Connectably is a simple Xero CRM that connects your sales and marketing with your accounting and bookkeeping. It makes doing business simpler, quicker and more connected.
One of the biggest problems that frustrates service and trades business owners is managing the software that is required to run their business. Running a small business is hard enough without the expense, plate-spinning and information re-keying of disconnected, piecemeal software.
Connectably addresses these issues in ten specific ways.
Benefits summary
Xero CRM feature #1: Simple yet complete solution
Simple, connected, quicker
“Connectably helps your service or trades business to manage sales, marketing and workflows quickly and simply, with one-click integrations with your core business software, and works wherever you are on desktop, tablet or mobile.”
Testimonial:
“I have automations set up for taking information from my website and sending out email series. In addition, I also have a number of order forms taking regular subscription payments via credit card. I enjoy using Connectably and finding new things to add on a regular basis to get even more value from it.”
Tim Matcham, BlueLine Coaching
Xero CRM feature #2: Fully integrated with Xero
Fully Integrated with your business’ financial hub
Xero is the market-leading small business accounting software.
But if you’re using Xero without keeping your marketing and sales software in sync with it, how can you be sure that you are maximising your financial potential?
Connectably syncs:
Organisations
Contacts
Invoices
Sales History
Payment Statuses
Products/Services
Tracking Categories
GoCardless sync
Stripe sync
Instant two-way sync of contacts, invoices, payments, sales-to-date and marketing tracking with Xero.
Improved reporting information in Xero
Connectably enhances Xero’s reporting capabilities by syncing marketing lead sources for sales with Xero’s tracking categories, tracked and applied by Connectably. As a result, you can view sales and profits by the lead source of where sales have first come from for better-focused marketing activities.
Xero CRM feature #3: Get paid predictably & consistently
Take payments securely
Connectably stands alone as the only provider on Xero’s marketplace of CRM providers to offer secure payments functionality without need for 3rd party add-ons, e-commerce products, or frustrating manual follow-up to try to get late payers to pay.
Connectably then syncs direct debit and credit and debit card transactions between partners GoCardless and Stripe and Xero, so that you do not need to re-key or import sales information, and transactions get automatically reconciled.
Take debit and credit card payments simply and economically with Stripe, reconciled into Xero by Connectably.
Securely create digital bank transfers and direct debits using GoCardless, reconciled into Xero by Connectably.
Connectably’s payment functions:
Secure Order Forms
Take Direct Debits (GoCardless)
Take Card Payments (Stripe)
Invoice Sending
Reconcile Payments
Bank Fees Handling
Get paid quicker
One of the greatest inhibitors to small business survival itself, let alone success, is the cost and impact of late payments. Data from Small Business Insights, Xero’s monthly snapshot of the health of the small business economy, shows that invoices with 30-day payment terms are paid in 39 days on average (Nov 2018).
However, with payment partners GoCardless and Stripe, Connectably users can reduce average payout timings by upto 87% to 5 days for existing direct debit mandates (6 for new ones), and 7 days for debit / credit card payments taken via Stripe.
Payments can be scheduled to be taken with minimum delay or to be taken on specific days of the month.
Xero CRM feature #4: Connected business systems
Connected business
As you live your day by your inbox and diary we felt that being able to link them and your to-do list with your Connectably system was vital to have a single view of your contact relationships.
In addition, we’ve brought together online meetings with our partners at Zoom, and developed an integration (so you don’t have to) with Zapier, the online integration services that links over 1400 online software services together with their ‘Zap’ connection service. If other software in your business is online, there’s a good chance that it can link into Connectably.
Digital bombardment
In the age of digital bombardment, never has there been a better opportunity or need to stand out and be different. But when was the last time somebody sent you an engaging, well-written letter or newsletter that addressed actual problems that you have in your business, or life?
Because of this, we’ve integrated Connectably with Docmail, so that you can send letters, postcards and greetings cards directly from you CRM, at timed intervals with your email marketing.
Connectably integrates with:
GSuite (calendar, tasks)
Gmail (emails)
Office365 (calendar, tasks)
Outlook (emails)
Zoom
Zapier
Send Letters, Postcards, Greetings Cards using Docmail
Book Zoom online meetings directly from Connectably without logging in separately to set them up.
Automatically move info between other web apps (2000+) that you want to use with Connectably.
Send letters, postcards and greetings cards directly from Connectably.
Xero CRM feature #5: Better lead management
Managing relationships
How you manage leads is a critical factor in choosing a CRM system. The ‘R’ in ‘CRM’, managing the ‘Relationship’, is the key word. We even wrote a blog on the topic.
There are certain minimums – managing contact information in a GDPR compliant way, recording notes, setting to-do’s and reminders.
Lead management:
Web Forms
Tagging
Workflows
Drag & Drop Cards
Book Meetings
Create Notes
Manage To-Do’s
Works on Mobile
Little things that make a difference
Connectably handles lots of mini-processes that you don’t tend to think about until you see the gap that not having them creates in your business. For instance, capturing leads on your website and immediately segmenting them with tags in your database as they go straight into it, being able to book meetings that record in your Google Calendar (GSuite) or Outlook’s calendar (Office365), and seeing visually how leads are progressing through stages of your sales and marketing activities.
Xero CRM feature #6: Improved communications – targeted email marketing & automation
CRM + email marketing = your advantage
There are some great advantages to managing email marketing within Connectably, your CRM software, especially automated email sequences:
#1: Marketing to every contact in a relevant way
Instead of treating every lead or contact in the same way, sending the same generic email marketing to your entire list, when email marketing sits within your CRM software with contacts segmented by tags along interest areas, buying status, value, lead source, previous activity etc, you can create highly targeted messaging in your communications.
#2: Trigger relevant marketing by sales stage
As leads move between different stages of your sales and marketing workflows, or indeed your delivery and support workflows, you can trigger focused and drip-fed scheduled email content to them over time. Changes to their status (how they’re tagged, the stage they’re in) can be automatically tracked and contacts can be automatically transferred into different follow-up email marketing sequences.
#3: Full history and trackable activities
All activity can be tracked against one version of the contact record – individual emails, bulk emails, responses, clicks on links etc. Consequently, having a single view of the contact enriches engagement with them. When you are on the phone, or checking on your mobile on your way to a meeting, you can see clearly what your prospect and client has interacted with.
Connectably & marketing automation
In-App Email Builder
Mobile Responsive
Brandable Design
Create on Mobile
Schedule Emails
Automate Emails
Xero CRM feature #7: Manage your time better with appointment scheduling
Your time is your most valuable currency
Poor management of time is one of the greatest inhibitors to service and trades businesses. What you do with the limited time in your working week is what you get paid for by clients. Connectably combines your calendar, email and booking forms into a quick to use appointment scheduling software.
The booking process
Contacts book appointments based on diary rules, get tagged and added to the system and can be added to follow-up email sequences using the booking information in confirmation and reminder emails.
Connectably’s appointment scheduler
Online Scheduler
Availability Rules
Zoom Integration
G Suite Sync
Office365 Sync
Integrated with Zoom for online meetings
If meetings are online, and the user has a Zoom online meetings account, then Connectably will not only automatically set up both the meeting in the user and the meeting booker’s diary, but also include Zoom meeting details in the appointment that has been set up.
Book Zoom online meetings directly from Connectably without logging in separately to set them up.
Testimonial:
“Lovely conversation with a new client tonight (she said yes on the call) and it felt good to say “I’ll send you over a proposal.””
Sherry Bevan, The Confident Mother
Xero CRM feature #8: Quickly send professional quotes & proposals
When the sales process gets real
New business is won or lost on how you respond when a customer asks you to quote or agrees to receive one, so it’s important to get it right. But proposals can take forever to create without templates or systemisation.
Quicker, more professional & more profitable sales
Connectably enables you create quotes/proposals directly within the CRM – on both desktop and mobile views of the application.
Quick & comprehensive
Template Builder
Xero Product Picker
Staged Payments
Sent By Email
PDF Attachment
Create On Mobile
E-Signature
Get Paid Online
The missing opportunity in your sales process?
Quotes and proposals are an under-utilised, under-optimised and underwhelming part of running service or trades businesses. Why don’t most businesses use them more?
They build understanding, trust, differentiation quality into your customer’s decision process.
Consequently, done right, they give you a great chance to cross-sell and up-sell other products and services to generate more profit for every sale you make.
But is there untapped potential in your business that you’re missing by following up by phone and email alone?
Xero CRM feature #9: Attentive UK-based support
Outstanding support
UK-Based Chat Support
In-App Walkthroughs
Facebook Group ‘The Connectables’
Facebook Live Trainings
Testimonial:
“One of the reasons why I invested in Connectably was because of your passion for the product. Hugely grateful for you going above and beyond.”
Susan Heaton-Wright, Executive Voice
Xero CRM feature #10: Great value for money for startup & small businesses
Built by a client services business for service & trades businesses
In short, Connectably is the CRM provider that is built from the ground up to combine sales and marketing functionality that fits well in your service or trades business. It provides the deepest and simplest integration with your UK Xero and payment services accounts, without you having to write or manage a single line of code or additional integration software.
Connectably addresses the problems of disconnected software in your service or trades business
Connectably was founded by the owner of a client services business who’s faced your challenges. You know the ones… Like when you’re on your phone or computer and open your browser:
- your inbox is overflowing with other people’s problems in one tab;
- you’re trying to do billing or get paid on time in another;
- the marketing pressure to generate website and phone enquiries;
- there’s email marketing software open and a blank page to fill;
- you’re trying to manage leads and relationships in yet another app;
- …not to mention, you’ve still got your clients themselves to serve.
We recognise that you have choice when it comes to CRM. We also know from past experience that managing a service or trades business has its own unique challenges.
So when you’re reviewing your options, please consider this page a checklist of requirements.
We’d also welcome you to take a simple 14-day free trial to see the benefits for yourself: