Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for Interior Designers

Among the hundreds of questions you’re asking and answers you’re seeking as you set up your interior design business is “How do I optimize the client experience for my business?” Luckily, I have some answers and resources to help you harness customer relationship management to make your client experience unforgettable!

What is Customer Relationship Management?

Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is the strategy, policy, processes, and technology you use to interact with your clients. Not only that, but it’s what will give you valuable insights into client needs, help you monitor the customer lifecycle, and aid in managing every aspect of the customer experience from lead to install day. CRM, essentially, is the back end of the client experience. More importantly, properly established CRM is what will keep you sane as you juggle multiple clients.

Here’s a few things CRM can help with:

• Email marketing

• Website forms

• Automations

• Integrations

• Lead generation

• Task management

• Team management

• Process tracking

• Scheduling

• Document and project management

Why Does CRM Matter?

Short answer: because your clients care. Your clients care about their experience with you. If you have all the right things in place, your client experience will be amazing, word will spread, clients will return, and your business will grow. Clients will view your firm as process-driven, and know that when they work with you, there will be clear communication channels. Various CRM software and processes also help organize you and your business. Projects are more easily kept on task, and you can sit back and let some of these systems do the work for you.

Imagine a lead coming into your website for the first time. They poke around and decide to reach out to you on your contact page. Does that page encourages them to fill out a form that helps narrow down their wants and needs? When they submit the form, are they automatically receiving an email back from you with details on next steps and what to expect? Is your onboarding process templated so that you can nurture this lead into becoming a paid client almost seamlessly? If not… it’s time to look into some helpful software.

So, what exactly does CRM involve and require? Let’s dive in. 

Customer Relationship Management Software

Customer Relationship Management often manifests in software like Bonsai, Dubsado, Honeybook, or Active Campaign. I’ll talk about these fab four in a bit, but keep in mind that you might need more than just software to maintain amazing CRM. For example, before you purchase a CRM software plan, make sure your general processes are established, create a lead magnet, solidify what services you’re offering, know who your ideal client is, and understand your team’s needs. All of these things will not only make sure it’s easier to integrate a CRM software into your business operations, but it will ensure you pick the one that best serves you, your team, and your business.

These are just some of the CRM software options that I recommend for interior designers:

Bonsai

Time tracking, task management, and contractor collaboration are all integrated into Bonsai. This platform also offers templates for taxes, client intake, portfolios, event planning, client feedback, and more. You can also manage scheduling, contracts, and payments through Bonsai, and it has a client portal so everyone can stay up-to-date with the project’s progress. 

Dubsado

Like other similar softwares, Dubsado is an all-in-one space to manage invoices, schedules, payments, forms, and email funnels. Dubsado also offers a client portal, so clients can easily log in and pay invoices, view progress, and fill out any necessary forms. I like Dubsado for their scheduler and the workflow they have in their forms. Being able to send a proposal, attach a premade package to it easily, and have it flow directly into a contract and invoice all on the same link is super efficient for a service-based business.

Honeybook

Honeybook is very similar to Dubsado, boasting the ability to track and manage contracts, reports, email automation, schedules, expenses, and more. It also has a great project flow process that lays out your design, billing, or lead generation process so it’s easy to see. Honeybook tends to be more user friendly than Dubsado for setup and customization of graphics, so keep that in mind as you shop around. Visuals are so important in our industry, and this is where I feel Honeybook is unmatched.

Active Campaign

Active Campaign is primarily an email management platform, but it also offers landing pages, forms, and workflows. You can also integrate other platforms like Wordpress, Shopify, and Google Analytics, into Active Campaign to keep everything in one spot. They also offer a “Sales” option you can add to your subscription which allows for deal tracking and other CRM features.

All of these platforms have subscription levels, so it might ultimately come down to your budget, and it’s important to keep your work style in mind. So poke around each platform, maybe sign up for their free trials and give them a spin before committing. 

Need help organizing your business and day-to-day operations? Sign up for a discovery call to see how an OBM can set you up for success!