Project Tracking
The best thing that I like about HoneyBook is that when I log in I can see everything about the current status of my business from their all-in-one dashboard. You can see which projects require following up with the client and which ones have upcoming payments. It turns your creative business into a virtual conveyor belt.
It can be really easy to get lost in a project when you don’t know what the next step is, but HoneyBook helps you clarify all of that, not only with your client, but with you as well.
Simplified Client Communication
You can see how many inquiries you have and you can communicate with the client directly from HoneyBook by sending them a proposal, having them sign the contract, and receive payment.
Receive Payments Easily
One of the really cool things about HoneyBook is that you can accept payments through their integrated invoicing system from the get-go. All you need is a bank account and they handle everything else. You don’t have to create any accounts with any credit card processors because HoneyBook acts as your payment processor right out of the box.
There are some flat fees for processing depending on the type of payment—3% for credit cards and 1.5% for bank transfer or eChecks—but it’s fairly negligible and you can pass these on to your clients. If you still accept physical cash or checks from your clients, there’s no fees on those, but you have to manually enter in that the installment was paid.
When I first started, I used to have to drive all over town collecting checks from my clients (a lot of businesses like having the paper trail), and I set up a PayPal account to receive online payments for work that I completed, but with HoneyBook, I don’t accept checks anymore. I insist that my clients pay me using the HoneyBook invoicing system and it’s made my life a heck of a lot easier (and reduces the amount of driving that I have to do).
Smartphone App
It’s a really good feeling to get a notification on your smartphone that a client just paid their deposit right before you go to bed. You also get notified any time the client or prospect makes any interaction within HoneyBook. You’ll know that they viewed your project proposal once you send it to them because you’ll receive an alert when they open the proposal.
Integrations
If you use Gmail or any of the Google Suite apps, HoneyBook integrates with them so that you can sync up your project timeline with your Google Calendar.
If you use QuickBooks to keep track of your accounting, HoneyBook integrates with that too. It works with pretty much any version of QuickBooks, especially the Online edition.
Look Professional Quickly
When I first came across HoneyBook, I was in the middle of negotiating a website project with a prospect while I was transitioning away from my old customer relations manager. My old CRM was ending their service, so I had to find a new one; quickly. I read that they had a one-week free trial which also allowed me to send my prospect the project proposal while I was on the 7-day free trial. I hadn’t paid anything and the client agreed to the proposal! As soon as I saw how quick it was to set up, get running, and get paid, I signed up for the yearly subscription right away. HoneyBook had practically paid for itself before I even paid for the subscription!
One thing that I would have as a minor (very minor) complaint is that the client portal—the part that your clients log in to manage their projects with you—includes HoneyBook in the title of the web page (see the screengrab). Most of your clients will probably not notice this, but it would be nice to change the title of the client portal to match your business’ branding. Again, a very minor complaint, but I did have one of my clients ask “What the hell’s HoneyBook?” and I had to explain it before they signed the contract and paid the deposit (but they still signed and paid; it’s never been an issue).
My understanding is that the platform was designed with wedding planners and photographers in mind, but it works so well for any project-oriented creative business that I can’t not recommend it highly enough regardless of its name.
