Houzz Pro

Vorteile

It is excellent and manages 90% of what we need in our business (and probably 10 additional things that don't pertain to us). It has been reliable and trustworthy for our firm since we opened. We especially love the time tracking and retainer management making the tedious task of billing easy!

Nachteile

It is expensive - and the additional fees per user make it cost prohibitive to roll out to the whole firm.
Also we wish we could charge the fees for credit cards, but not ACH. We would absorb the 1% for our business, but want to pass the higher fees through to the client.

Vorteile

User friendly platform. Unparalleled customer service. And basically all the help you could need in operating a trade company.

Nachteile

I can't think of anything. I say that because there were things we didn't like and Houzz either fixed it or taught us how to use so we learned to like it.

Vorteile

I love being able to source and build product selections, then link them to proposals and invoices. I also love being able to send my clients invoices and have them pay directly from the invoice.

Nachteile

I do not like that the price for pro increased and I still don't have all of the options. I should not have to pay even more each month for ultimate service. $200 / mth is definitely plenty and I've used Houzz for a long time. I also don't like not being able to use my sourced products in renderings yet. This needs to happen by now! The renderings still need a little improving on the visual side, but I do love being able to produce a more photo realistic image. It just takes forever to generate.

Vorteile

Visual aids- Time billing reporting. Mood boards and selection boards.

Nachteile

Glitches. project tracker is very slow. Messages with clients doesn't work 100% of the time and clients get frustrated with us not receiving their messages. Integration with quickbooks isn't seamless, have to watch and check for errors. esp with taxes and rounding.

Vorteile

The entire package is a wonderful software for contractors. The estimates look amazing and my clients love them and the client portal.

Nachteile

The latest update combined the labor and material. Now I can not see what the overall cost of material is for a project.

Vorteile

The best Houzz advantage is a great platform for presenting projects, which everyone can do on their platform for free without spending any money.

Nachteile

Support is also disappointing.
For example, our account manager has not responded to support emails for over two months now, and escalations through Houzz Support have done nothing to fix the problem.

System Speed:
The interface is painfully slow. Even simple tasks, such as responding to clients, can take over a minute due to too-long loading times in multiple fields.

Ease of use:
The platform, in trying to handle the needs of the designers, architects, and builders, has turned out very complicated and difficult to navigate.
This, of course, would result in slow performance.

However, we find ourselves constrained by a 12-month contract that renews automatically without notice or shout-out, if you won't cancel it 1 month before the contract ends - Which you of course miss because you find yourself busy working outside of the Houzz management system.

Vorteile

Houzz provides good support to new business owners from how to get leads to how to manage and track projects. They set up the business owner with an account manager and the person I get to work with, [sensitive content hidden] is very knowledgeable and helpful at the time of making marketing decisions. I have enjoyed how easy it is to manage my website through houzz. From the design of it to the content that goes on it, I can change things myself at any time or request the support from a houzz specialist to advise me on what would work best. Houzz also has packages that help you expose your company at a local (city) and nation wide levels.

Nachteile

Houzz offers the option to buy marketing packages that expose you to different cities through adds but it doesn't offer the direct purchase of leads. You get to pick the level of exposure you want to pay for and this gets measured by clients interactions with company's houzz portal or website. I find this challenging specially if you are just beginning to build a brand/company, and although I have been satisfied so far with their service, I wish they offered the option to purchase leads in the future. I think this would help diversify their product and help business owners have more tools of generating new clients.

Vorteile

I have being a user since I open my studio 4 years ago. Over the years I have being very surprised many times as they keep making the workflow more intuitive and keep adding features that make my work much more easier. I can definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their design management and client communication tools. I am sure once you use it you hardly would want to use anything else.

Nachteile

Houzz continues to improve constantly, so I have the good feeling they they will address some glitches that come here and there.
I am not super fan of their calendar appointment integration, I think there is a lot of room for improvement there, it isn't reliable, luckily I add my other booking links to my Houzz templates to overcome this.. and it works for me

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

QuickBooks Enterprise

Vorteile

The ability to interact with my colleagues, shareholders and clients on Houzz has been an invaluable experience which has helped us deliver to our clients a more transparent view of the design and build process. Being able to illustrate my design concepts and calculate take offs in one platform has given me a substantial improvement on efficiency, allowing myself and my team to complete a greater number of projects to the same and even higher standard of care. Not only this, but the ability to amalgamate our scheduling and budget into the same platforms allows all of our team access to the information they need without having to search multiple platform or documents for the information they need.

Nachteile

Like every software, there is a learning curve. Thankfully, due to its simple and accessible interface, becoming familiar with Houzz Pro doesn't take nearly as long to become well versed in compared to other similar software. There are some softwares that are highly customizable which is nice but can take a long time to set up. While Houzz Pro doesn't have that level of highly customizable options, it does allow you to get started faster and re-orient your use of the platform in the future.

Vorteile

I like the selections boards and using that to create the proposals thru pos. I also like how it connects with quick books for streamlined booking. From the design perspective I really love the mood boards and the space planning with the camera-what a game changer! To have all of this in one place?!?! Amazing

Nachteile

I wish I could u out my own library selections into the space planning rather than just using the stocknitems from Houzz library.

I also wish I could see one wall elevations at a time not just in the 3d view.

Vorteile

Integration, estimates, leads, accounting, 3d floor plans

Nachteile

Quality of leads is very poor, I'm been with houzz for the past 4 years and haven't done any job

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

QuickBooks Online

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Houzz Pro

Leads Management, floor plan tool, project management

Vorteile

The estimating feature. We love the options we can adjust to customize our estimates to fit our business's needs.

Nachteile

That the estimates can't be permanently locked for the clients. The estimate is a live link so if you don't change the settings back before a client re-clicks the link, they can see all your internal prices. Also, the floorplan layout is great but lacking in options for finishes and it would be lovely to have a deck/screen porch feature.

Vorteile

First & foremost, I liked the fact that Houzz Pro combines design & project management tools in the same platform! It is good for its comprehensive set of instruments designed specifically for home design & remodeling professionals like myself. It offered me strong project management tools that helped me organize & track all aspects of my projects, from initial client contact to final invoicing.

Nachteile

As an Interior Designer using Houzz Pro, I found the cost of the platform, the learning curve for my new interns & the delays in responses (difficulty in getting timely assistance) are real drawbacks of Houzz Pro. Design tools have glitches all the time. It frustrated me in the beginning especially with client's appointments for presentations. I made it a habit to contact my Account Manager in order for him to raise the issue to the technical team. That usually took time to fix, nonetheless they're rallying to get better at it.

Vorteile

The versatility of it is one that I often share with my colleagues. From the Room Scanner to the Scheduling. It really aims to be an end-to-end user product for managing a project full cycle.

Nachteile

That I have to purchase multiple seats for each user in my organization. I would like if it had the option to link items in my estimate to industry pricing or to connect with certain vendors or a pricing matrix such a Home Depot etc. Also there are times when I outsource my takeoff and estimating and i get my data back in excel - It would be great if Houzz was setup to parse the data from some columns so I can send the estimate from the Houzz platform.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Procore und Bolster

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Houzz Pro

I was already enrolled and satisfied with the service I was getting.

Vorteile

What I like the most is that I can manage the entire project from one platform. I definitely don't use all the features provided, like the 3D drawing, because it's a bit basic for my line of work, but everything else is great.

Nachteile

What I like the least is that they keep updating the software, which doesn't carry through all the projects. For example, an older project will look different (action buttons in different locations)from the newer ones. Now you are going back and forth, spending time finding what you need.

Vorteile

I love all the resources for learning how to run my business smarter and smoother. I love the look of it and how easily it integrates into the other tools I use to run my business. Paying bills and managing my many design projects is so much easier and so organized all in one spot.

Nachteile

The hardest part for me is learning how to use all the tools and then getting my clients to onboard with them. Billing is a breeze, but not all clients want to use a dashboard setting and I struggle to get them to the platform. My biggest hurdle is myself and taking the time I should to learn everything Houzz can do.

Vorteile

I like that it's developed for common tasks and processes of an interior design firm and that it integrates with QuickBooks. I like that the development team is constantly asking for feedback and making improvements. I like my Account Rep and can rely on him to help me resolve issues quickly - he's top notch! I like the new Selection Board functionality.

Nachteile

The monthly subscription fee covers the use of HouzzPro and being listed in Houzz as an interior designer in my target market. I pay 5x the monthly QuickBooks Online subscription amount for HouzzPro. I get very few leads from Houzz. So I am evaluating the use of it going forward. Even after improvements in the floorplanning and mood board functionality in HouzzPro, we still use 3rd party apps for those things since they have better functionality for what we need (i.e., my iGuide scans can download into my 3rd party floorplanning software, etc.)

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Microsoft PowerPoint, QuickBooks Desktop, Floorplanner und Canva

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Houzz Pro

I also considered StyleRow, but that wasn't listed as an option in the drop-down list. I chose Houzz Pro because of the connection to my target audience and the consolidated functionality covered most of the bases.

Vorteile

I like the functionality and the features being all in once place. I like the sync to quickbooks, the project planning tool and the proposal and selections board tool. I love that I can show Client's how we are on or over the planned budget, and they can clearly see why. We can work collaboratively more effectively. The Client Dashboard is incredibly useful too.

Nachteile

It can be sluggish sometimes, and sometimes freezes for a bit which is frustrating when you are trying to work quickly. I would love more integrations as I don't expect the software to be brilliant at everything. It can be difficult for Client's to access their Dashboard without regularly sending them the link.

Vorteile

HOW PROFESSIONAL IT ALLOWS OUR COMPANY TO BE IN FRONT OF OUR CLIENTS AND TRACK TRANSACTIONS

Nachteile

I WISH THERE WERE MORE TOOLS OR OWNERS/MANAGERS: I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A OWNERS DASHBOARD WHERE I COULD CUSTOMIZE REPRTS/VIEWS TO SEE THINGS THAT MATTER TO ME AT A GLANCE INCLUDING GROSS SALES, MARKUP BY CERTAIN TIME FRAMES, BILLABLE HOURS CLOCKED, AND WHAT EMPLOYEES ARE CURRENTLY CLOCKED IN

Vorteile

Love that it has the option to provide a well rounded service from start to finish in handling clients from lead stage, to design, quotation proposals and build management. Not many options out there that combine design and construction components in one program.

Nachteile

Leads that come through are hit and miss. A lot of scam leads. However, have had some very successful leads.

Needs little better handling and efficiency across the system and better user friendly interface for the app.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

HubSpot Marketing Hub, Salesforce Sales Cloud, monday.com und HubSpot CRM

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Houzz Pro

That it co-ordinated both design and build together

Vorteile

The ease of use and setup were key for me when I first started. The staff was eager to help get me started and are still just a phone call away when I need help or have questions. The estimating "program" is extremely helpful... I use it every day! The "Layout" and 3D design "program" is awesome for when I design a new kitchen or bathroom renovation.

Nachteile

Sometimes the updates and changes to the programs throw me for a loop, however, the staff always help get me back on track.

Vorteile

I love having all needed in one spot, that I can log in to daily (and do!) and that I can share with my clients so we area all on the same page. I use Houzz Pro for floor-planning, invoicing, creating mood boards, etc. It's my one and done system!

Nachteile

I wish the Floor planner tool had a bit more functionality to be comparable to the other 3D renderings available out there.

Vorteile

I really like it. I love that it’s constantly being improved.

Nachteile

The billing is a bit tedious. I wish there was a way to send invoices more easily.

Vorteile

I like how it has evolved into a design focused platform, and how its focusing on helping professionals manage businesses. Our primary interest in Houzz was to have an additional portfolio that could be easily found by prospective clients. Next our focus was keeping up to date with customer satisfaction. Currently we have found better and better clients who have found us through Houzz. This company has definitely focused on improving itself.

Nachteile

The cost is a bit too high for us currently.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

monday.com

Gründe für den Wechsel zu Houzz Pro

We focus mostly on the marketing value of houzz, not the project management aspect.

Vorteile

The features are so specifically tailored to designers and how a design firm functions - it's wonderful! I love the ability to customize shared features with clients and the rest of my team too.

Nachteile

Price - a bit expensive for what my firm needs
Compatibility with Quickbooks - can be buggy

Vorteile

I like the simplicity of Houzz Pro, everything I need including my website is in one convenient location.

Nachteile

Sometimes they release upgrades too early and users suffer through the learning curve when there could have been a better way to incorporate new features and educate users.

Vorteile

The user interface is easy to use. Leads are well tracked/simple to make notes. Any changes made to our website, which is through Houzz as well, are easy to make from the Houzz pro web application. Their customer service has been helpful when we need to make adjustments.

Nachteile

Only one 'admin' can be a 'super user' of the site. I understand the thought behind this, that you don't want too many cooks in the kitchen, however, it would be great if you could more easily assign roles to admins rather than having one super user with all the power.

Vorteile

Houzz Pro has sent me so many leads that I have actually turned into long term clients. I love the ease of invoicing too.

Nachteile

The new format for invoicing is a learning curve for me, but once I get used to it, the program is better now than when I started

Vorteile

Houzz Pro help our firm source products, manage project budgets and billing and acquire new leads.

Nachteile

Customer service and lack or clarity in contract. I got tied into expense monthly features my firm does not use for an entire year and was not satisfied with how it was handled.

Vorteile

Easy to work, even if not tech savvy such as myself. I am able to easily navigate for the most part. I also like the ability to communicate easily with my clients through the email feature. Overall, it feels like a very organized system, which my team enjoys.

Nachteile

I do wish the platform was a little easier for those of us that are IPad users.

Vorteile

Houzz brings a decent amount of traffic to our website

Nachteile

We find it very difficult to actually reach the customer once we are sent the lead. The phone numbers Houzz provides does not typically work for us as we are therefore unable to reach the customer. So far this year we have been unable to convert a single Houzz lead to a sale.

Vorteile

It is an excellent, multi-purpose site for many businesses.

Nachteile

It does not have a specific category for my business, which is organizing.

Vorteile

The billing portion of house is my favorite part. It is very user-friendly, love the templates, and it is very professional looking.

Nachteile

I don’t use a lot of the scheduling and mood board features of Houzz Pro. It’s not necessarily vital to my business model, but I could see how it could be very useful too many others.

Vorteile

I think the support team should get back faster

Nachteile

support team or manager should get back to us faster

Vorteile

User interface
Always updating
Tech Support

Nachteile

lacks full CRM capabilities as far as follow up and managing tasks.

Vorteile

Houzz Pro has everything you need to maintain your business. I love that I can not only design on Houzz but I can also manage my invoicing, marketing, website and project management.

Nachteile

I would like to see more realistic imagery from the 3D planner.

Vorteile

One stop shop for interior design project management. Ease of use once you learn how to navigate. Periodic updates based on user feedback.

Nachteile

Not able to access all platform features on the Houzz app

Vorteile

I love to invoice with Pro. I like how clean it is and easy to use. The improvements lately have been great as well.

Nachteile

There are some kinks in the way we clean up the products and services. Some things are not very easy to figure out when it comes to billing. The way that you clock in hours is also a bit confusing.

Vorteile

The best part of about Houzz Pro is the beautiful interface for clients. Our clients can see their open invoices and documents we save for them. We are able to have full control of the project and see everything at a glance.

Nachteile

The least thing we like about Houzz is the lead tool. We get a ton of none responding leads and it goes against our total.

Vorteile

The 3d scanner. My point of contact [sensitive content hidden] is the best

Nachteile

Sometimes prospects do not reply. I wish my website looked more sophisticated

Vorteile

We used to get jobs through HOUZZ!!! Still a great place to direct potential clients to see our past work, unfortunately, they will see other designers work, which might be fine...

Nachteile

I scrolled down to the last Lead, February 20th... Since then we've Won ONE Job.

Vorteile

As a business owner I like the capability and ease of managing multiple projects at once. The payment processing feature is something I use for all my clients as well and is integrated into the software nicely and allows me to manage projects well.

Nachteile

There have been a lot of changes to the software and sometimes the older items I have in the software do not integrate well. The cost has gone up a lot as well and customer service seems overloaded with the workload of helping implement the new changes.

Vorteile

I mostly use Houzz Pro to manage my projects, put together proposals and managing invoicing.

The Ivy clipper tool is amazing for pulling together product proposals easily. The proposals and invoicing are seamless. I also use the time stopwatch for clocking freelance hours which seamlessly translate to an invoice for billing which is amazing.

I also use the scheduling tool for planning project work which is also useful.

Nachteile

The credit card payment function for invoices is extremely expensive so I always have it turned off.

The scheduling tool can sometimes be buggy where it adds additional time to the schedule without requesting it.

Vorteile

I have been subscribing to Houzz for many years and what I like about Houzz Pro is that it has everything any builder, remodeler, subcontractor, architect or designer needs to help your business succeed.

Nachteile

What I didn't like is that the support contact wasn't allowed enough time to deal with my problems, but with the new reorganization I think that is changing.

Vorteile

Being able to save products and pricing, presenting to clients using room boards, and easily convert approved products into invoices & POs. It is really an all-in-one app. Recent updates have made it more intuitive to use.

Nachteile

The price is becoming unaffordable for my small business.
The reporting is terrible -- I have to amend all of my 2023 sales taxes because of inconsistencies in reports.
That clients can price-shop my selections on Houzz.

Vorteile

User friendly platform. Everything is simple, clear and easy in layout and design.

Nachteile

I wish I could incorporate my contract so I can send the contract and invoice for my services together

Vorteile

I love that I can easily upload projects, create proposals and invoices and communicate about project details with my clients.

Nachteile

I do not love the interface/ set up for how potential clients connect with me. I also have had a really hard time receiving ACH payments

Vorteile

The portfolio feature within Houzz is a great way to drive traffic to our website and to move forward with booking an initial consultation. Having the ability to message us through Houzz to discuss their project is another great feature, again helping us to pre-screen leads and determine if moving forward with an initial consultation makes sense based on what they are looking to accomplish in their home. For the most part, we have had success with these leads.

Nachteile

While the link to our website is helpful to have as is the portfolio. If there was a way for us to showcase our 360 tours of our kitchen and bath projects, I think that would captivate visitors to our profile even more. I also have found that the Houzz project match leads haven't matched our scope of work, making them cold leads for us.

Vorteile

The referral potential is good. It allows potential customers to find you from a source that is actually in the industry instead of just a search engine.

Nachteile

Sometimes complex to try new features. Would also like the 3d software to add decks

Vorteile

HOUZZ provides services that I do not have. I can develop home plans for clients. Know nothing about hosting websites. Using HOUZZ, I have met clients who live around the corner and others far away. My clients can leave reviews which makes others clients confident to reach out to me.

Nachteile

They offer a lot of services I do not need. I am sure GC's like these services. No problem, I pick and choose what works for me.