Houzz Pro

HOUZZ for Kitchen and Bath Professionals

주석: The lead generation is appreciated but confusing. Too much calling, emailing, texting. I try to contact most leads but few return my calls or emails. Sometimes they are confused as to why I am calling. Some, I think, just tell HOUZZ something because they got too far into the query.

장점:

After almost 10 years with HOUZZ I feel the cost is worth it. We have a large metropolitan area we include in our advertising. The ability to show potential customers our projects is the number 1 reason we use it. Although many features have been added, the only other one we use is the lead generating aspect. It takes attention and time but we do get some good leads that turn into projects.

단점:

All of the added features are included in other software we already use such as DropBox , Quickbooks, and Asana. Starting over did not make sense for us. I have looked at some of the features but they appeared to take too much time to get started.

Houzz Pro and an Organizing Business

주석: I have received some good leads from advertising on Houzz Pro, but not a many as I would llike.

장점:

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

단점:

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

Just started using it will update once I know more about the app

주석: It's been ok so far I really don't have much to go off of yet.

장점:

Don't know yet just started it's only been a day so far.

단점:

The lack of communication. It seems like communication is good until you sign up

Houzz Pro keeps me organized!

주석: The learning curve on Houzz Pro was pretty simple to get going, however being a deconstruction contractor in which the program was not designed for it has taken a few years to get it adapted for me and I still have a ways to go it seems.

장점:

With Houzz Pro I'm able to manage my customers and projects with efficiency and stay highly organized. Using the takeoffs side of the program I have been able to develop standards in my estimating and templates to speed up the process.

단점:

The customer section is built for working with one client per project. I'm a deconstruction subcontractor that works with big General contractors that have multiple project managers, and estimators that I work with. That part gets complicated for me at times.

Great platform

장점:

What I liked the most is to have all the information about my projects in the same place. Financial, plans, designs.

단점:

I think there are some things to make easier to find.

Our experience with Houzz.com

장점:

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.

단점:

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.

Houzz pro for the win

주석: All these years and very pleased with my experience. Definitely recommend to colleagues.

장점:

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.

단점:

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

Houzz Pro is very helpful for Interior Designers!

주석: Overall pretty good. There are a few hiccups while using it but still very helpful.

장점:

Tracking products, the product clipper extension, and mood boards.

단점:

Purchasing gets confusing. Especially the way taxes are set up. Sometimes vendors calculate their taxes slightly different so there's no way to add a tax or additional fees column to balance our quotes vs. the taxes calculated by Houzz pro.

My Houzz Pro review

주석: My overall experience with Houzz Pro has been a good one. It went downhill the last year with qualified leads, but with my doing a better job of managing my website and their reorganization I am confident the lead quality will be better.

장점:

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.

단점:

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.

Overall, satisfied!

주석: Overall, satisfied! Houzz Pro is convient and easy to use.

장점:

Houzz Pro is an all encompassing software and is perfect for my interior design business. It not only offers inspiration but you can make notes and create ideabooks for clients. It also markets for my business by just having an account. But it goes beyond just the pretty things, it is also a management software where you can track budget, schedules, release proposals, track payment and track your time per job accordingly! I've had a few different softwares but this on has it all! Highly recommend Houzz Pro for you business and project management needs.

단점:

The only complaint I have and the only missing piece is it doesn't have the ability to send out an actual contract to your clients. There are a few work arounds and hopefully this feature will be added in the near future.

Houzz Pro fits the bill for this small homebuilding company

주석: My overall experience with Houzz Pro is quite good. It is robust enough yet simple enough to work for this small contractor.

장점:

I like the timeline, the tasks section, the daily logs (super easy to use, including pictures - my clients are loving this). I am starting to use the budgeting and estimating side and I like it so far.

단점:

There are a few small hiccups with how information is communicated with subs and vendors, but I fully expect this to get better in the near future. Houzz is constantly adding new features. I don't like not being able to view the timelines on mobile devices. Add this functionality please!

Houzz Pro To the Rescue

주석: Site Mangement. Since hiring a project manger I can see the pictures taken on site and it provides one place for communication between subs, team members, and clients.

장점:

The product is easy to use and for clients to maneuver. I get far less pushback from sub contractors with this software than with others I've used in the past.

단점:

At first I thought there was, but after some interaction with the Houzz Pro team, we were off to the races. As we get bigger, we may need to upgrade to program better suited for larger companies

Great Customer Service

주석: I am at a 50% right now. There are features that I love, and again, features that surprisingly are absent.

장점:

I've found the online chat feature on Houzz to be incredibly helpful. It's become my go-to whenever I have questions while browsing the platform.

단점:

Several features that I believe should be standard offerings are either absent or require cumbersome workarounds within the Houzz platform. Despite being assured that user feedback is integral to driving improvements, none of the suggestions I've provided have been implemented to date.

Way to Grow... with Houzz Pro!

주석: Genuinely no real complaints! I started with Houzz pro even before I had a formally established business and it allowed me to scale my operations with the vast resources it provides. I will always recommend it to others

장점:

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.

단점:

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.

Game Changer

주석: We are a small, growing company. Houzz has made it so much easier to manage my projects. It also provides a professional look for my clients. I am very happy with the program and all the constant improvements being made.

장점:

Everything I need is all conveniently located in this one App. From customer acquisition all the way to billing and even renderings.

단점:

Most of the problems I've found have been resolved. There was a point in time where the estimates were frustrating because of the constant saving. But I have not noticed that issue anymore.

Great for a small business.

주석: Notes from "Billing and Invoice" section on previous page: (I needed to delete these comments in order to continue to this page). I like the option to create and use templates to customize my invoices. It's nice to add a logo, but once you add it, you have to replace it with another image. I wish there was an option to set the invoice due date to always be on the 1st of each month or 4 weeks from the day of the invoice being sent. I also feel it is redundant to have two due dates listed on the invoice. Currently, I have to toggle back to edit the invoice because the date didn't update. Once an invoice is sent, it would be nice to automatically return to the all invoices page.

장점:

Fantastic new layout!! I can see improvements have been made since I started with Houzz Pro.

단점:

The time keeping and invoicing needs to improve.

We love Houzz Pro

주석: Love it!

장점:

It has everything we need to successfully run our business.

단점:

There were some frustrating glitches happening when Houzz took over Ivy but they seem to be worked out for now.

Great integration of portfolio, website, advertising

주석: I have had a steady reliable account manager who regularly checks in with me to outline new features that were introduced, and even actually created the first version of our website which I subsequently tweaked a bit and personalized, but I was really impressed that she took the time to do this. This is definitely unique in the marketplace.

장점:

I like the integration between our Houzz profile content and creating a website from it. It allows me to keep a portfolio of our work that I can direct clients to along with the creation and management of our website which is hosted by Houzz. It provides a single portal for managing leads from people who choose us in general searches on Houzz such as what they call Houzz Project Match, to leads that come directly through our website which is hosted by Houzz. They all show up in the same place. With the addition of the website tools and a fair bit of customization of our website using them, it has really provided an easy solution for a fair bit of our marketing. I would highly recommend it, especially for a smaller company that does not already have an up to date website. Also, remarkably, since hosting our website on Houzz our organic search engine ranking is unexpectedly high after switching over a year ago.

단점:

I would love even more website creation tools but I also recognize that with more complexity, it might go beyond my capability to use these new tools.

Still space to improve

주석: In my opinion, Houzz Pro software has been a mixed bag. While it offers valuable features for project management and the support is commendable, there are notable drawbacks. The software has encountered bugs and lacks essential design elements, causing frustration and a loss of trust. Lead generation has been subpar, with low-quality leads and unresponsiveness. The program's extensive capabilities are impressive, but the learning curve is steep. Overall, while there are positives, there is room for improvement in various areas to enhance the user experience.

장점:

Houzz Pro is an indispensable tool for our business, providing a comprehensive project-based software solution. Its wide range of features caters to our needs, including project selection, proposals, and seamless invoicing with clients. Moreover, the platform offers remarkable cost savings, as it delivers all these capabilities at a fraction of the cost, eliminating the hassle of converting funds to Canadian currency. One of the highlights is the Houzz Pro dashboard, which conveniently stores everything required for my projects, regardless of their scale. Additionally, the insightful analytics prove invaluable in tracking progress and identifying successful endeavors.

단점:

The learning curve may seem daunting, but the exceptional support provided makes it worthwhile. Don't let that discourage you from exploring the platform's immense value once everything is up and running smoothly. However, there are a few areas that could be improved. It would be beneficial to have the ability to edit or cancel items after issuing an invoice, and generating credit memos can be challenging. Additionally, it would be convenient if bank transfer payments were free of charge. The Houzz Pro software design program has some bugs and lacks key elements like stairs and fireplaces, which need fixing to regain trust. Customizing specific furniture pieces within the program would be a great addition.

Houzz makes my business operate smoothly and teaches me how to run it smarter!

주석: I've been very happy with this program. As a designer I've tried several platforms and this one is the easiest to use, the most updated and offers the most options for the work that I do. There is so much in this program that I can learn to make my business even smarter and I am anxious to learn it all. Meanwhile, my billing and project organization runs like a top and that makes me less stressed!

장점:

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.

단점:

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.

Beware of predatory business practices

주석: I wouldn't recommend them to anyone and would warn anyone interested in evaluating the trial to be very wary of the predatory business policies. They have no interest in providing any leniency to errors and will continue to bill you for up to 12 months after requesting a cancellation.

장점:

From a software perspective the platform seems fine. We evaluated it for use but decided not to proceed with a purchase. Unfortunately, due to an administrative oversight, we failed to cancel the free trial and have been being billed for the past 12 months for a product that we neither used, needed nor wanted. After attempting to contact the company - they refused to process any refund or cancel the subscription. So they continue to bill us. As a small business this is a non-trivial expense. Very unethical business practice.

단점:

Houzz pro has demonstrated deplorable & predatory business practices. While we respect their prerogative to adhere to every letter of their trial policy - we find their practice to be extremely unethical. After contacting them to inform them that there was an oversight in the cancellation of the subscription - they refused to stop billing us for the product, even though we never used it beyond the trial date. We are a small business and this is not a trivial expense. As a business, they certainly have the ability to practice ethically and cancel subscriptions in the cases of administrative oversight, given evidence that the product was never used beyond the trial date. Throwing their hands in the air and pointing to the policy as though they are powerless to do anything is extremely disappointing. Even if they kept the payments for the first few months of the oversight and then canceled the subscription, that would have been acceptable.

All-In-One Sales Tool

주석: Houzz Pro is not BuilderTrend or it's competitors, it's not meant to be. What it is, is a great tool for the boutique, niche or small custom contractors who work in intimate teams and/or one-on-one with their clients to deliver value on high quality projects. [SENSITIVE CONTENT], NOT a project manager for [SENSITIVE CONTENT]!

장점:

I've used EVERY big name software you can think of and although they were very detailed and very useful for the purpose they were designed for none of them were a simple and effective all-in-one tool. That's where Houzz Pro steps in! The Houzz Pro package consists of: a website that's set-up for you, initially, but super easy to modify yourself or by reaching out to your dedicated support staff, a very simple CAD design tool to help bring vision to any project quickly, a mood board, a take-off tool that appears to be a light version of PlanSwift, an estimation tool and CRM. I have used ALL of these tools individually in the past, utilizing different companies for each, so to have them in one simple package is great! The strength of Houzz Pro is in it's simplicity and focus. It is not super detailed in any one of the features so it's best utilized, at this point in it's infancy, to engage clients and help the construction professional get a project's vision presented quickly. In a nutshell, it is a GREAT consultative sales tool. The CAD and mood board features also allow us to share the vision with our team of subcontractors very early on in the process. All of the Pro tools work seamlessly with the Houzz web profile and you can't beat the pricing for all of these features, especially considering that Houzz pretty much owns the higher-end client base on the web.

단점:

If you keep in context what the tool (is) and what it (isn't) then, I don't think there are any cons.

Project Management for Ordering Items

주석: Overall it was easy to impliment and easy to use. We don't use all the functionality it has but some things don't fit exactly what we need anyways.

장점:

I like having a visual image attached to each item going onto our invoices and proposals. They are easy to create, easy to apply payments and convert proposals to invoices.

단점:

Creating room boards so they are more like visual mood boards. We use a totally different software for this feature since this one isn't as user friendly. I dislike that you can't move items around within the proposals. If you forget something and you want to group it on a room with other things, you have to delete everything til you get where you want it to go and then add it all back in again.

A do all, umbrella for Interior Projects I couldn't be without.

주석: It's really helped me with my business. I couldn't be without it.
I love how helpful the staff have been with my feedback too, everytime I have suggested what they could do better they have acted straight away and in a short time frame, the feature arrives making the software better and better for Designers. I love it.

장점:

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.

단점:

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.

We Seem To Be Getting There, New Experience And All!

주석: It is good for an Interior Design firm to have software that tracks projects and incorporates purchase orders into invoices. As well as accounting and time billing.

장점:

I was a longstanding customer with Ivy before Houzz and "the new experience."The transition was easy as well as the learning curb.The library, with the clipper and descriptions built in, has always been a great assist with multiple projects going. It's good for our inter-office to have invoices and purchase orders with pictures of the products on each document. Clients also appreciate the images on their invoices, especially if they are ongoing customers and sometimes don't remember what was ordered. Plus, the client dashboard is a good client relations tool.

단점:

As stated, I was a longtime customer of Ivy and loved every functionality it offered. Although the software transition from Ivy to Houzz merged very well, I have had some challenges with the new appearance and navigation through all the parts. We have been managing, and then Houzz presented the "new experience." All of our templates were changed. We have had to learn new ways of inputting products while setting up new templates for us and the new look. All of these changes have been time-consuming.