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18 Comments

What software do you use for tracking client to-do's?

Sorry if this has been asked 1000x already, but I didn't find anything promising in the search results.

I'm currently starting up multiple service businesses and am realizing there doesn't seem to be 1 standard platform for managing a client list and associated tasks.

I've used project/task management platforms like Asana, Trello, Basecamp, etc and there are a million CRM options out there, but all of it seems way overkill.

Maybe I'm unique, but all I want to see is:
• a simple list of my clients
• a way to add their relevant contact info
• a list of associated tasks for each client that I can check off
• a simple planner calendar view
• a way to get automated email task reminders & daily itineraries.

It could go a lot deeper than that, but just getting those basics down seems crucial for any service business, whether they're just starting up or already established. For anything more detailed, I could simply link from this client hub into other tools like GDocs, GDrive, Basecamp, etc.

I'm currently rolling my own solution in Coda, which works okay, but I'm wondering if there might be an opportunity for something better here.

Thoughts?

  1. 2

    https://clickup.com - I started using ClickUp just over a year ago and have not looked back. It is an extremely powerful tool.

  2. 1

    Managing clients and handling their work requests have never been easy because you are one mistake away from reusing your resources all over again.

    Honestly, I was looking for simple-to-use software that offers all the features required to client handling and task management. After doing research on the internet, I came across ProProfs Project. I took my chance and tried its 15-day free trial. I must say it has lived up to all my expectations.

    Considering your requirements, it supports everything from automatic email notifications to calendar view, comprehensive task list, and powerful client management settings. Besides these, this software has more to offer, which I think you should explore. In short, give this feature-rich software a shot :)

  3. 1

    I would say Coda is the way to go. But, I love being able to customize everything and make little tweaks. Let me know if you want some help making your doc better?

    1. 1

      I love Coda so much. I use it for everything. I'm constantly tweaking my PM structure in and am currently pretty happy with it.

  4. 1

    This is very interesting. We've actually built a Mutual Action Plan (MAP) tool as part of our ProcessLogic workflow. Because client tasks work hand in hand with what you have to do, we reimagined it as a "buyer journey" (or client journey).

    We're targeting sales reps, managers, and consultants, but to summarize, here's what you currently get:

    • Real time collaboration note taking with your buyer / client
    • Built in video conferencing so all touchpoints are referenced in the same link
    • Value summary / Business analysis templates that display your value prop, client challenges, the solution, and outcome
    • MAP tool -> tasks, reminders, accountability, path to purchase (this is what you are asking for, but I do think it's part of a bigger process)
    • Recorded meetings and touchpoints automatically available
    • Proposals and collaboration regarding pricing, changes, etc.

    Biggest benefit? Painless process of buyer enablement PLUS helping you manage each opportunity end to end. Easy for you. Easy for your buyers. Works if you have multiple members of your team and multiple buyers.

    All you do is send your buyer a link; they dont even need an account!

    Shoot me an email [email protected] because I'd love your feedback.

    https://processlogic.io

  5. 1

    We have built exactly this at https://www.simpletasking.com . We built it after wanting to solve a similar situation. Now we use it daily and love our product. Each project is an independent group of users.

    You can see the list of projects (clients) in the first column. Followed by a thread to interact and define tasks (onboard tasks) after selecting one.
    simpletasking

    you can then see the tasks on a board:
    simpletasking

    or filter by #hashtags on the thread:
    smpletasking

    It also does chat similar to Slack, you can enable disable it for each project if you want to use it or now. Same with Thread and Board. Just enable what you need for that project.
    The front-page of the site is not completed, but you can sign up for free.
    I'm happy to see other people noticing the need to solve this problem, gives a sense of validation.

  6. 1

    I tried out lots of different tools over the past 10 years. But I find out that good old pen and paper are the best for my situation.

    Just at the start of the day breakdown your tasks in small baby steps. And then enjoy the feeling of ticking them off one by one.

  7. 1

    https://www.notion.so/ could be right up your alley. Light CRM, light tasks, simple calendar and emails as well.

  8. 1

    For things that I want the client's feedback/answers I use Basecamp as it's very intuitive :-) For my internal task tracking, Things for mac/iPad/iPhone :-)

  9. 1

    https://processkit.com/ by @briancasel sounds like the solution you're looking for.

    He has ran a bunch of services companies and is creating software for them now.

    1. 1

      This looks super cool. Way more than I'm looking for and way more than the potential SMB users I had in mind would ever need, but I'm intrigued by the concept for sure.

  10. 1

    I use Basecamp for that use case. It‘s fairly scalable in terms of which tools you want to add or remove. Don‘t need a calendar, just remove it. Need file exchange, it‘s already there.

    1. 1

      Basecamp is a great product. I've used it in the past for team collaboration on large projects and really loved it. But for managing a client list + task list, it's too much IMO. It also silos each project away from the others, so there's no single view that lets a user see all of their clients and tasks in 1 place.

      1. 1

        Of course, it‘s sometimes a big hammer for a pretty small nail. The search is pretty powerful. You could aggregate that information but it‘s not an intuitive use.

  11. 1

    To-do apps are the lightweight versions of project management apps. You can just put the client's name as the list of to-do tasks and do it that way. Evernote, Todoist, Remember the Milk, Notion, etc are all fine for this.

    1. 1

      So those all require me to build my own framework from scratch, which I've already done in Coda. I'm wondering if someone else has already built a platform with a basic client management framework built-in.

  12. 1

    This comment was deleted 2 years ago.

    1. 1

      This is a potential tangentially-related project.

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