This week was about knowing where your customers come from and saying the right thing to them. We made lead source tracking simpler, put every customer message in one place, and gave estimates room for real photos. Most of it works the same on the web and in the iPhone and Android apps.
Key updates
Source tracking that's simple to fill in
What changed: Every new contact now gets a Source, set with three short drop-downs on the new client, new job and new lead screens. Calls and texts to any of your published numbers set it on their own. Once a contact has a source, it stays. Editing a job later won't overwrite it.
Why it matters: You can't tell which marketing is paying off if half your contacts say "unknown." Now the first way someone reached you gets recorded every time, without extra typing.
Who it helps: Owners who spend money on ads, yard signs or directories and want to know which ones bring in work.
A clearer KPIs report
What changed: The Ad Sources report is now called KPIs. Leads, bookings and conversions count each customer once. Cost per booking and cost per conversion count every job, so repeat customers bring your costs down the way they should. A conversion only counts once real money comes in. Every column has a small (i) that explains what it counts in plain words.
Why it matters: You get numbers you can trust and actually explain, which makes it easier to decide where your next marketing dollar goes.
Who it helps: Anyone comparing lead sources or reporting results to a partner or manager.
Many photos on every estimate
What changed: An estimate can now hold as many photos as you need. They show in a captioned grid under the line items, on both the customer's estimate and the PDF. Photos keep their own shape instead of being cropped. Uploads from the apps go through a queue that holds on through a weak signal.
Why it matters: A photo of the actual job with a short caption explains a price faster than a paragraph does. Customers see exactly what they're paying for.
Who it helps: Crews quoting on site, and anyone whose estimates get questions like "what does that include?"
Every customer message in one place
What changed: Settings › Templates now holds every message your customers get: review requests, invoices, estimates and your on-my-way text. Each kind gets its own tile, and each message is shown at the width of a phone or an inbox, so you see what the customer will see. Placeholders like {first_name} get a soft green highlight when they're spelled right. Review requests are now two texts and two emails, and you can change the wording of each one. The same page is in the apps.
Why it matters: You don't have to hunt through settings to change what your business says. And you'll catch a typo in a placeholder before a customer does.
Who it helps: Owners who want their messages to sound like them, not like a form letter.
Review requests that wait until the job is done
What changed: Each job type now has a Review when Done switch. When it's on, the review request only goes out after the job is marked Done. Job types you remove move to an Archived list, and you can restore them.
Why it matters: Asking for a review before the work is finished feels off to a customer. This makes the timing match the work, type by type.
Who it helps: Businesses with a mix of jobs, like estimates and site visits next to finished work.
Better first replies to new leads
What changed: The Lead Responder can send either a fixed thank-you or a short, friendly reply that asks for one thing you choose, like an address or a photo. It now answers quote requests, contact forms and people who text you through your website's chat widget. The missed-call text-back now introduces you and your company by name.
Why it matters: The first reply often decides whether a lead becomes a job. A quick, personal answer that gets the one detail you need saves a round of back-and-forth.
Who it helps: Busy owners who can't always answer the phone or check the inbox right away.
Best use cases
- Checking at the end of the month whether your yard signs or your directory listings brought in more paying jobs.
- Sending a junk removal or remodeling quote with five captioned photos of the space so the customer knows exactly what's covered.
- Changing your review request wording to sound like you, then checking every placeholder before it goes out.
- Missing a call on a job site and knowing the caller already got a text from you, by name, asking how you can help.
Most of this week came from watching owners try to answer one question: where did that customer come from? If you want to see how it looks in your own business, book a demo at reviewmonster.com/crm-software/demo and we'll walk you through it.
About Review Monster
Review Monster builds the systems local service businesses run on: a CRM with iPhone and Android apps, automatic review requests, websites and local SEO. Calls, texts, scheduling, estimates, invoices and payments live in one place, and every finished job can turn into a Google review without anyone chasing it. Review Monster is based in Boise, Idaho. Learn more at reviewmonster.com.
Media questions: info@reviewmonster.com · All news