Business Genie for landscapers and landscape design firms
Landscapers and landscape design firms run two kinds of work side by side: design-and-install projects sold with a proposal, and recurring maintenance that runs on a weekly route. This walkthrough follows one sample project through Business Genie, from the first site visit to a stop on a maintenance route.
Two kinds of work, one schedule
Landscapers run design-and-install projects and maintenance routes on one schedule, because the same crews often do both. A design project starts with a site visit and a consultation, becomes a proposal, and, once it’s approved, turns into crew days for the install. Maintenance is the opposite: small, repeated visits to many properties, where the route matters more than any single job.
Consultations and proposals
Put the consultation on the schedule like any other visit. After it, send the design as a proposal that asks for a deposit, so the deposit pays for plants and materials before you order them. Break the proposal into lines (hardscape, planting, irrigation, lighting) so a client who wants to trim the budget can see what each part costs. See estimates and proposals.
Tap a line to take it out and see the total and deposit change.
Scheduling install crews
Once the proposal is approved, schedule the install days and assign the crew with dispatch, so an install doesn’t collide with a maintenance route. Crew hours come from GPS time tracking, and job costing shows whether the install came in on budget once labor and materials are counted.
Approved, and the deposit is in before plants and materials are ordered.
Routing maintenance
For maintenance days, Business Genie’s route optimization orders the properties automatically, keeps any time windows, and splits the stops across crews. When a property is added mid-day, the route updates, and each crew lead gets turn-by-turn directions to the next stop.
- Done this morning · stops 1–4
- The afternoon, ordered automatically
- Added mid-day: the new client
- The afternoon before it was added
Sample streets and stops. Re-routed, this sample afternoon drives the same distance, one street over.
Invoicing and client records
Invoice installs from the job, and maintenance visits as they’re done. Clients can pay by card, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo or Cash App. Keep each client’s details and history in the CRM, so next season’s proposal starts from what was already built.
- Site visitOn the schedule
- Proposal approvedDeposit $7,980 paid
- Install, 3 crew daysInvoiced from the job
- Stop 5, Crew B’s routeInvoiced per visit
Card · Apple Pay · PayPal · Venmo · Cash App
Setting up
The trial is one month and free, with no credit card; after it, plans start at $50 a month. Setup is free too: the Business Genie team moves your client list in. Put the iOS or Android app on each designer’s and crew lead’s phone, and connect QuickBooks Online if your accounts are kept there.