In a nutshell…
- Process Automation
- Sales Process
- System Integration
The Cat Butler was planning for future expansion whilst looking to maintain the high quality of their services to current clients. Squirrel Business Solutions designed and implemented a CRM to support The Cat Butler’s processes from new leads to invoicing, automating communication with clients, centralising and systemising data and workflows in a scalable way to allow for and promote future business growth.
The Cat Butler
The Cat Butler is a unique company providing cat visiting services in both Melbourne and Adelaide. The Cat Butler employees visit feline friends when their owners are away, taking care of essential tasks such as feed, grooming and litter replacement, and other miscellaneous tasks as requested such as watering plants or supervising cats outdoors for a period of time.
The brief
The Cat Butler was already using a CRM system which was sufficient for the current operations, however they were growing busier and looking to scale to a national level. They wished to implement a new CRM which could better support their expanding services, facilitate a high level of communication with their clients and convert leads into new clients more reliably and efficiently. The team tasked Squirrel with designing a CRM solution which could accommodate the everyday processes of their growing business and give them the confidence to expand.
“We were getting so busy and we realised, there was no way our current system could support us…especially around busy periods like Christmas and New Years, we couldn’t function at all” – Helen Murray, Founder
The solution
- Xero
- Zoho CRM
- Zoho Forms
- Zoho One
Firstly, Squirrel mapped and identified key stages of The Cat Butler’s booking workflow beginning at a new enquiry through to the invoicing and end stage of a booking:
- New lead
- Booking conversion and registration
- Initial client meeting
- Booking in process
- Booking completed & invoicing
Squirrel then designed and implemented Zoho CRM, integrated with Google Calendar and accounting software Xero, in order to automate emails, forms and tasks throughout the entire process and centralise client and booking data.
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM implemented by Squirrel optimised the Cat Butler’s lead and booking workflow in a number of ways, including:
- Automated creation and notification of new leads – enquiries received via The Cat Butler’s website or email are fed into Zoho CRM, eliminating manual lead creation. Enquiries are either assigned to existing client contacts or new contacts are automatically created where a matching contact does not exist. The Cat Butler team receives a notification of the new lead from the CRM, tasking them to follow up the client.
- Automated and centralised collection of data – once a lead is converted and a booking assigned to them within the CRM, a registration form link is emailed to the client. Data from the completed registration form, powered by Zoho Forms, is synced to Zoho CRM, the booking is updated and pushed to the next phase.
- Timely automatic emails – triggered by booking stage updates or at certain times during the booking process, emails are sent automatically to clients. For example, once a booking is assigned to a specific Cat Butler, a welcome email and link to book an initial meeting is sent automatically to the client.
- Automatic task creation – tasks are created in the CRM to ensure a booking is managed correctly and critical milestones are met. For example, following the initial meeting date and at a specified time period prior to the booking start date, a task is created in the CRM reminding the booking’s Cat Butler to send a pre-booking confirmation email to the client.
Zoho CRM & Xero Integration
A custom designed integration between Zoho CRM and accounting software Xero automated The Cat Butler’s invoicing process and ensured accuracy of data between the two systems.
- Data syncing from Zoho CRM to Xero – as leads are converted to bookings in Zoho CRM, contact data is synced and matched within Xero to already existing contacts, or new contacts are created for invoicing if no match is found.
- Automated invoice creation within Xero – using data from Zoho CRM, booking invoices are created at the appropriate time, and The Cat Butler is alerted to simply approve the invoice before it is emailed to the client.
- Data syncing from Xero to Zoho CRM – Xero tracks and records payments made against invoices and when the invoice status is updated in Xero, these same updates are synced to Zoho CRM.
The benefits
- Optimised efficiency of lead onboarding process – due to automation of contact creation and notification of new leads, new clients do not fall through the cracks and leads are converted as efficiently and seamlessly as possible.
- Clear and consistent workflow – aided by automatic reminders and task creation, all necessary tasks are completed prior to deadlines and critical milestones are met ensuring ease of process for The Cat Butler and a seamless experience for clients.
- Minimisation of data error and manual data handling – integrated online Forms, CRM contact creation, and data syncing between softwares eliminates double handling of data, and reduces human error and time taken to onboard and manage a booking.
- Accommodation and promotion of business growth – the structured nature of the CRM provides a scalable workflow which can be relied upon as The Cat Butler grows and expands to more locations, clients, and employees.
Squirrel has changed my life! I have such confidence in Zoho CRM and the way Squirrel has set it up – we would not be surviving or growing as a business if we had not gone through this process, it’s so fantastic
Helen Murray
Founder
The Cat Butler
Ask Squirrel
Could your business benefit from a similar solution? We’d be happy to help you find one. Book a free consult today.
Squirrel Business Solutions implements and integrates CRM and other cloud-based systems, and provides training and support, for small and medium-sized businesses all over Australia, including Melbourne, Bendigo, regional Victoria, Tasmania, Sydney and Brisbane. This empowers them to automate their processes and improve their efficiency.
Squirrel Business Solution’s founder, Kylie Harker, is a Melbourne based consultant who assists business owners find and implement the best fit CRM and other systems for their business. Squirrel focus on four core principles: integrating your systems, streamlining your processes, enhancing your customer experience, and unlocking the value of your data.