofing company management software that enables roofing contractors to simplify their work and expand their business. It provides roofers with all the tools they need to properly manage every part of a job, resulting in increased profitability and satisfied clients.

Key features:

• Project scheduling and management
• Proposal generation
• Aerial measurement
• Billing & invoicing
• Checklists & inspections
• Dispatch Management
• Lead Management
• Photo Capture

Pros:

• AccuLynx helps in generating accurate estimates for the work that needs to be done, thus making it easier for the roofers to plan ahead.
• Helps in managing customers with ease and ensuring that they are getting the best service from their roofers by tracking what is being done and how it has been done.
• Tracks job profitability to make sure that everything being done is profitable for the company.
• Robust team collaboration tools.

Cons:

• Relatively expensive.
• Only works for roofing companies, not other types of businesses.
• Difficult to use and understand.
• Requires more than average knowledge in IT to use it efficiently.

Still not sure which CRM to go with?

We can help you select the CRM that is right for you. LL Media is one of North America’s most popular destination of roofing leads as well as home improvement leads.

You can find us here if you would want to talk to us.