Home Business tips Best Florist Software Systems; Comparing Affordable CRMs

Best Florist Software Systems; Comparing Affordable CRMs

by Chelsea Smith

As a florist, you have dozens of responsibilities.

You take in inquiries, give estimates, order flowers, and arrange & deliver the masterpiece.  With one or two clients, you may have it down pat– but the more your business grows, the more those nitty gritty details get messy, monotonous, and tiresome.  You are the true artíst! Being an administrative assistant is not why you became a florist.  If you can relate to this, it’s probably time to consider a proper CRM for your business, so you can get back to doing what you love to do; flowers.

You may have one program for invoicing, one for managing a calendar, another for email communications, and maybe even an online software just for storing your contacts.  Managing dozens of these one-feature apps can be incredibly taxing both on you and on your bank account.

A comprehensive CRM can help you ditch the old POS, save money, and simplify your life as a florist.  You became a florist to create beautiful arrangements, not bore yourself with daily admin tasks, so let’s dive in and show you how a great online management system can help you simplify, organize, and elevate the way you make money.

In this article, we will compare the top 3 CRMs best for florists and explore their must-have features.

 

Freelancer Tips from Bloom.ioLet’s start with reviewing some online business management essentials:

Client Relationship Management

The success of your business often relies on generating and capturing meaningful leads.  You’ll need a CRM that has the ability to collect new leads, store contacts, interact with customers, and track all client communications.  A full service CRM is a great tool to help you stay connected with your customers, streamline your business process, and improve your overall profitability. 
Lead Generation for Florists from Bloom.ioProject Workflow Management
A project workflow manager is an easy-to-use platform that can provide structure, organization, and repeatability to a business cycle and help you make sure nothing slips through cracks.  You can make a list and check it twice.  Managing your pipeline is essential to streamlining your business and making more money.  You should be able to inquire, estimate, order, arrange, and deliver your flowers with ease.
Florist Workflow from Bloom.ioAutomation
The ability to automate essential emails and tasks based on pre-set conditions.  Having beautiful forms and questionnaires can help you get to know the needs of your clients and bring excellent customer service to the table.  Having an automated workflow can help you speed up your sales process, allowing you to generate more work and accelerate the growth of your business.
Automation gives you the ability to:
– Relieve yourself of admin responsibilities
– Remember trivial things (like birthday emails)
– Streamline your essential business practices

Florist Workflow from Bloom.io

Invoicing & Business Financial Management

An easy and effective system for the exchange of contracts and invoices.  An integration with your current systems, such as Zapier, Square, or Stripe.  You also need to be able to add e-signatures to your forms to create legally binding contacts. Whether you start from scratch and import your own contracts or use a pre-made template, it’s an essential step in maintaining a successful business.

“Studies show that using a comprehensive CRM can boost your overall production rate.”

Florist Workflow from Bloom.io

Now that you know what you are looking for, let’s explore some competitors in the space. 

You may have heard of Bloom, Monday and Tave, which are all affordable CRMs for small businesses.  Let’s take a better look at each platform, so you have the tools to make the best choice for your floral business.

Florist Workflow from Bloom.io

After reading this blog you should be able to:

– Learn about what makes each business management platform different
– Identify the best CRM for your business

Based on our reviews, hopefully you’ll have a better understanding of what is right for you.

Florist Workflow from Bloom.io

Bloom.io

Bloom is an excellent client relationship manager for the busy florist.  Bloom’s CRM
can help freelancers get organized by removing monotonous admin jobs and automating essential workflow tasks.  Bloom is a great choice for the solo-business.
PROS
  • Lead capture
  • Client communication tracking
  • Project pipeline management
  • Automated tasks and emails
  • Invoicing and integration with Zapier, Stripe, and Square
CONS
  • No multi-user accounts
  • No current Android App

Florist Workflow from Bloom.io

Monday.com

Monday.com is a useful resource management system that helps teams plan and deliver projects in an efficient & collaborative way.  If you work on a team of 3-5 florists, this may be the ticket.
PROS
  • Updated and modern user experience
  • Time tracking
  • Automations
  • Customizable workflows
CONS
  • Complex pricing and plans
  • Difficult to track time and expenses
  • Limited mobile app
Monday.com is a powerful communication tool.  If you are planning on operating within a larger team, there are several features that can help manage timelines, view boards, and projects in a central place.  The platform is equipped for multiple users and is useful for internal company communications.
Florist Workflow from Bloom.io

Tave

Tave is an online business management software that helps small businesses store client information, keep track of leads and bookings, and help with task management.  This cloud-based solution enables florists to automate essential functions of their workflow like invoicing, tracking expenses, and monitoring activity.
PROS
  1. Organization & tracking
  2. Easy quotes and contracts
  3. Personalization options are endless
CONS
  1. No app for on-the-go. 
  2. Basic Forms with poor Squarespace integration 
  3. No image delivery
  4. Intimidating/ overwhelming interface
Your current POS system may only deliver invoices and takes payments, but there is a solution that will not only take the place of your current, outdated software– it will also help you manage your workflow, automated emails, client communications, and scheduling as well. 
As a solo-florist, having a great CRM will alleviate your admin pain-points and lead you to a more efficient (and frankly more fun) way of growing your small floral business. Want to elevate the way you make money? Here are some Freelancing tips for beginners.

Featured Bloom User: Florist, Kati Howard with @KissMeKateCustomFloral
Florist CRM Bloom.ioFlorist CRM Bloom.ioFlorist CRM Bloom.ioFlorist CRM Bloom.io Kiss Me Kate Custom Floral

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