7 Reasons You Should Be Using Dubsado
What is a CRM?
CRM stands for “Customer Relationship Management” but sometimes I also think of it as a “manager”—this is because Dubsado can be customized to automate my most mundane tasks and turn my everyday business practices into efficient workflows. I no longer have to write the same email over & over, customize my contract for each couple, or manually input all the information my clients put in the contact form—Dubsado does it for me!
How does Dubsado compare to other popular CRMs?
Dubsado is incredibly customizable—think of it as the PC in the “PC v Mac” debate. Yes, there are other systems that plug&play with a pretty design, but with a little extra work at the outset you have the capacity to turn Dubsado in a fully-customized, efficiently optimized system that outperforms the competitors.
Of the business stuff that I do as a photographer, Dubsado does it ALL. I no longer have a dozen subscriptions to programs that only do one of the things I need—I have a single subscription and everything is kept in one place.
Send contracts & get signatures ✓
Send invoices & get paid ✓
Send questionnaires & resources to couples ✓
Keep all my client communication in one place ✓
Automate workflows ✓
Send links to embedded resources (rather than rely on email attachments) ✓
Allow brand personalization ✓
The other top CRM options out there might technically do everything I listed above, but none of them do each of these things as well. For instance, Honeybook is probably Dubsado’s biggest competitor in the photography world, but everything sent to clients includes Honeybook’s branding—Dubsado’s emails to clients come across just like normal old emails (which is the way I like it!)
Dubsado’s features
Contracts & Forms
Develop your own contract & form templates to use across multiple projects
Automation
Send emails, contract, invoices, payment reminders & more automatically—or, require approval
Client Management
Keep all your client communication in one place & maintain a portal for clients to access everything
Accounting & Reporting
Keep easy track of your finances & expenses. Plus, set financial goals and watch your profit grow
Scheduling
The built-in scheduler makes it easy to schedule consult calls with clients & get them booked
Get Paid
Incorporate whatever payment processor you’re already using into Dubsado—Stripe, Square, etc.
Why I switched to Dubsado
I was spending too much time “running the business”
Plain and simple, there weren’t enough hours in the day for me to get done what needed to happen, let alone get around to the projects I wanted to do. I was stalling out, and my creativity was suffering as a result.
I wanted everything to exist in one place
If you’ve frankensteined a system together anything like what I was once using—let me guess, you’ve got about a dozen subscriptions to programs that each only do one thing? You’ve got your email (which is cluttered AF, don’t lie!), you’ve got something for sending contracts (is it Docusign, or HelloSign?), a separate program for sending invoices (I hope you send them directly through Stripe because ouch processing fees elsewhere). Then, there’s GoogleForms for your lackluster client questionnaires, emails sent directly from your gallery delivery system, and about 5 other programs you’ve already abandoned.
I never wanted to miss another email
I’ll admit, I don’t think I’ve ever actually missed an email. But I spent too much time each week scrolling through to double check when was the last time I sent an email to someone, and sending follow-ups when it was convenient rather than at consistent intervals.
I want clients to access their contract & payment plan from the same link
It’s not fun to send or receive multiple links when it’s possible to get everything in one place. How many times did you get a retainer payment, but only one client of your couple signed the contract? The follow-up reminder emails to finalize everything are confusing for clients when there are multiple links they could mix up.
The customer service is top notch!
Admittedly, I haven’t really had to use it—everything has worked so well, I haven’t had questions or concerns. But, the services Dubsado offers to help you set everything up are efficient and really helpful!
I wanted more space to grow my business
Going back to there not being enough hours in the day—I had tapped out on the time I had to offer my clients and my business, without reducing the quality of each customer’s experience. I had to either outsource, or change something. And I didn’t have the money to outsource yet because I hadn’t grown the business to reach certain profit goals. It was a downward cycle until I invested in a CRM.
It was time I created a healthier work/life balance
Still working on this one. Any other workaholics out there need a support system? My husband knows I’m prone to roll out of bed and start sending emails, and not stop until long after the sun has gone down. Hey Jenn, remember when you used to hike for fun? Yeah, I needed to find a way to reduce screen time and increase time for healthy lifestyle choices.
How much does Dubsado cost?
$35 per month // $350 for the year
-or-
Save 20% by using code “wildcoast” when you sign up for an annual subscription!
How I use Dubsado
I use Dubsado for everything client-related except gallery-delivery.
I use Pic-Time as my gallery delivery system, but I input the links to these Pic-Time galleries within my client portals in Dubsado. So, in the closest way possible using the features they offer—Dubsado is where I 100% run my business.
I’ve integrated my work email into my client portals in Dubsado. This means, if I send an email from the Gmail app on my phone because I’m out, that email enters the list of client communication within Dubsado as well. And vice versa if I email a client from my CRM.
I send combined contracts & invoices as “proposals” in Dubsado. Now, clients can return to the same link to see their remaining balance, review the contract, or make a payment.
My favorite Dubsado feature
Workflows—The solution to too few hours in the day.
I LOVE Dubsado’s workflows! I used to use a competitor CRM & simply never found the workflows to be customizable to the extent that I really felt capable of automating things. Now, I do have a lot of hands-on client-specific edits built into my workflow style, but probably 60% of my client communication is laid out in templates or fully automated.
What are you waiting for?!
Use coupon code “wildcoast” to save on your monthly or yearly plan when you sign up!
