Is ArcSite a CRM?

No.

And no, this isn’t the shortest blog post ever. As you can probably guess, the relationship between ArcSite and CRMs is a little more complicated. But it’s worth your while to understand the benefits of integrating a tool like ArcSite with a CRM solution.

Let’s start with the basics.

What is a CRM and why do you need one?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a must-have for contracting businesses of all sizes and

A sample CRM dashboard

specialties. It acts as a repository for everything and anything related to your customers. Not only can you archive your trusty old rolodex, you can track every single interaction you have with your customers. 

The adoption rate of CRM tools is growing by leaps and bounds. Gartner found a 12.6% increase in CRM adoption in 2023, while 71% of pros are using CRMs for sales.

 
CRMs serve many functions:

• Marketing automation - Send out automated emails when new leads come in via email or a contact form on your website to assist in conversion.
• Sales force automation - Track customer interactions without repetitive double work, keeping all records with the contact.
• Geolocation - Narrow your customer lists by geographical location to target different areas with tailored promotions.
• Workflow automation - Optimize business processes by creating streamlined workflows that automate tedious manual tasks.
• Lead management - Allow your reps to track leads and effectively track and analyze their sales data over time.
• Human resources management - Organize all communications, performance reviews, and compensation plans.
• Analytics - Regularly track the performance of any marketing or sales efforts you’re undertaking so that you can adjust as needed.
• Project management - Especially important in the construction industry, project management is included in some CRMs to help track the progress of a project from start to finish.
• Integrations with other software - Combine a CRM with other software tools you use already to maximize efficiency and create seamless workflows.

As you can see, a CRM is pretty much the software equivalent of a jack of all trades.   

Your next question is probably “What IS ArcSite then?” 

ArcSite - Draw, estimate, propose and close onsite

Fundamentally, ArcSite is a 2D CAD tool available for all mobile devices, PCs, and Macs. You download the app on your tablet, go to the site, and use your finger to draw the job in detail. Input your measurements, and let ArcSite pull from your pricing list to price the job as you draw. And if you make a mistake and have to correct it, we update everything else automatically.

ArcSite drawing in progress

No tool, no matter how useful, should be difficult to learn and master for everyone. ArcSite is so easy to use that we’ve heard countless stories of contractors moving from pen and paper to mobile CAD with just a few hours of time investment. And if you ever get stuck, our customer success team is legendary.

When you’ve completed the drawings, you already have an estimate (we even add in your labor cost and margins). From there, generate a professionally formatted proposal with supporting photos instantly. You can email it to the customer before you even leave, and in many cases, close the job immediately.

It’s worth mentioning that ArcSite gives you a jump on drawing by supplying thousands of prebuilt industry shapes. Need a tree? We’ve got you covered. How about a helical pier? We’ve got those, too. You can even import photos or PDFs and mark them up in ArcSite with those shapes.

ArcSite also offers secure, unlimited cloud storage and collaboration. No sooner than the new project is uploaded, your office staff can jump on it and get a substantial head start. There’s zero need for manual intervention outside of tapping a few buttons.

Don’t think we forgot about CRMs, though. It’s time to learn about ArcSite CRM integrations.

Integrations boost efficiency

A fair few contractor software tools try to offer it all, from drawing to CRMs. It’s not unusual in such situations for the outputs to be uneven. Doing it all frequently means doing it all just adequately. ArcSite wants to bring you the best mobile CAD software for contractors. Period. It’s more important for us to excel in what we do so well. Likewise, a dedicated CRM will have more robust features.

That doesn’t mean you have to compromise. ArcSite has powerful integrations with several strong contractor CRM tools. That means you can use your CRM with ArcSite instead of alongside it. 

ArcSite takes customer contact information from the CRM and imports it into your project, and then feeds data from the site back to populate fields in the CRM. You never have to move the data back and forth between two different apps. It also makes it fast and easy for your office staff and reps to monitor projects from a centralized location. And that’s just the bare bones outline of what you can achieve with an ArcSite/CRM integration.

We integrate with a variety of CRMs, including

• Salesforce is the 800 pound gorilla of CRMs. If you can imagine it, Salesforce can probably do it. It might be a lot more sophisticated than what you need in a first CRM. See how the Salesforce integration works here. 
• Zoho CRM is a great beginner CRM offering a free starter version and incremental paid plans (integrations are not available in the free version). See how the Zoho CRM integration works here.
• improveit360 is a CRM designed for contractors and to serve the construction industry. Its processes dovetail with a contractor’s specific project needs. See how the improvit360 integration works here.
• JobNimbus is also specifically directed at contractors, providing an array of features from job data to sales optimization to billing. See how the JobNimbus integration works here.
• True for Contractors is an ERP that combines CRM functionality with project management features like scheduling and daily progress reports. See how the True integration works here.
• LeadTrack is a CRM focusing on the sales process along with providing robust functionality across all the traditional CRM features. See how the LeadTrack integration works here.

It takes two (or three)

We highly recommend investing in a top of the line CRM solution that integrates with ArcSite. There’s no need to switch from one application to another, so you get the best of CRM and drawing in a seamless interface. Don’t fall for the story that a one-stop-shop will do everything and do it well. And, as you expand your technology stack, ArcSite will be there with even more integrations.