Customer relationship management (CRM) software is essential for all service companies, but it is especially vital for cleaning businesses. In this niche, each client has unique requirements, and a business’s success often hinges on getting the details of every job right. The best tools for project management and CRM for cleaning businesses help record and organize these details so that all staff members have the data and insights they need to deliver the best possible service.
With more than 1.2 million janitorial services in the U.S., client satisfaction is necessary to stand out and keep customers coming back. Mastering CRM for a cleaning business can help you stay competitive in the marketplace. If you own or manage a cleaning company, choosing the right CRM tools requires researching platforms and software and locating the products that offer the functions and features that are most useful in your industry.
The CRM Features Cleaning Businesses Need
With complex schedules, multiple crews, and clients with diverse needs, you may not get the features you need from your CRM software. If you are like most cleaning pros, you will find the following traits indispensable:
- Centralized customer information: You and your crew members need to have every customer’s job details, requests, preferences, and service history at your fingertips.
- Scheduling tools: Your scheduling system should be automated and show available times, update in real-time, allow for recurring appointments, and account for crew availability.
- Mobile access: Your crews should be able to access the CRM system from the job site so that they can get the most up-to-date information about each customer’s specifications.
- Integrated bidding, pricing, and invoicing: If they are combined, these tools streamline proposals, bookkeeping, and payments. You will only have to enter the information once, and it will automatically fill out other forms, lowering the risk of human error from manual data entry.
- Automated customer communications and appointment reminders: These features can save you hours by lowering the amount of time spent writing tedious text and emails. The automation also ensures customers are always informed and won’t forget their appointment times.
- A customer-facing portal: Customers appreciate being able to communicate quickly, see their appointment details, and make requests without having to call or send an email. A customer portal gives them a convenient, user-friendly way to do this.
- Data collection and analytics tools: CRM and job management platforms produce a lot of data. With analytics tools, you can automatically turn this information into insights that help improve operations and performance.
The best CRM tools for small businesses should also be flexible, allowing you to adjust settings as you grow, change strategies, or improve your operations.
The Best CRM Tool for Cleaning Businesses: HoneyBook
HoneyBook is the most effective tool for supporting CRM for cleaning businesses. It stands out from the pack by using its proprietary HoneyBook AI tools to aid scheduling, extract and organize important client info, and enable personalization. It has other features that support CRM for cleaning businesses, including tools for bidding, invoicing, lead generation, and proposals.
Here’s a closer look at the characteristics that earned HoneyBook its top ranking.
New Client Acquisition
HoneyBook lets you create lead form links to collect leads from a website, social media account, emails, and any other digital content or communications. The platform’s AI can help qualify these leads so that your sales team can focus on those most interested in cleaning services.
Meanwhile, the business proposal template creates bids with personalized project details. HoneyBook tracks when customers open and interact with these proposals. There are also analytics tools to show you which proposals and strategies generate the most interest.
Client Communications
Manual emails and appointment reminders can eat up a lot of time. HoneyBook automates these communications based on predefined settings so that customers get necessary reminders.
One of the most unique features on HoneyBook is its client portal. This customer-facing platform lets clients see the project details, notes, schedule, and other information in one place. This access creates trust and transparency and ensures the project details are clear so that you avoid scope creep (additional requests that are outside of the contract).
Scheduling
HoneyBook makes it easy for clients to schedule online. You can set availability and even give customers different appointment types and timeframes to choose from.
You can integrate and sync other calendars to ensure clients aren’t double-booked. This can be especially useful when switching to HoneyBook from another scheduling tool.
Invoicing
HoneyBook offers invoice templates. You can easily add your company’s logo and business details and create customized fields and payment terms.
Integration with QuickBooks makes it easy to track invoices and payments without having to deal with spreadsheets or manual data entry.
HoneyBook also provides payment processing services. Clients pay your business directly rather than getting sent to a third-party payment processor. The payment system handles everything from Apple Pay to ACH transfers and debit cards.
Centralized Data
The best CRM tools don’t just automate processes; they simplify client relations by putting all of each customer’s data in one place. With work history, payment details, notes, and preferences organized on a dashboard, you and your crews can get a snapshot of each customer. In an industry that thrives on getting the little details right, these profiles are indispensable.
Other Top Tools for CRM for Cleaning Businesses
HoneyBook has a range of robust tools that can help you deliver superior service, communicate effectively, and stay organized. However, it’s good to have multiple choices. The following five tools also provide some features cleaning companies need.
Jobber
Jobber is a CRM, scheduling, and field crew management software. It is designed for construction and home services businesses. It combines many of the tools that these companies need, including GPS tracking for crews, mobile access, and invoicing.
Jobber has a tiered pricing plan that can make it cost-effective for some small and mid-sized companies.
Pros
- Includes field services management tools like GPS tracking and route optimization.
- Has a system to take notes on each client and access their service history.
Cons
- Expensive for very small or very large companies because of tiered pricing.
- Lacks customization features and scalability that companies need as they grow.
Service M8
Service M8 is one of the best CRM tools for small businesses because it is a budget-friendly platform that works on mobile devices and offers basic functions like scheduling, job notes, and invoicing. This option is built for smaller companies that don’t need a lot of customization and want a straightforward CRM experience.
Service M8 has tiered pricing. Although all paid versions allow unlimited users, lower levels limit the number of jobs you can add per month.
Pros
- Offers straightforward functions that have a low learning curve.
- Works on a web browser and mobile devices.
Cons
- Lacks some AI-powered functions, like automated scheduling.
- Doesn’t work as well on Android phones as it does on iOS devices.
Swept
Swept is a CRM and job management platform specifically for janitorial businesses. In addition to customer communication, it allows job checklists and real-time chats between managers and staff in the field. Swept also includes automated scheduling, time tracking, and payroll functions.
The higher pricing tiers include extra features like inventory management.
Pros
- Has robust time and task tracking tools.
- Offers in-app messaging and a portal for clients (in more expensive tiers).
Cons
- Only provides the most useful features in the most expensive plans.
- Complaints from users about the app crashing and having unreliable mobile connections.
ZenMaid
ZenMaid is a cleaning-specific software that excels at scheduling. It has features that help managers organize schedules and find times within existing schedules for recurring appointments. The software also has a CRM tool that puts clients’ information in one place so that staff have access to all job details.
ZenMaid provides a free demo for new customers, but its lower tiers lack many important features.
Pros
- Designed specifically for cleaning companies.
- Customizable scheduling forms and customer information fields.
Cons
- Low-tier plans lack important tools like automated employee scheduling and GPS tracking.
- 3rd-party integrations are limited for all but the most expensive plans.
Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro offers a drag-and-drop scheduling feature and an online booking engine that customers can use to find available time slots and make appointments. The system also has job templates that simplify planning and highlight specific details for each job.
Housecall Pro has subscription tiers and customizable add-ons like recurring billing and fleet tracking.
Pros
- Offers a customer-friendly, intuitive online scheduling engine.
- Provides similar features on both the web and mobile app.
Cons
- Using add-ons like business proposal templates, which some providers include with their basic plans, increases the monthly cost.
- Adding third-party integrations and important customer service features like live website chat is only possible on the highest-priced plans.
Choosing the Best CRM Tools for a Cleaning Business
The best CRM for cleaning businesses provides all the features you need without overcharging you, slowing down the software’s performance, or requiring you to change tools as you grow.
In our opinion, HoneyBook has the specific CRM tool that offers the best value for cleaning businesses. However, personal preferences and the unique details ofyour cleaning business play a role in your CRM tool decision. You can take a seven-day test drive to see if HoneyBook delivers what you need.
