People usually get into interior design because they love to create beautiful spaces and bring their client's visions to life. But it can be difficult to juggle client preferences, multiple projects, deadlines, and communications with vendors and clients. Tasks can slip through the cracks! Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software exists to help interior designers manage these tasks. 

You might be apprehensive about integrating another tech tool, but a CRM can make running your business much easier. Using CRM tools as an interior designer gives you a clearer view of every client and their project status. This means that you will keep projects  organized and improve business efficiency. 

In this blog, we’ll go over how a CRM can benefit your interior design business and why it’s a good idea to integrate a CRM (like Sidemark!). 

What is Customer Relationship Management? 

CRM software is a digital tool that keeps all your client and project info organized in one place. For interior designers, it can be a central hub where you keep track of every client interaction and also store project details. CRM software helps you manage interior design tasks and it even analyzes your business performance. You can have every bit of info about the client, from their initial Pinterest inspiration to the final invoice, all in one place. 

Why Do Interior Designers Need a CRM?

If you are an experienced interior designer, you probably already know that the profession is not just about having a good eye for design. It’s also about being a project manager, curator, purchaser, marketer, operations manager, and sometimes even a mind reader and a therapist too! CRM software can actually help with all these roles. Read on to find out how: 

Client Management

With the right CRM for interior designers, you’ll never forget any client's individual preferences or history, because every interaction gets logged and you’ll always have the full picture available. The logged information includes: 

• Client interactions

• Client profiles and preferences

• Project details

• Timelines

As this info is always accessible in one place, you won't need to browse through emails, text messages, and Slack conversations to find it. You can just pull up the client’s record and that's it. With a good CRM tool for interior designers like Sidemark, you can also easily set follow-up tasks and send texts and emails to clients directly from the app. Of course, you can also email or text clients directly to deliver a more personalized experience, based on each client's unique needs and history. You’ll never miss a detail and your clients will feel even more valued. 

Project Organization

CRM tools help organize interior design projects better. For instance, many tools offer:

• Project Dashboards: You will be able to see all active projects at a glance, track which phase each project is in, and view upcoming deadlines and outstanding tasks.

• Task Assignment: If you have team members, you can delegate tasks to them easily and set automated reminders.

• Document Storage: One place for all project-related files. Mood boards, contracts, and invoices can be accessed with a single click. 

Improved Communication

A great interior design CRM tool like Sidemark will allow you to keep chat messages, Instagram or Facebook DMs, emails and texts all in one place. You won't need to switch between different apps only to end up getting lost. CRM tools can improve interior designer communication with clients:

• Unified Messaging: Send and receive any type of message in one place.

• Templates: Create templates for common messages about project updates, consultations, deadlines, and briefs. You’ll be able to set up automated response sequences as well.

• Client Portal: You can allow your clients to have a dedicated space to view project progress, approve an interior design, or give you feedback about the project. 

Reporting and Analytics

CRM tools can turn project histories into valuable business insights for interior designers by revealing trends in your business. For instance, you can easily see what type of remodels are your most profitable projects, and which ones take the longest to complete. You can also observe trends in customer behavior. Perhaps clients who start with a small test project, like a room refresh, may often come back for larger renovations - that would be a useful piece of information to know! 

With a CRM tool for interior designers, you will be equipped with these insights and able to make smarter decisions for your business. Advanced CRM tools usually offer:

• Project Profitability Tracking: Understand which types of projects bring in the most revenue and which ones consume the least time.

• Client Acquisition Insights: See where your best clients are coming from.

• Time Analysis: How you and your team spend time across projects and tasks. 

Additional Benefits of CRM for Interior Design

Beyond the core features that we have discussed above, some advanced CRM tools offer more advantages:

• Marketing and Lead Generation: You can design email campaigns, plan and schedule social media content in advance, and create custom forms for lead capture. 

• Scheduling: Allow your clients to book consultations, automate email reminders, and sync personal calendars with the CRM. 

• Financial Management: Send interior design project invoices directly from the CRM, track expenses, and generate reports on revenue and profitability. 

Test Interior Design CRM For Free

To summarize, using a CRM can be an effective way for interior designers to streamline client management and project organization. Sidemark is designed specifically for interior designers, offering all the tools you need to manage clients, projects, and marketing effortlessly. You can sign up for a free 14-day trial to discover how Sidemark can help you simplify all these processes and stay organized. Schedule a demo!