Why I Left Honeybook for 17hats
Update 2023: I now use Dubsado. It is more affordable for my needs and the workflow options make it easy to stay organized!
If you’re trying to figure out which system to use to organize your business, this post is for you. Read through to the end for a special offer, just for my readers!
This post contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
In 2019, I decided to take a leap and make a business with my web design skills. I knew that in order to present a professional face, I needed to have a reliable client managing system.
Enter -> Honeybook.
Honeybook allowed me to put my best foot forward from day one. I set up templates for contracts, invoicing, proposals, and brochures. My clients could easily make payments. I was able to automate many of the emails and payment reminders. It took a lot of stress out of my early days of business. Honeybook even has an app for on-the-go use. One of my favorite sounds is the cash register (cha-ching) notification from the app when a client makes a payment.
If everything is so great, why did I leave?
There is one thing that hasn’t been so great— the client experience. The goal was for clients to use Honeybook’s client portal, but many of my customers only use it for payments. The Honeybook inbox, known as the Activity Feed, is threaded. Even if you change the subject line on the email, you see all of the emails in one place. This was confusing for some clients. They had difficulty combing through countless messages to find what they need.
These same emails are duplicated in the Gmail account. As a result, the clients tend to start and end their correspondence in Gmail. They missed the benefits of using the client portal.
So, I set out to find a different system.
My needs were as follows:
The same invoicing, contract, and proposal capabilities as Honeybook.
A system to keep my clients on track such as a to-do list.
A clear format for information- documents, files, to-dos, contracts.
Straightforward payment portals.
I considered combining Honeybook with Asana (as a project management system), but knowing the habits of some of my clients, I felt that the introduction of another platform would be too much. (I really liked the look of Asana!)
So, after researching other client management systems, I decided to try 17hats. Though Honeybook is easy for me, it is really important to do what is best for your clients!
17hats Client Portal Preview
What do I have with 17hats?
Individual client portals
A system for creating quotes, contracts, and invoices.
An activity feed for emails per client.
Lots of email automation and templates
A purposeful dashboard
What has changed?
Each client has a portal, which I’ve customized with my branding and links. They can log into their portals and easily see any document that I’ve uploaded for them including invoices and contracts. For those who are on the Web Care Plan for maintenance, they can easily submit requests. While the new area for submissions took so getting used to, I have no had complaints.
What do I miss?
Honeybook is visually attractive. But at the end of the day, layout, function, ease of use for clients, and so-many-features wins!
Final thoughts
17hats helps me organize and automate my small business. Their feature-packed platform saves me time and money, and lets me focus on what I do best.
And only because you’ve been referred by me, a 17hats member, can you get this special pricing. But be sure to use my referral code dxtghgdxwz to get this invitation-only pricing. Just click on the link below.
