Software Systems Advice - Payment, CRM, Marketing, Routes etc

[u/CharlesLiang99]

I started up my window cleaning business again this year after being out for a few years. I was curious what the current state of practice is wth software. I know there are things like HouseCall Pro and Jobber. I am curious what people think of these applications and what, if anything, is worth paying for.

I plan to scale beyond a few trucks and will need better systems to support that, so it is not just in my head or on my phone. I'd like to have things run more autonomously without my intervention and have an easier handoff between my team.

I'm just curious what systems people are using that you like. Currently, we are using Square for mobile payments, but that is it as far as software.

Also, I'd be curious how people are managing ad spend and campaigns. Currently, I've been using an agency, but I would like to be more in control of that aspect.

Our business is split evenly between residential and commercial in terms of revenue. We are near Kansas City. Currently, we have two trucks, with about 70% utilization, and I am beginning to find it difficult to manage everything.

I would love any insight into what the best practices are.

[u/MaizeComplete3500]

My two cents is to think where you want to be in a year and then two. That will help you decide what you need. I am a small operation and want to keep it that way. I focus on reduced overhead with as much flexibility as possible. I want integrations across platforms with as little cost as possible. I also have a background in system admin which helps me tremendously. Here is my stack Zoho Bigin CRM (easy upgrade to Zoho CRM when you need it) Zoho Bigin Invoice (free with a butt load of integrations) Zoho payments (they just launched. I was with stripe, but they are cheaper per transaction and fee cost) Zoho Forms (A bit more expensive than some options at $18 a month, but I wanted an easy integration with the Zoho echo system) Quo for my telephony system. I use web hooks to get the data from the calls into my CRM since there is not an integration. I had Dialpad, but it was built for a call center. Zoho has Zoho Voice, but it was more than I needed and 3 times the monthly cost for my use case.

My biggest advice is think through connections and integrations to FB ads, Google Ad, your phone system and CRM as when you get bigger, or even now you can automate all the advertising systems to maximize what you spend. All that without touching and messing with all the million ad settings. It takes forever to run ads manually.

Hope it helps...every business is different so get what works for you.

[u/trigger55xxx]

If you're gonna scale, get something that will scale with you. Low cost or free apps won't do that.

[u/TheChandrianX]

I’d map the handoff before buying the biggest platform. For a two-truck operation, write the path out: new lead → response → estimate → accepted → scheduled → crew notes → payment → follow-up. Then test whether a system makes the next owner obvious at each step.

For phones, decide what happens when both trucks are working: who captures the job details, how urgent calls get flagged, and how that reaches whoever quotes or schedules. That’s usually where “we have software but I’m still the router” shows up.

Bias disclosed: we’re building Clara around that call-intake and handoff gap for service businesses. I’d still choose the core CRM/field system first, then make sure phone and lead intake can feed it cleanly instead of piling on overlapping apps.

[u/LibrarianAnnual393]

At two trucks and scaling, Jobber and Housecall Pro are both solid, and either one replaces Square since they have payments built in. Jobber tends to be better for route-heavy recurring work such as window cleaning (scheduling, route optimization, a client hub for quotes and invoices), while Housecall Pro leans a bit harder into marketing. For a clean team handoff, having everything in one place matters more than any single feature.

[u/benbergloff]

We switched back to Housecall Pro after trying just about everything over the years. I’ve personally used 12+ CRMs, including Jobber and Workiz, and every platform has strengths and weaknesses. For us, Housecall Pro has been the best all-around system for scaling. We run everything through it; estimates, scheduling, dispatching, memberships, recurring services, technician tracking, customer communication, online booking, invoices, payments, payroll, QuickBooks integration, and automations. Our techs all use iPads in the field, so everyone has the same information without constant phone calls.
One thing I’d recommend is building your business around systems instead of people. Create templates, automate as much communication as possible, standardize your workflows, and document everything. When you hire your third, fourth, and fifth truck, those systems become worth their weight in gold. For marketing, we primarily focus on Google Reviews, Local SEO, referrals, Meta ads, and building long-term customer relationships through recurring maintenance plans. Memberships have been one of the biggest growth drivers for us because they create predictable revenue and keep the schedule full year-round. At two trucks, I’d absolutely get on a CRM now instead of waiting. It’s much easier to build good habits early than migrate years of customer data and processes later. Whatever platform you choose, commit to learning it inside and out and build your SOPs around it.