Episode 34
Episode 34: When QuickBooks Invoicing Is Not Enough for Your Service Business
Episode 34: When QuickBooks Invoicing Is Not Enough for Your Service Business
QuickBooks is an essential accounting system, but it may not be the best place to manage every part of a busy service business.
For contractors, trade businesses, and field-service professionals, the work is often happening away from a desk. Employees are completing jobs, recording labour, using materials, taking photographs, communicating with customers, and moving on to the next service call.
When that information is captured through handwritten notes, text messages, loose paperwork, or memory, invoices can be delayed and billable work can easily be missed.
In this episode of QuickBooks Mastery for Small Business Success, father-daughter team Erica Northrup and Lee Davis explain why QuickBooks invoicing may feel frustrating for a service business—and why that does not necessarily mean QuickBooks is the wrong accounting system.
They explore how a field-service app such as ServiceM8 can help connect job scheduling, field notes, quotes, customer communication, on-site invoicing, payments, and QuickBooks Online.
The goal is not to replace QuickBooks. The goal is to create a better workflow between the field, the customer, and the accounting system.
Key Takeaways
- QuickBooks is an accounting system, but it may not be designed to manage every part of a field-service workflow.
- Delayed paperwork can lead to missed labour, unbilled materials, forgotten service calls, and slower cash flow.
- Capturing job information while employees are still in the field can improve accuracy and reduce administrative work.
- ServiceM8 can help service businesses manage job cards, scheduling, field notes, customer communication, quotes, invoices, and payments.
- Any app connected to QuickBooks must be mapped, tested, and introduced carefully to avoid duplicate invoices, incorrect income reporting, or payment problems.
- The right technology should fit the way the business operates instead of forcing the business owner to work around the technology.
Questions to Reflect On
- How much time does your business currently spend reconstructing job information after the work is finished?
- Are labour, materials, service notes, photographs, and customer communication being captured in one reliable place?
- How quickly are customers receiving quotes and invoices after a service call?
- Is your current invoicing process causing missed revenue or unnecessary paperwork?
- Does your team understand exactly who creates, approves, sends, and reviews each invoice?
Mentioned in This Episode
ServiceM8
ServiceM8 is a field-service management app designed for contractors, trade businesses, and service professionals. It can help businesses manage job cards, scheduling, field notes, checklists, quotes, invoices, customer communication, and payments while integrating with QuickBooks Online.
ServiceM8 resource:
This episode is not sponsored by ServiceM8. Lee Davis & Company recommends tools based on whether they can genuinely help clients improve their business systems.
Free QuickBooks Clarity Scorecard
Find out whether your QuickBooks setup is giving you the financial clarity you need:
https://lee-davis-and-company.aweb.page/unlock-clarity-free-scorecard
Send Us Your Questions
Have a QuickBooks question or a business challenge you would like us to cover?
support@leedavisandcompany.com
Timestamps
01:16 – Why QuickBooks invoicing frustrates service businesses
Why contractors and field-service teams often struggle to make QuickBooks fit the way their businesses actually operate.
03:02 – How delayed paperwork causes missed billing
The danger of handwritten service slips, incomplete job details, delayed invoices, and unbilled smaller jobs.
08:24 – A real-world example of slow quoting
Erica shares how a contractor could have improved the customer experience by creating and sending a quote directly from the job site.
13:15 – What ServiceM8 does for contractors and trade businesses
Lee explains who ServiceM8 is designed for and the criteria he used when evaluating the app.
15:34 – Job cards, scheduling, quotes, invoices, and field notes
A breakdown of the ServiceM8 features that can help a service business manage jobs and invoice customers more efficiently.
29:20 – How to roll out a field-service app safely
A practical process for identifying the problem, preparing QuickBooks, testing the integration, training employees, and avoiding duplicate transactions.
Call to Action
QuickBooks may not need to manage every part of your service business, but the information reaching QuickBooks still needs to be accurate, complete, and organized.
A properly connected field-service app can help you reduce paperwork, invoice customers faster, capture more billable work, and improve communication between your team and your customers.
Download the free QuickBooks Clarity Scorecard to determine whether your current QuickBooks setup is giving you the information you need:
https://lee-davis-and-company.aweb.page/unlock-clarity-free-scorecard
Subscribe to QuickBooks Mastery for Small Business Success and stay connected with us at leedavisandcompany.com.
Have a QuickBooks question? Email support@leedavisandcompany.com. Your question may be featured in a future episode.
Transcript
Welcome to QuickBooks mastery for small Business Success.
Speaker A:I'm Erica Northrup.
Speaker B:And I'm Lee Davis.
Speaker A:I handle the tech and he handles the numbers.
Speaker A:And together as a father daughter team, we bring decades of experience helping small to medium sized businesses thrive.
Speaker B:We know that as a business owner, your time is best spent mastering your craft and growing your business, not getting lost in QuickBooks.
Speaker B:Managing finances can be confusing and you don't have hours to waste sorting through spreadsheets or fixing bookkeeping mistakes.
Speaker B:That's where we come in, helping you streamline QuickBooks so you can focus on building your business.
Speaker A:Each week we break it all down into simple, actionable steps so you can focus on growing your business, not fixing your books.
Speaker B:Let's embark on this journey together.
Speaker A:Welcome back to QuickBooks mastery for small Business Success.
Speaker A:I'm Erica Northrup and I'm here with my papa, Lee Davis.
Speaker A:And today we are continuing the conversation around QuickBooks, but we are looking at it from a slightly different angle.
Speaker A:This is episode 34, when QuickBooks invoicing is not enough for your service business.
Speaker A:So last episode, guys, we talked about what to do when your QuickBooks is in a ditch and you need to clean up the foundation.
Speaker A:Today we are talking about the business owner who may not necessarily have a destroyed QuickBooks file, but they are frustrated because QuickBooks does not feel like it fits the way their business actually works in the field.
Speaker A:This could be a contractor or a trade business or any service business where the work is happening on job sites, the employees are using their phones, and the owner wants invoices, quotes, customer communication and payments to happen faster and in real time.
Speaker A:You, you guys.
Speaker A:So, Papa, let's start there.
Speaker A:What is the problem you are seeing with some service businesses and QuickBooks invoicing?
Speaker B:I think first of all, there may be a search process that some of these contractors or service professionals are trying to go through to find a better solution because they're unhappy with the invoicing options in the way QuickBooks is set up.
Speaker B:It just doesn't work for them.
Speaker B:And so what happens is that they do nothing sometimes and they do workarounds like Excel or.
Speaker B:But in so many ways, sometimes people look for just an app.
Speaker B:They may not integrate with QuickBooks or it's expensive or it takes a lot of time out of their day to start.
Speaker B:But I believe that contractors and service professionals could certainly benefit from an app that integrates with QuickBooks.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So just before we kind of dive in, I do want to hear from you, Papa.
Speaker A:What do you hear from service Business owners who are unhappy with the way invoicing works inside of QuickBooks.
Speaker B:Well, the first and the biggest problem is they're inundated with information that comes from their team, and it comes at them at all different angles.
Speaker B:It may be a schedule that somebody drops off on their desk on a Friday that lists 35 employee interactions with customers that they have to manage.
Speaker B:So that's their weekend.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:At least.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And in some cases, the detail they give is abysmal.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:It's hidden scratch, and they can't even figure out whether they were there, weren't there, how long did they spend.
Speaker B:So that's the biggest issue that you think about, trying to get the invoicing done.
Speaker B:And they.
Speaker B:Sometimes the contractors, they run out of steam.
Speaker B:They're just going to let their service slip, stack up.
Speaker B:They may invoice out the larger jobs, but the smaller jobs, they don't have time to write the detail and to price it out and so that they just stack up on their desk.
Speaker B:And I think the other frustration is when you get a customer complaint.
Speaker B:Yeah, there are some customers that are just complainers.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:So if you have the detail that you can send right back to them, it's going to solve hours and hours of your time going back and forth with that complaining customer.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:You know, we live in this incredible era now where technology has really moved along, and really, most of us are walking around with a little computer in our pockets, in our back pocket.
Speaker A:And that is a tool and a resource that you can tap into.
Speaker A:And that's where I think some of these apps have really accelerated and allowed business professionals, like the service industry, to really utilize the technology that they have at their fingertips to be able to communicate well with QuickBooks.
Speaker A:And we're going to get into this, the app that particularly we're going to talk about today, which is powerful and really has a lot to offer service professionals.
Speaker A:So if you're looking for something, this might be the solution to the answer to a lot of frustration, a lot of issues that people definitely experience.
Speaker A:So it is not necessarily that QuickBooks is bad.
Speaker A:We've, you know, we've talked about this.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It is that QuickBooks might not be designed to manage every single part of the field service experience.
Speaker A:And this is where we feel like this app can really fill that gap.
Speaker A:Would you say that is true, Papa?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Absolutely, I would.
Speaker B:I think that QuickBooks can send out the invoicing.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:But there's a fair amount of data entry that is redundant in QuickBooks that.
Speaker B:That doesn't necessarily fit for the service people.
Speaker B:So from their perspective, they need an app that works the way they work, and QuickBooks does not work the way they work.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:It just doesn't.
Speaker B:So it's not designed for that.
Speaker B:So I think when you are a small company and you have a certain amount of technical expertise in the service you're delivering, that's where it should be capitalized on that you should harness the technology in QuickBooks.
Speaker B:And for example, in the products and services area where QuickBooks houses the billable voicing out of products and services and have a great interface with the tool that you're most comfortable with.
Speaker B:And that is the phone and an app.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:You know, and I suppose that tool.
Speaker A:You know that whatever tool that you go with can help manage the workflow before the invoice ever reaches books.
Speaker B:Of course.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think we've talked about in these podcasts before.
Speaker B:Starts beginning when so much today, the contractors don't sit in their office.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:Wait for the phone to ring.
Speaker B:They have a cell phone.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:And they use it.
Speaker A:They're on the go.
Speaker B:They're on the go.
Speaker B:So using an app and taking that initial call, getting the information.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:At the very beginning makes so much sense.
Speaker A:Yeah, a ton of sense.
Speaker A:And I suppose the key is also to make sure that whatever app you're choosing to integrate with QuickBooks, the key is to choose an app that works with QuickBooks instead of creating duplicate work for yourself.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Yeah, Absolutely.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:For sure.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So you mentioned in kind of the research for this particular episode, you mentioned in the recording that more and more entrepreneurs want to run parts of their business from their phone.
Speaker A:How is that changing the way business owners need to think about their systems?
Speaker A:Papa.
Speaker B:Because the volume of work that contractor has on his or her plate each day is growing.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:More hats they're having to wear the.
Speaker B:The work.
Speaker B:And on the top of their list has to be taking care of their customers.
Speaker B:All right, so how do you balance taking care of your customers with the other challenges you face?
Speaker B:And how do you get that information in this information technology world?
Speaker B:How do you harness it to save you time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And make money.
Speaker A:We're doing this project right now, this retreat that actually I'm going to try it out here for the first time.
Speaker A:I think we've come up with a name for this company, and it's Still Waters is the name of the company.
Speaker A:And still playing around with the name for the actual retreat that we're building.
Speaker A:But this last week, we Got a couple quotes for a fence that we're going to put in that's going to divide the two properties and kind of give our kids the opportunity to still be kids and play outside and our dogs still run around and do dog things.
Speaker A:But we'll allow our guests to not have to experience the dogs running around or the kids playing in their space, per se.
Speaker A:Anyways, we had two different people that came in and that gave quotes, and the way they actually gave the quotes is they jotted some things down using their phone or a little piece of paper, and then a couple of days later came back with a quote.
Speaker A:As we were talking about this and the knowledge I have about QuickBooks and particularly this app that we're going to be talking about today that integrates so well, they could have literally put the information in as we were talking all the details, and they could have literally spit us out a quote right there, which would have actually saved us time instead of having to then a couple of days later get the quote from this person, decide, no, we don't want that, to find somebody else to give another quote.
Speaker A:See if it was better, better, it could have sped up the whole process for us as the customer.
Speaker A:So I think that is a great call out.
Speaker A:It really is about how can we service our customers better and more efficiently and more effectively.
Speaker A:And it also speeds up the time that you get the work and the jobs and you do all the things.
Speaker A:And you did make a point also about the owner can spend less time chasing paperwork.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You know, who sits at a desk anymore?
Speaker A:If you're doing things like in the service industry, even what I'm doing with still waters right now, I'm all over the place.
Speaker A:I am putting furniture together, I'm outside in the yard, I'm working on fire pits, I'm doing this, doing that.
Speaker A:I'm not really sitting at my computer, I'm doing a lot on my phone.
Speaker A:So having apps that integrate and that can meet me where I'm at instead of meeting the app, where it's at, I think is powerful and is useful and it, it really help business owners.
Speaker A:Because that's what this is all about, right?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And just knowing you and how much work you do on your phone.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's where it's at.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That's what makes you be able to balance all of the tasks before you, right?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Balance being a bonus mom, balance being a wife, balance being a business owner, balance being an entrepreneur, you know, balance, you know, working on several different projects all at the same Time.
Speaker A:If I didn't have my phone, if I had to literally sit at a computer, half of what I do just wouldn't get done.
Speaker A:So, yeah, that is so good.
Speaker A:Okay, so that feels like such a big deal because if the work is happening in the field, then the information should probably be captured in the field too.
Speaker A:Just like we talked about, right, Papa?
Speaker A:That is where really, that is where the gold is, is in the field.
Speaker B:Well, a lot can be gleaned from what goes on in the field.
Speaker B:You know, they take pictures of a given problem.
Speaker B:They can immediately text that to the owner, the owner is at work and say, here, here's what we found.
Speaker B:This is what we think the cost is.
Speaker B:Do you want to go forward and you can get that immediate answer rather than having to wait and talk to the owner when they got home and, you know, leave the job?
Speaker B:There's just a lot more efficiency that can be gathered and save money for the owner as well.
Speaker B:I mean, taking care of the problem.
Speaker B:Because if it's, for example, if it's for the well guy.
Speaker B:Yeah, they don't have water.
Speaker B:Yeah, they may not have water.
Speaker B:So water is something that, if the owners at work and they don't have water, I think they be there.
Speaker B:But the way that our workforce is handled today, people have to be on planes, train, whatever, you know, so getting an immediate answer for that owner is, I think, gold.
Speaker A:I think one of the biggest advantages of using technology and using apps that are on your phone is that so much is missed.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:If you wait till later, if you try to just work off your notes or you just try to work off memory off of that quote you're going to do or the details of the job, but if you're there and you're using an app and you're taking pictures and you're putting the notes in as you go, you're going to miss a whole lot less than if you just try to go off of some, you know, chicken scratch in your memory, you know, for sure.
Speaker A:So good.
Speaker A:Okay, so the app that we have been alluding to and one of the apps that you talked about is called service M8.
Speaker A:And just for our listeners, that is spelled S E R V I C E M as in Mary and then the number eight.
Speaker A:So who is this app designed for, Papa?
Speaker B:It's really designed for contractors and small businesses, the service industry.
Speaker B:And when I was researching these apps to recommend it for a client, I was first of all interested in something that integrated with QuickBooks.
Speaker B:Yeah, that was a must have.
Speaker B:And then Secondly, I was interested in what they offered and then thirdly, I was looking at the price.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:So those are the three criteria that I looked at.
Speaker B:And then how well would it be received by the contractor who's busy if I told them, here's one more thing for you to learn.
Speaker B:I have to give them a real reason to use this particular app.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Service Ma and I. I think sometimes it has to grow on the contractor or the busy service professional.
Speaker B:But once they use it, they love it and just got to get them in the water.
Speaker A:Just jump in the water.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Just do it messy.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:That's something I've learned is sometimes you just gotta like do it.
Speaker A:You just gotta jump in.
Speaker A:It's not gonna be perfect right off the bat.
Speaker A:There's gonna be some a learning curve, but you will get there.
Speaker A:You will understand how to use it eventually and effectively.
Speaker A:You know, we are not saying do not use QuickBooks.
Speaker A:I want all of our listeners to hear us and hear us loud.
Speaker A:What we are saying is use QuickBooks for what QuickBooks does well and then consider whether another app can help with the work happening before the accounting entry.
Speaker A:Would you say that is right on point?
Speaker A:Papa?
Speaker B:Oh, right on point.
Speaker B:I think there's so many great apps that some of our clients use.
Speaker B:It could be square.
Speaker B:It could be.
Speaker B:There's a number of apps that really that customer payment platforms that integrate great in QuickBooks.
Speaker B:And you just have to understand them and know what their pitfalls are and make sure that you plan around it from a systems perspective.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:That is excellent.
Speaker A:Excellent.
Speaker A:So good.
Speaker A:So can you walk us through some of the features that would matter to a service business owner that service M8 has to offer?
Speaker A:Papa?
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:So I think when you start at the beginning, they can create customers and what they call create a new job card.
Speaker B:Then there are some job checklists that help the service professional go down and they can make job notes and they can schedule the job it does have on the app directions.
Speaker B:They're not going to go just wandering.
Speaker B:They'll be able to go pinpoint exactly where the location is for that job.
Speaker B:And it may be beneficial from a scheduling perspective because if they've got to go out there, they could have two jobs in one area and they could look to get those scheduled on the same day.
Speaker B:And clients love it when they can be emailed or texted information.
Speaker B:That's right there, easy, right on the job card.
Speaker B:And they can add the billable items.
Speaker B:They can create that estimate right there in that interface with QuickBooks.
Speaker B:Products and services and you can manage your fees on the fly.
Speaker B:If you need to update a fee, you can do it right there.
Speaker B:You don't have to edit it.
Speaker B:You can update it right there in the app.
Speaker B:And creating notes and adding the labor, the today, like I said and like you commented, some of the younger staff, they're very comfortable with phones.
Speaker B:So they're great about adding all the fees, adding the labor, adding the job materials.
Speaker B:And here it is here.
Speaker B:Let's pay by PayPal.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Or pay by Square, whatever people would choose.
Speaker B:They want to make payment.
Speaker B:You can send quotes and invoices from the field, sync it, it syncs with QuickBooks Online and it's very.
Speaker B:There's so many practical tools that help the process move along quickly, but also accurately.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:So yeah, there's so many amazing features that we have found working with this particular application, working with this app service, M8 that just makes so much sense for the service industry.
Speaker A:Sometimes technology can slow you down and doesn't make sense and doesn't integrate well and doesn't just adds unnecessarily steps.
Speaker A:But that is not this app at all.
Speaker A:It is so good and so helpful for the service industry and it's something if you're not using, you seriously need to look into it.
Speaker A:You know, I think the job card piece is helpful for people to picture.
Speaker A:It is almost like the job has one central home instead of everything being spread across text, paper, memory and QuickBooks.
Speaker A:Would you say that's pretty correct, Papa?
Speaker B:Oh, I think that's true.
Speaker B:I think one of the point Erica, you can consider and we were talking, we were working with one of our clients and the particular contractor that he's out in the field, he actually felt like he needed to avoid QuickBooks because he didn't like it the way that their invoicing works.
Speaker B:He needed something that worked for him.
Speaker B:So he was avoiding QuickBooks altogether.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:So actually it's a detriment to QuickBooks.
Speaker B:They understand this.
Speaker B:That's why they they encourage apps.
Speaker B:So it is something while I have not necessarily found them to be knowledgeable in a lot of apps when I have questioned QuickBooks, but I think they're evolving to understand the value of how the app can enhance their product.
Speaker A:That is so good.
Speaker A:You mentioned a client where the owner wanted to cut back on paper and speed up invoicing and customer service.
Speaker A:Why does this kind of app makes such a difference for that kind of business owner?
Speaker B:Oh, because this particular business owner does a lot of service emergency service work and so if you don't track accurately your service costs while you're on a job like that, you have a tendency to just write it down on a service slip and it goes in your truck and it may not surface in a pile.
Speaker B:You're busy because you're onto the next service call and there's no one who can understand your hand scratch about what you noted there.
Speaker B:So it really does make a difference that these service calls can be handled and processed efficiently and increase your revenue because it captures all the charges that you're out there on the field with.
Speaker A:Yes, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:That is so good.
Speaker A:You know, and it also seems like it helps the customer experience because the customer is not waiting and wondering when they're going to receive the quote or invoice.
Speaker A:Would you say that's one of service M8 superpowers?
Speaker B:100%.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:You know, this sounds great, but I know anytime we add an app that connects to QuickBooks, we have to be careful.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:What are the accounting guardrails that we have to think about here?
Speaker B:I think it starts with making sure that your QuickBooks is updated, that you want to make sure your products and services are current with the pricing.
Speaker B:And you also want to make sure you have trained the service techs that you just don't jump into this without testing it, which may take a few customers.
Speaker B:But believe me, with these, these kids today with their phones, they're all over it.
Speaker A:Those, those youngins.
Speaker A:Right, Papa?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I think a lot of you baby boomers have had a lot to.
Speaker A:There's been a lot of slowdown to speed up when it comes to all this technology.
Speaker A:And I gotta give you a call up, Papa.
Speaker A:You have done really well with tech.
Speaker A:You have stayed very open minded and have really embraced a lot of great technology that's out there.
Speaker A:And you've not been afraid to just jump in with two feet and try it.
Speaker A:And I love that so much about you.
Speaker B:I like it.
Speaker B:I decided it could be a challenge and just embrace it and understand it and get it off my plate and have it just be some other tool I've got in my tool chest.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, like with anything, I think rolling it out slowly, you know, test it out, work through some of the kinks and then roll it out slowly.
Speaker A:Maybe with, if you have a larger fleet of people, with a couple of people, see how it goes, and then roll it out to everybody.
Speaker A:So if you kind of do it in stages, if you add app, that way you're able to kind of mitigate any problems that may arise and try to figure out workflows for your particular team.
Speaker A:If you do it slowly and methodically.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You do it with intention and you create a system for it.
Speaker A:That's what we're big here.
Speaker A:We're big about creating systems that actually help you and help your business and help you to move forward and at the end of the day to help you create more revenue.
Speaker A:Because that's what this is all about.
Speaker A:That is another superpower of service M8 is to really help you increase your revenue.
Speaker A:Because if you're invoicing quicker, if you're able to have better communication on jobs and all of this, it really does help you to grow your revenue at the end of the day, doesn't it, Papa?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I guess this is a sort of a shout out day, but I had to give you a shout out because when you were working with one of our clients who added, who was really had service ma, you just, you were able to explain it and I could see the client just falling in love with it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Being able to communicate effectively some of the benefits and then watching the client kind of say, oh, yeah, you know, I love that we can do that, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think the other piece that I would have to say that enhances the business is how QuickBooks, the products and services, the product itself can be utilized more.
Speaker B:And I think whenever you utilize any software more, you're going to reap the benefit.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:That is so good.
Speaker A:You know, and sometimes I think slowing down and make sure that you take that time to make sure that everything is set up correctly.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I think that is a major call out for any new app that you are getting up and running is to really take the time and make sure that you have set it up correctly.
Speaker A:Would you say that's just as important with service M8, Papa?
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I mean, I think we're, we're testing a few integrations right now.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I'm excited about how it will integrate with QuickBooks and make it easier for their back office operation, which includes me, us, you know.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I'm really interested in that.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:And that is a good call out to our listeners.
Speaker A:We will, as new apps are released and as new integrations with QuickBooks come out, we will stay on top of them and we will do the research for you and we will always bring you the apps that we feel are worthy of your time and your money that will work really well with QuickBooks.
Speaker A:So just be listening and we will bring that to you for sure.
Speaker A:So what are some of the signs that a business owner should look at an app like this?
Speaker A:Papa?
Speaker B:I think they have to be able to start with how do they work?
Speaker B:And see if the.
Speaker B:An app like this.
Speaker B:Just start listing down the kinds of procedures, the kinds of things that you need.
Speaker B:When the phone rings.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And what information is available and how can it be used to help you get to the next step, whatever.
Speaker B:Next step.
Speaker B:It might be an estimate.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But when the phone rings, how do you work efficiently?
Speaker B:And even if the app costs a little bit more, but it's easier for you or one of your customer or competitor or somebody and one of your, I don't know, your vendors recommends it and you trust them.
Speaker B:So it's something that you have to look at and make the decision, is this right for me?
Speaker B:And it might not be perfect.
Speaker B:Perfect, right.
Speaker B:Could be some issues that you don't like with it, but yet overall you're happy with it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that's what you got to get to.
Speaker B:Because you, maybe you can work around the kinks, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:Oh, you can always work around the kinks.
Speaker A:There's, oh, Marie Folio.
Speaker A:I was thinking about her the other day when I was talking to somebody and I was telling this person about this book I read, which is called Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo.
Speaker A:But I think that is so true.
Speaker A:Everything is figureoutable.
Speaker A:Everything has a solution.
Speaker A:Everything.
Speaker A:There's nothing that it doesn't have a solution.
Speaker A:And if you come at things like this with that kind of mindset, you're just going to get so much further than you would if you didn't come at it with that kind of mindset.
Speaker A:And I think this is important to remember about technology.
Speaker A:Like I think sometimes this is kind of my approach to all technology because I used to teach technology, I used to help people, specifically with Apple.
Speaker A:But I think, you know, I think we think it is so foreign, but it's really not.
Speaker A:It's based off of human beings created technology.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And really technology is built around things that we are very familiar with and tech is built that way.
Speaker A:And so if you look at it that way from a very, just down to earth real perspective and just stop.
Speaker A:Well, it's foreign.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's out of my scope.
Speaker A:I don't even know.
Speaker A:I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker A:I just know, just take a deep breath and just look at it.
Speaker A:And developers really, I do feel like they try to connect the tech with the real world and give you clues as to what something might be.
Speaker A:So you know, if you're going to be sharing something, it's probably going to have some kind of arrow, a box with an arrow.
Speaker A:If you're looking at some kind of audio thing, it's probably going to be some kind of audio icon.
Speaker A:You know, it's just about like dialing it down and just.
Speaker A:Yeah, I can figure this out.
Speaker A:Everything is figureoutable.
Speaker A:Okay, so Papa, this is a great app, but who is this app?
Speaker A:Not necessarily for what is the kind of client that would not benefit from this particular app?
Speaker B:I think the app may not work.
Speaker B:If you're maybe you're not looking for a direct interface with a client.
Speaker B:You know, maybe you have a whole back office team that, that takes the phone call that understands exactly from a perspective of a salesforce.
Speaker B:So if you have built in salesforce that doesn't necessarily rely on you or your techs doing all that work upfront, or you may have already a system that is designed for the way you do business in terms of one of your major suppliers, maybe maybe they provide a product that directly works with them.
Speaker B:So, so I think you have to determine because this is really designed for the small to intermediate service professionals who.
Speaker B:And there's certainly enough of them out there that could utilize this product.
Speaker A:Yeah, I was going to flip that question, Papa.
Speaker A:So who would truly benefit from service M8?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think the plumbers, the.
Speaker B:Well, the lawn care folks who have multiple services every month and you know somebody, a repetitive type business that has customers that need lawns mowed twice a month or three times a month or that's just easy.
Speaker B:You can take a picture of the lawn once it's done and you can create the charge, the fee based on how much time it took you.
Speaker B:And so for time professionals, people that are invoice their customers on time, this is a very good product and time and material.
Speaker A:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:That is so good.
Speaker A:Papa, if you're a business owner and you're thinking this might help us, what is the safest way to roll something out like this?
Speaker B:I think the safest way is in some ways you need to jump in you two feet in.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And test it with a particular client.
Speaker B:Make up a client, test it and see what it looks like and start talking it up with your team and bring them along and get some training.
Speaker B:But bring them to a customer, show them how it works and deliver that invoice or that estimate and see how then all of a sudden they pay it and it shows up in their email and they click on pay the bill.
Speaker B:It's clearly a, a product that you can get the kinks worked out in the field.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I'm sure a good place to start would be to define what the problem is first.
Speaker A:Like where are the holes in your business that you are finding?
Speaker A:Is it invoicing?
Speaker A:Is it scheduling?
Speaker A:Is it job notes?
Speaker A:Particular job?
Speaker A:Is it missed billing, Customer communication?
Speaker A:And then I think step two obviously would be to review your current quickbook setup.
Speaker A:But that looks like first.
Speaker A:And then step three, make sure the chart of accounts, products, services and sales tax settings are ready.
Speaker A:So get things on point and then set up the app carefully.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But with two feet in.
Speaker A:Just go for it.
Speaker A:But really take the time to set things up correctly.
Speaker A:Sometimes there's a little bit of slowing down to speed up up and then test it with a few jobs.
Speaker A:Just like you said, we've done this.
Speaker A:Create a couple of fake clients and test it out and see how it works.
Speaker A:How would it work with your particular setup and your particular clientele?
Speaker A:And then train the field, get it into their hands, train them, help them to understand how this is going to benefit.
Speaker A:Because people aren't going to use an app if they don't understand how it's going to benefit them and their job.
Speaker A:And at the end of the day, this is what it's all about.
Speaker A:It's about creating a business that works more effectively and efficiently.
Speaker A:And then review what seems syncs into QuickBooks.
Speaker A:You know, take a look at that.
Speaker A:And then step eight, look for duplicate invoices or payment issues.
Speaker A:And then just adjust the process, review, look at what's happened, take stock of how it went and then adjust the process and then roll it out more broadly.
Speaker A:Then get it to all of your techs and everyone that's working in your business and get everyone on board.
Speaker A:Would you say that's a good system for people to follow when we think about service M8 Absolutely.
Speaker B:I think one of the areas I tell my clients about is when they get customer complaints.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Make note of those.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Because that's good information that want to make sure that a product like Service MA would help you with absolutely much with customer complaints is communication.
Speaker A:Oh, it is.
Speaker A:It truly is.
Speaker A:If only people would.
Speaker A:You cannot communicate enough.
Speaker A:I don't think there's enough things that can be said in communication because that's where the problems happen.
Speaker A:It's in the lack of communication.
Speaker A:As if you don't communicate.
Speaker A:I don't think you can over communicate.
Speaker A:I think really giving people what they need when they need it in before they think they need it, I think is anticipating what are their needs.
Speaker A:Anticipating where are the pitfalls?
Speaker A:And anticipating what your customer is thinking and providing those thoughts to your customer before they even ask the questions is going to just help you so much with your business.
Speaker A:Business that is.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, you know what?
Speaker B:I was re listening to one of our podcasts on the business plan and one of the comments you made back even when we were talking about the business plan is know what your customer, who your customer is and what they want.
Speaker A:I do feel like we should probably do a whole episode around understanding your ideal client and that's not really connected to QuickBooks.
Speaker A:But I think it does help you when you really get into the mind of your customer because it helps you to really.
Speaker A:You will be able to better answer questions if you really understand who your customer is and what their problems are and what you are solving for your customer.
Speaker A:If you can really define that whole process and that whole person, it's going to help you make better decisions in the future for your business.
Speaker A:That is huge.
Speaker A:So this should be treated like a business process change, not just downloading another app.
Speaker A:This is really about creating a new and better system for your company that's going to help you just do so much more and be more efficient and effective at what you do.
Speaker A:Would you say that is what service M8 really is, Papa?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think if you look at it and everything starts with the owner.
Speaker B:All right, so if you can work with the, the business owner or the vice president of whoever is responsible for this particular business, then if you can get them on board and they see the benefits of it, but not only the benefits, they become invested in fixing some of the issues that they struggle with.
Speaker B:And I can tell you from having worked in healthcare for years and maybe even worked with a large hospital system, the vice president or whoever was responsible for trying to work with all the office professionals, the front desk people, people in a medical world, they kept throwing apps at them.
Speaker B:They didn't understand how many problems they had.
Speaker B:They just kept saying, okay, we'll, we'll have them do this, this.
Speaker B:And I told the vice president, listen, they haven't managed one of the last eight that apps that you've sent them, you know, what you think could fix the problem because we haven't really stopped to ask them what they need.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:So I can tell you that this particular app, and if you invest time in and know what you're trying to solve.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And deliver that to in a way that helps your, the professionals working with you to do their job better, then it's a win win.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:It is a win win.
Speaker A:That is so good, Papa.
Speaker A:So I think this is the perfect way to say it.
Speaker A:We are not looking for more software.
Speaker A:I'm not looking for another piece of software in my life.
Speaker A:We are looking for the right system to support how the business actually runs, how business owners actually run their business.
Speaker A:Do you think that is, as I say, pretty on point?
Speaker B:Absolutely on point, yeah.
Speaker A:That is so good.
Speaker A:You know, and when it is the right fit, it can reduce paperwork, improve customer service, speed up invoicing, and help the owner get better information.
Speaker A:And this is what it is all about.
Speaker A:This is so good.
Speaker A:If you are a service business owner and you are frustrated because QuickBooks invoicing does not seem to match how your team actually works in the field.
Speaker A:It may not mean quickly QuickBooks is the wrong accounting system.
Speaker A:It may mean you need a better workflow between the field, The Customer and QuickBooks.
Speaker A:That might be an app like Service M8, or it might be another solution that fits your specific business.
Speaker A:But the key is making sure the app is set up correctly, connected carefully, and supporting your accounting instead of creating more cleanup work for you and your business.
Speaker A:And if you are Interested in service M8, I will put a link into our show Notes where you might be able to get a little discount on starting service M8.
Speaker A:So just check that out.
Speaker A:I should have called this out at the beginning, but this episode was not sponsored by Service M8 at all.
Speaker A:We just simply love this app and feel like the service business industry could really benefit from this integration between Service M8 and QuickBooks.
Speaker A:And that is why we are calling it out, because we truly enjoy it.
Speaker A:So I'm going to try and get you a discount code for starting service M8.
Speaker A:So just check that out if you are interested and if you need some help, if you want someone to kind of walk you through using service M8, we have done this.
Speaker A:We have done this several times.
Speaker A:We will certainly help you.
Speaker A:So reach out to us and we can definitely get you started the right way.
Speaker A:And if you are not sure where your quickbook stands right now, because that's also important if you're going to integrate anything, you need to make sure that your QuickBooks is in the right place.
Speaker A:So if you are unsure about where your QuickBooks stands right now, we will also include the link to our free QuickBooks clarity scorecard in the show notes.
Speaker A:It is so good.
Speaker A:It is Such a great resource.
Speaker A:We have gotten such good feedback on this.
Speaker A:So check it out.
Speaker A:It's in our show notes and it's also over on our website at leedavis.
Speaker B:And company.com I think the goal is to get the right information into QuickBooks, reduce paperwork and give the business owner better control.
Speaker B:And I'd say one more thing, Erica, that all the different apps that we help our clients with that is.
Speaker B:There's no financial incentive for us.
Speaker B:No, we've never built our business that way on the backs of our clients.
Speaker B:If it happens to be a payroll app that we give our clients a discount for the client client benefits.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:We've built our business on taking good care of our clients and sometimes we've also passed along significant discounts to them.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:Our whole goal is to help you, our client, our listener.
Speaker A:It's to make your life better.
Speaker A:That is what we're here for.
Speaker A:That's why we love showing up every week for you is simply that we are just amazed at how this podcast is growing.
Speaker A:I feel like it's a little bit engine that could.
Speaker A:It is chugging up that mountain.
Speaker A:It is doing great things for people and we have had such great feedback.
Speaker A:So keep listening because there is more to come.
Speaker A:You guys, so good.
Speaker A:Okay, you guys, thank you so much for listening.
Speaker A:We will see you next week.
Speaker A:We'll be back with another great episode that helps you move your business forward.
Speaker A:So bye for now.
Speaker A:Thanks for tuning in to QuickBooks mastery for small Business Success.
Speaker B:If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe and stay connected with us@leedavis and company.com.
Speaker A:We know QuickBooks can be overwhelming, so we've put together a free resource to help you get started right away.
Speaker A:Grab your copy at leedavis and company.com and when you do, you'll also get access to our VIP email list where we share exclusive QuickBooks tips, business strategies and support.
Speaker B:And we'd love to hear from you.
Speaker B:If you have a QuickBooks question or a business challenge, send it our way at support leedavidson company.com we might feature it in a future episode.
Speaker A:We're here to help you simplify QuickBooks and grow your business one step at a time.
Speaker A:See you next time.
