Answers
Answers about CRMs and business systems
The tools behind the counter: which ones a small business needs, how to pick them, who should have access and how to make them work together.
17 answers, each standing on its own. The service behind them: Business systems and integrations. Other topics are on the Answers page; the glossary defines the terms.
What is an API, and why does it matter to a business owner?
An API is a way for two programs to pass information to each other. It decides what your tools can connect to. Here is what to ask a software vendor.
How do you switch business software without losing your data?
A plain order for switching a CRM, booking or invoicing tool: export and check first, choose what moves, run both, check a sample, retire the old one last.
Which of your business tools are worth connecting, and which can stay separate?
A short test for when connecting two business tools pays off, the common pairs worth linking, and the tools that are better left separate.
How do you choose a payment processor for a small business?
How to choose a payment processor for a small business: how fees are shown, when money arrives, holds, disputes, exit terms, leases and the FTC's warning.
How can a small business send invoices and payment reminders automatically?
What a small business can safely send on its own, such as an invoice, a deposit request and reminders, what a person should check, and how to keep records.
Online booking or scheduling software: which does a service business need?
A booking page lets customers pick a time. Scheduling software assigns crews, routes and job times. See which suits your jobs and what to check.
How do you choose accounting software for a small business, and how should it fit with your invoices?
How to choose accounting software for a small business: what the IRS asks of a recordkeeping system, the questions to ask, and how it joins your invoices.
How should a small business keep track of its inventory?
What to count, a count habit that works, a reorder point in plain terms, and when a spreadsheet is enough before inventory software earns its place.
How do you follow a job from quote to invoice, and do you need job management software?
Keep one record per job with named stages from quote to paid, and use three questions to decide whether a sheet is enough or job software would help.
Are electronic signatures legally binding for a small business?
What federal and Florida law say about electronic signatures, which documents they leave out, and what an owner can do to keep signed documents sound.
Who in your business should have access to your CRM and customer records?
Who in a small business should see, edit, export or delete customer records, how to set roles in plain terms, and how to check who can see what.
How do you clean up a messy customer list or CRM?
A short routine for cleaning up a messy customer list or CRM: work on a copy, merge duplicates, fix the gaps, mark opt-outs, archive, and keep it tidy.
How do you choose a CRM for a service business?
Choose a CRM by the daily jobs it must do: write them down, shortlist two, run a real week of leads through a trial, and test the links and an export.
Can you automate review requests?
Yes, within the rules: the same request to every customer at the same point, one reminder, no reward, and no tool that sends only the happy ones.
How do you get your team to actually use the CRM?
Why a CRM often goes unused and what tends to help: few required fields, entries made by connections, a short weekly look together and a named owner.
How do you write standard operating procedures for a small business?
Write one procedure per task: trigger, steps, who does each, what done looks like, exceptions, an owner and a date. Test it before you rely on it.
How do you automate the first steps with a new customer?
The steps between a customer's yes and the first visit that can run by themselves, what a person should still do, and how to test each step.
Business systems and integrations
Many businesses already pay for the right tools. They just do not talk to each other, so details get typed twice and things fall through. We set them up properly and connect them.