Whether you’re managing a 200-strong construction company or you’re a one-person design studio, having efficient digital software in place to help manage the day-to-day tasks will ultimately set you on the right path to success. What’s more, when your business is running smoothly, you can be fully focused on developing client relationships, growing strong collaborations and scaling your business to new heights. That being said, we know adopting new software can be unappealing – lots of people resist change due to the learning curve, the financial investment or any other reason. We get it. That’s why we at Houzz have spent years developing our all-in-one software with input from professionals like you, and are always refining it. With many intuitive features and a free trial, it can help your business from day one.
But don’t take our word from it. Here’s what six professionals who use Houzz Pro have to say.
Who: Amit Malhotra
Company: Aflux Designs in London
Overall Take: “A big part of our success is down to setting up our Houzz profile at an early stage to target the right type of client, and teaming this with Houzz Pro to maintain an effective workflow.”
What He Loves:
- Lead Generation. “100% we wouldn’t have grown as much as we have without the productive partnership between our Houzz profile and Houzz Pro software to streamline our business processes,” says Malhorta. “It’s allowed us to improve how we communicate with potential clients, keeping a database and a record of who we’ve contacted and what stage the lead it’s at.”
- Estimate Builder. “As my role involves pitching to clients, I use Houzz Pro estimation tools to create accurate estimates and track approvals, which has saved me a good couple hours a week.”
- Marketing tools. “We see our Houzz Profile as our shop window, and if it doesn’t look sleek or structured, it’s going to give a bad impression from the beginning. That’s why we work with a professional photographer to capture every project as soon as it’s complete, so we can showcase it on our profile and through email marketing straight away to maintain the buzz.”
Words to the Wise: “A Houzz profile with a solid number of outstanding photographs and five-star reviews will attract the high-standard of clients you are looking for.”
Who: Beth Grace
Company: Start With Art Interiors in Kent
Overall Take: “Houzz Pro allows me to keep track of all my clients documents and correspondence,” says Grace. “If that was all on different platforms, that would take hours to keep track of, whereas I have it all there in one or two clicks. It’s quite hard to quantify how long this has saved me, but to put it into context, I went for a two-hour bike ride because I’m on top of all my admin.”
What She Loves:
- Invoicing. “Sending a smart, branded invoice through Houzz Pro, instead of perhaps an email that simply says transfer the money, feels more professional,” says Grace. “ I feel clients are more likely to pay quickly if it comes through official channels.
- Payment schedule. “To ensure my clients are kept on track with the payment schedule in a friendly and polite manner, I like to make use of the breakdowns you can do with Houzz Pro invoices. I also like that I can attach other documents to an invoice, allowing me to write a few more terms and conditions,” says Grace. “Being as thorough as possible when it comes to the financial side of things ensures both you and the client feel comfortable.”
- Reviews. “I ask every client to write a review on Houzz, particularly as the platform makes it incredibly easy for them to leave one. I simply send the invitation to review, and with one nice and easy click, they can leave their comments.”
Words to the Wise: “Speaking as someone who didn't join Houzz Pro immediately, the amount of Google documents I had saved in so many different locations was mad,” says Grace. “Now, thanks to Houzz Pro, I have all my documents in one really useful place linked to that exact lead, with the entire history of that client easily obtainable.”
Who: Sam Holman
Company: Project Nine Property Group in Essex & Suffolk.
Overall Take: “Houzz Pro digital software helps us deliver accurate quotes without spending hours on them, which is crucial as you don’t always win the job.”
What He Loves:
- Estimate Builder. “Before we used to print out a drawing and then use a scale rule to actually mark-up the plan. With the estimate builder we now put the scaled drawing on screen in minutes, work out the materials quickly and turn it into an estimate.”
- Takeoffs. “We pride ourselves on a clear and transparent specification of a job,” says Holman. “It’s important our clients understand the final budget and what it entails, so we break it down with detailed costs for each aspect of the build, such as electrics.”
- Time and Expense Tracking. “We use the app as a site management tool to log what is happening on a daily basis, and this information gets fed back to the office. We then have an accurate record of who was on the job and what they were doing.” says Holman. “It’s easy to lose important time chasing contractors to see what has been implemented, or tracking down materials that don’t appear to be on site. With the daily log app, every trade and every product is logged and accounted for, saving us precious time and money.”
Words to the Wise: “For any builders who want to save time and improve the productivity of their business, Houzz Pro is the way forward if you want to do things professionally. Admittedly, it took us a while to get the hang of it all, but once we had, we realised how much more work we could squeeze into a day."
Who: Alicja Wawrzyniak
Company: Alwa Interior Design Studio in the South East.
Overall Take: “Effective communication and transparency is one of the most crucial paths to success.”
What She Loves:
- Mood Boards. “My clients absolutely love it when I give them access to their room design,” Wawrzyniak says. “They can go through the products, accepting them or rejecting them, and leaving notes. This is a very efficient tool in terms of communication with clients. There are no misunderstandings because once they accept the product, that's accepted.”
- Product Clipper. “I adore the shopping list because it's such a time-efficient tool,” she says. “When I used to do it manually in the past, it'd take hours and hours.”
- CRM Dashboard. “The communication is great because when I get leads [through Houzz], I have it on my phone. I'm going to set up templates with messages because I just don't have time to answer all the messages.”
Words to the Wise: “I’m very logical, so I need to have steps and I have to finish one, two, three, four, five, six. When a client wants to jump ahead, I remind them in an assertive, but kind way, that we cannot move further if I do not finish, I need time to finish this. Houzz Pro has helped me manage client expectations.”
Who: Michael Parinchy
Company: ProBuild360 in the Midlands
Overall Take: “We get 36% of our qualified leads from Houzz Pro. We are able to respond to people quicker, and we get great feedback. It's been fantastic.”
What He Loves:
- Customisation. “All our digital proposals, quotes, and mood boards are branded with ProBuild360 logo, letterhead, and signatures. It makes the right impression and keeps the communication professional.”
- Estimate Builder. “We found that it takes out human error. Everything is really transparent and clear, and the clients love it.”
- 3D Floor Plans. “Beyond finalising the logistics of where exactly things should be, the floor planner gives everyone a sense of what that space will look and feel like which builds confidence in the project, speeds up quote approval, and helps close jobs faster.”
Words to the Wise: “For anyone considering Houzz Pro, I would say take the leap of faith. There is absolutely no downside to it. It’s only going to get better and better.”
Who: Josh Fortnum
Company: Ressi in London
Overall Take: “My investment in Houzz Pro has saved two days of my time each week, which is around £500 a day. That’s £1,000 a week – a significant time and money saver for me.”
What He Loves:
- Takeoffs Tool. “That process that used to take me two or three days, is now taking me less than half a day,” says Fortnum. “The reason I chose this software is because it was kind of basic in nature. I liken it to SketchUp when that came out, which was super usable. I’m not exceptionally technical, however, Houzz Pro Takeoffs are very clear and I immediately knew my way around.”
- Accurate Estimates.“Clients want a builder that breaks their price down fully, so they understand which element of work the builder is talking about. They should be able to follow that process and understand how they’ve arrived at the bottom line.”
- Time-saving. “Streamlining my processes with Houzz Pro has made me time-rich, and I’ve used this benefit to propel my business and improve communication with clients and architects. I can also use the time better for other things. As a dad, I do want to be at home with my family, I do want the option of picking the kids up from school, and I think that should be an equal responsibility for a parent. I’ll do anything to save time during my working day to spend more time with my family.”
Words to the Wise: “You don’t have to be an ardent technophile to pick up Houzz Pro. Our non-tech-savvy project manager proved it took 40 minutes to an hour to learn the ropes. He now takes his computer onsite and works out quickly how much skirting, cornicing and wall coving he needs. Then he sends it off to the procurement department to be purchased. It’s very simple for him.
We’re spending time seeing what other Houzz Pro tools will benefit our company and how they can be integrated into our business. The next service I’d like to look into is being able to store consistent labour rates and also certain material prices, along with descriptions of our activities. This will offer clearer transparency for our clients.”
Ready to streamline your business and take back your time? Try Houzz Pro free today!
