Site & Stack Start a project
Start a project
All articles

Customers, quotes and follow-ups

Keep every customer, estimate and change order in one place, and stop losing work between the first call and the signed job.

  • Read this ifYou want one place for customers, quotes and jobs, and need to know what a CRM will really cost.

    How much is a CRM for a small business? The full bill

    How much is a CRM for a small business? Real plan prices, the setup, add-on and payment fees on top, how seats add up as you hire, and what custom costs.

    CRM costs · 12 min read

  • Read this ifYou run a contracting company and keep bids and customers in notebooks, texts or a spreadsheet.

    What is CRM software in construction, and do you need it?

    What CRM software in construction tracks, from leads and bids to follow-ups and repeat clients, how it differs by trade, and when a contractor needs one.

    Construction CRM · 12 min read

  • Read this ifYou keep customers in a CRM, a trade app or a spreadsheet, and wonder if a custom one would fit better.

    Custom CRM development or an off-the-shelf CRM: which fits?

    When an off-the-shelf CRM is enough, the signs you’ve outgrown it, and what custom CRM development changes for contractors, showrooms and property managers.

    CRM software · 11 min read

  • Read this ifYou keep customer details in texts, notebooks and a few apps, and every callback starts with a search.

    Customer database for small business: one record per customer

    A customer database for small business, in plain steps: where details scatter, what one record should hold, how to merge your lists and where to keep it.

    Customer records · 11 min read

  • Read this ifYou want customers to check jobs, approve quotes and pay without calling the office.

    Best client portal software: how to choose or build yours

    How to pick the best client portal software for a service business: what customers should do in it, a checklist, pricing, and when to build your own.

    Client portals · 13 min read

  • Read this ifYou run a service business and want one place for customers, quotes and callbacks.

    Best CRM software for small business: how to choose yours

    How to pick the best CRM software for small business when your work is jobs, quotes and callbacks: a plain checklist, pricing traps and a one-week test.

    Choosing a CRM · 11 min read

  • Read this ifYou want quote requests from your website that tell you enough to price the job, without three calls back.

    Request a quote form: what to ask and what to leave off

    What to put on a request a quote form: the fields that help you price the job, the ones that make people quit, and where each request goes next.

    Quote requests · 12 min read

  • Read this ifYou run a contracting or trade business, and customers ask for extra work once the job has started.

    Change order form template: what to include and when to sign

    A change order form template with a filled-in sample: what to include, getting it signed before extra work starts, and keeping it with the invoice.

    Change orders · 14 min read

  • Read this ifYou send estimates, and too many of them end in silence because nobody followed up.

    Estimate follow-up: timing, messages and tracking every quote

    Estimate follow up without guesswork: where quotes get lost, a schedule and messages that aren’t pushy, and how to track each estimate until it’s a yes or no.

    Estimate tracking · 11 min read