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You didn't choose to own a garage door business just so you could sit behind a desk fielding phone calls and handling paperwork. Even just a few years ago, you might have found yourself stuck in an office doing exactly that while your employees got to handle the fun stuff: selling, installing, and servicing garage doors. Not so anymore! Now, thanks to mobile technology and garage door apps, you can manage your business from the road while getting some good, old-fashioned hands-on time in the field. We've compiled a list of some garage door apps that will help you run your business on the go.
Smart Service
First and foremost, you need a robust scheduling app designed for the unique needs of garage door dispatchers and technicians. Scheduling, dispatching, communicating with clients, keeping track of employees and the equipment they use, invoicing... it all gets a little hairy if you try to use separate spreadsheets for everything, simply write things down on scraps of paper (that can easily get lost), or even worse, "memorize" your appointments for later.
That's where Smart Service makes life infinitely easier. With all of your employees using this app, everyone on your team will have access to up-to-date information to get the job done accurately and on time. Your schedules, work orders, invoices, and payroll processes become much easier to manage thanks to the unique, comprehensive, real-time QuickBooks integration. Get the power of QuickBooks without the headache of double data entry.
PicsArt Photo Editor + Collage Maker
Why do you need a photo editor as a garage door contractor? To easily show off before and after photos, of course! Use the PicsArt app to crop or resize photos, adjust the lighting on dark photos, and then arrange them into a collage perfect for your website, e-newsletter, or social media. You can show before and after photos side by side, or create a collage of multiple pictures to share copious examples of your work in a single image.
Dropbox
This free app represents a must-have for any business owner. You can store all of your important documents and files in Dropbox and access them from any device. Share permissions with your colleagues so they can access them, too. You can also edit, email, or print the documents from your phone or computer.
Another great thing about Dropbox? It offers integrations with several other business apps, including Smart Service, the garage door scheduling system.
MailChimp
Garage door businesses don't tend to get a ton of repeat business in a short time span (most homeowners have just one garage to take care of at a time), but you should still try to stay top-of-mind with your clients. Why? Because you want to benefit from word-of-mouth advertising. Don't let your happy clients forget the name of your business when they're ready to give a recommendation; land in their inbox periodically with a newsletter.
MailChimp allows you to easily create email newsletters without having any design or copy writing experience. Use the drag and drop tools to create a layout, and share tips, coupons, testimonials, or company news.
Social Media Apps
If sending out an email newsletter for your garage door business doesn't sound appealing, you can keep your clients in the loop via social media instead. Facebook has the most diverse user base, and can easily create targeted ads with their advertising platform, making Facebook a great place for a garage door business to maintain a digital presence.
If you have some video editing chops and don't mind appearing on camera or hearing your own voice, YouTube can serve as a great way to showcase your expertise and professionalism. Use videos to help potential customers get to know you and trust you before they even meet you.
Of course, in order to post content, you need to have these apps on your phone. It only takes a minute to create a Facebook post or put a photo on Instagram, and people enjoy these real-time "day in the life" updates.
Buffer
To make sure you post regularly on social media, it helps to plan ahead and schedule posts. Buffer offers a user-friendly app that allows you to schedule posts on multiple social media platforms. Take the time to create longer educational posts with hashtags, keywords, mentions, links, graphics, and emojis to supplement your more off-the-cuff real-time posts.
From business management to marketing, what represents the biggest challenge for your garage door business? Let us know. Chances are, there's an app out there that can help.
