3 Tools Dubsado Can Replace in Your Business (and 5 That It Can't)
Last week I did a discovery call with a potential Done-for-You Dubsado client.
We talked about her coaching business, current client process, and how Dubsado could help automate a lot of the work she was doing manually.
Toward the end of our call, she said, “I’m so excited to cancel all my other subscriptions and just have ONE tool in my business.”
*record scratch*
“Well, you might want to keep a few of those tools and use them WITH Dubsado.”
*long pause*
“What do you mean? I thought Dubsado did everything. What else do I need?”
Our conversation made me realize that we need to clear a few things up about what Dubsado is – and what it unmistakably isn’t.
Will it be able to replace some of the tools you’re currently using in a more efficient, automated way? Almost certainly.
But is it the only software tool you need in your business? Methinks not.
3 Tools That Dubsado CAN Replace
Before we dive into the software that you can replace with Dubsado, keep in mind that the tools you’re actually going to be able to replace depend on your business needs.
You might find that one or more of the Dubsado features listed below doesn’t provide the functionality that you need in your business. If that’s the case, then you might want to consider using an external tool and integrating with Dubsado where possible.
But based on my personal experience and the clients I’ve worked with, these are the tools I think you’re most likely going to be able to replace using Dubsado.
1. Scheduling Software
If you’re currently using a scheduling tool like Calendly or Acuity, then you may be able to substitute it for the Dubsado scheduler.
Dubsado’s scheduler has a lot of great functionality. You can customize your availability based on the appointment type, add video conferencing to your meetings, set automatic reminder emails for your clients, and require payment before someone can book a call.
However, there are a few limitations. Two of the biggest drawbacks for many of my clients are that:
Clients can’t book calls with multiple team members. Dubsado currently only connects with one external calendar. Whichever calendar is connected is the one that Dubsado checks for availability and the one that will show appointments scheduled through Dubsado.
Clients can’t book recurring appointments. Calendly and Acuity both have features that allow clients to schedule a call that occurs multiple times (e.g. every Wednesday). This feature isn’t currently available with the Dubsado scheduler. You can work around this by having the client schedule one appointment and then manually sending them a calendar invitation for a recurring appointment. But, for now, there isn’t an automated way to do this in Dubsado.
Even with Dubsado’s scheduler limitations, it’s still a great replacement for many business owners, especially if you’re a smaller service-based business (which many of my clients are).
Using Dubsado’s scheduler also allows you to automate more of your client experience with workflows.
When you send a Dubsado scheduler in a workflow, you can add automations based on what happens in the scheduler. For example:
Send email 15 minutes after an appointment is scheduled
Change project status 10 minutes after an appointment ends
Send form 7 days before an appointment begins
These types of automations aren’t available if you use external scheduling software.
2. Information Collection Forms
At some point in your process, you probably need to collect information from your clients, either before or while you work together. Instead of using Google Forms or Jotform, you can do this using Dubsado’s questionnaire form type.
Questionnaires are great for intake forms, coaching homework, and any content you need to complete your client’s service. You can also convert PDFs you use in your business into questionnaires (e.g. pricing guides, welcome packets, next step guides, etc.) so you can create workflow automations based on their delivery and completion.
In my Done-for-You Dubsado Setup process, I use questionnaires for:
Onboarding: to collect brand information so I can start setting up the account
Implementation: more in-depth details for the nuts and bolts of the setup
Follow-up support: a next-steps guide/checklist on how to use Dubsado and any remaining steps the client needs to take to complete their setup (connecting calendar accounts, video conferencing, etc.)
3. eSignature Software
Before I started using Dubsado, I’d always used HelloSign to send client contracts and signature requests. But since eSignature requests are a built-in Dubsado feature, I don’t need an external software for this anymore, and you might not either.
Similar to Dubsado’s scheduler, there are limitations with Dubsado eSignatures. The biggest one is that you can’t have multiple clients sign the same contract. But there is a workaround.
You can make a copy of the contract as a subagreement, add it to the same project, and email it to the second client to sign.
This hasn’t been a problem for me since I mostly work with small service-based business owners (coaches, photographers, virtual assistants, etc.), and there’s usually only one person who needs to sign the contract.
And remember that any time you go outside of Dubsado’s native features, you’re giving up some level of automation. For example, one of my favorite features of Dubsado is that you can combine a proposal, contract, and invoice. With one link, a client can review your quote/select a package, sign the contract, and submit payment.
If you use a separate eSignature tool, then you would have to manually send the contract separately.
5 Tools That Dubsado CAN’T Replace
As great as Dubsado is, it’s not an all-in-one business solution. It does a lot of things really well (see above), but there are some things that you’ll still need separate software for.
Again – and I cannot reiterate this enough – the tools you need will vary depending on the type of business you have, size of your team, budget, etc.
But generally speaking, these are the tools that I recommend most service-based businesses have, even if you use Dubsado.
1. Accounting Software
Dubsado is great for sending invoices, setting recurring invoices on autopay, and automating payment reminders. But outside of those things, Dubsado’s accounting functionality is pretty limited.
And that makes sense. Dubsado isn’t an accounting tool. It’s a CRM.
You can track expenses, but you have to enter them all manually. With most accounting softwares, you can connect your bank and credit card accounts and automatically import transactions. And you can’t generate a balance sheet or profit and loss statement with Dubsado.
Dubsado’s accounting features might work for you if you’re just getting started with your service-based business (maybe right now it’s your side hustle) and you have very few expenses.
But if your business is your full-time gig, or you have plans to grow, or if you just don’t want the hassle of manually tracking and entering all of your expenses, then you’re probably going to want to use accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, etc.) in addition to Dubsado.
2. Project Management Software
I get that most business owners don’t share my love for project management tools. But hear me out: a PM (project management) tool can help you stay organized, track what everyone is working on, and make sure all tasks are getting completed on time.
If you work with a team, even just one other person, a PM tool is essential.
As I mentioned earlier, Dubsado is a CRM (client relationship management) tool. It has project management features, but that’s not its bread and butter. Dubsado is really built for managing leads and clients, not for managing the nitty gritty of your client work or the backend of your business. That’s what a PM tool is for.
If you’re currently a one-person show, then you might do just fine using Dubsado to track client projects and deliverables. But I would still encourage signing up for a free PM tool account. (I prefer Asana, but you could also use ClickUp, Teamwork, Trello, etc.)
3. Email Marketing Software
Dubsado’s email features are amazing. You can set email reminders for appointments, invoice payments, and write canned emails for any step in your process – from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between.
But it’s not meant to collect email addresses for people you can market your products and services to. For that, you need an email marketing software.
I use and love ConvertKit. They offer a free plan with limited features for up to 1,000 subscribers, which is a great option if you’re just starting out or haven’t built an email list yet.
Email marketing software allows you to give something away for free (checklist, templates, etc.) in exchange for someone’s email address. Then you can warm those leads up by sending them emails with helpful content and educating them about your services.
That’s just not something you can do with Dubsado.
4. Course or Membership Platform
This, of course, only applies if you offer a course or membership in your business. While Dubsado does have a recurring invoice feature, it really works best for ongoing services. I use this feature for my Online Business Manager retainer clients, and you could use it as a social media manager, virtual assistant, web developer, etc.
But for a course or membership program, you’ll want a specialized software like Thrivecart, Kajabi, or Teachable.
5. Testimonial Survey
Remember how I said earlier that you can use Dubsado to replace your survey/information collection tools? The one exception to that is for client feedback and testimonials.
When it comes to testimonials, it’s convenient to have them all in once place where you can review them side by side, filter the data, and choose your favorites for your website or sales pages.
And there’s no way to do that in Dubsado. You have to filter through each project and each individual questionnaire to view your client feedback.
This might not be a big deal early on in your business. But as you grow, work with more clients, redesign your website, update or create new sales pages, it can become a huge timesuck.
That’s why I use (and recommend using) Google Forms or something similar for client feedback. You can export all of the data to a spreadsheet and easily compare reviews and pick out your favorites.
Dubsado Isn’t an All-in-One Business Tool
I love Dubsado. That’s why I became a Dubsado specialist and now help other business owners set up their own Dubsado accounts. But it’s not the one and only piece of software that’s going to solve all your business problems.
When it comes to your business, you want the right tools for the right job. For Dubsado, the right job is lead and client management – scheduling appointments, sending proposals, contracts, invoices, and emails to your clients, collecting information, automating your client experience, etc.
For anything else, there’s probably a tool that’s a better fit.