Housecall Pro

The Comprehensive Reference

Housecall Pro provides field service management software to over 24,000 home service companies across the United States and Canada.

Although it’s one of the most intuitive tools of its kind, it can still be hard to get started and understand all of the options at hand. Lucky for you, there are answers if you know where to look.

This guide is a collection of the main topics I’ve discussed with Housecall Pro users, old and new. If you’ve had a question about Housecall Pro, it’s probably here.

This guide was originally posted at isaacholmgren.com/hcp

Resources

Looking to learn something about Housecall Pro? Check out these resources.

Housecall Pro Help

Official Documentation

The official help documentation by the Housecall Pro team. Start here to learn everything about the software.

Visit the official help portal >>

Housecall PROs

Facebook Group

The official Facebook group for Pros everywhere. The community is great about answering questions, so if you can’t find the answer in the regular places that’s a good place to go next.

Join the Facebook Group >>

Whiteboard Wednesdays

Youtube Playlist

Every week, Roland, Alyssa and other HCP team members spend an hour interviewing a Pro and answering questions from the community. There’s a wealth of information here – over 29 hours of video uploaded to the YouTube playlist.

View the playlist >>

Housecall Pro Blog

Learning Resource

The official blog. Posts about new features, as well as business and marketing advice.

Visit the blog >>

The Beginner's Guide to Marketing in Housecall Pro

Labtorio Guide

Learn the basics of using HCP to get new customers, reviews, and repeat customers.

Get started >>

Getting Help

If you need support from the HCP team, these are your options:

Blue Chat Bubble should be your first stop for any Housecall Pro questions.

Email: support@housecallpro.com

Phone number: (877) 594-9778

And of course, the Housecall PROs Facebook group is always eager to help.

Membership

What is a a Superpro?

Superpro is a set of Pros who have met requirements set out by the Housecall Pro team. The Superpro program is undergoing some major changes; I’ll update this page when someone from HCP provides more information.

Features & Suggestions

Is there a way to send a mass email to my customers through Housecall Pro?

No. Emails are transactional only. To send mass emails to your customers, you’ll need to use an email marketing tool like Mailchimp or Drip.

Is there a Housecall Pro iPad app?

No. You can install the iPhone app, or use the web app on your iPad if needed.

Is there an upcoming feature list somewhere that I can see?

No. The HCP team occasionally shares new features that are in development with the Housecall PROs Facebook group. The product roadmap is only known to HCP team members.

How do I vote for a feature?

Features are moved up the development timeline by how often they’re requested. In order to have your request counted, be sure to submit your vote in the Blue Chat Bubble.

Integrations

Looking to learn something about Housecall Pro? Check out these resources.

Will Housecall Pro connect to Zapier?

The HCP-Zapier integration is currently in the beta testing phase, which means Pros are using it and reporting bugs to the HCP team for improvement.

Looking to learn more about Zapier? We’ve got you covered with our Housecall Pro + Zapier course.

Will Housecall Pro connect with regular Quickbooks?

No. Essentially, the integration would require a lot of work, and the old Quickbooks versions are going to be phased out and unsupported soon anyways.

In the 1/24/18 Whiteboard Wednesday Roland and VP of Engineering Reza Olfat went into detail on this subject:

Roland: Will we ever integrate with Quickbooks Desktop?

Reza: Unlikely.

Roland: Why?

Reza: That’s harder than offline mode.

Right now, we integrate with Quickbooks Online. When you do something in Housecall Pro, it gets pushed to Quickbooks Online.

Quickbooks Desktop is an application that sits on your computer. So, when you do a job on Housecall, Housecall somehow has to reach out to the version of Quickbooks that’s running on your computer and pass that data to it. …there are dozens of versions [of] Quickbooks and Windows… so we basically have to write a dozen integrations instead of the one.

And then there’s the issue of offline mode, like what happens if you’re not running Quickbooks at the time. What to do if your computer is turned off. What if you turn it on and it’s not online and your stuff’s not there.

So basically, Quickbooks Desktop, we’re just going to leave that one alone… don’t use it.

Roland has mentioned in other live videos that Quickbooks themselves have indicated that Quickbooks Online is the direction they’re headed. And as Roland points out later in that same Whiteboard Wednesday, the time and effort that they would put into Quickbooks Desktop integration can be better used on much more impactful features.

That’s about as clear as it’s going to get. Don’t expect an integration with Quickbooks Desktop.

How do I use a third-party email provider like MailChimp?

Integrations with most third-party software can be built through Zapier. To learn more, check out the free Housecall Pro + Zapier course.

 

More Questions

Why did my tech not see a job I added recently?

Sometimes the mobile app fails to update for several hours. Closing and opening the app seems to fix the problem. To be safe, it’s best to alert your techs to any same-day changes to the schedule.

What is the BCB? / What is the Blue Chat Bubble?

The Blue Chat Bubble is the little blue icon you see in the corner of the desktop app. That allows you to chat with HCP support team. You can also access the BCB through the mobile app by clicking More > Help and Support.

Can HCP send read receipts for invoices?

Yes. You can access this through the Activity Feed.

Not at this time.

When do notifications get sent?

When you take an action in the mobile app, or in the web app when you have left “Notify Customer” checked.

Is there a way for holidays to automatically be populated in HCP calendar?

Not at this time.

Can I search by invoice number?

Yes! Go to Dashboard > Jobs and use the search box in the top right corner. You can also search by address, phone number, name, customer notes, tags… try it!

This feature is only available on the web app.

How do I get HCP swag?

By becoming an Elite Superpro, by becoming a Superpro, or by being Pro of the Week on the Facebook group.

Does my online booking button count as a conversion for SEO purposes?

Roland says yes.

Should I use X payment processor? They called offering payments super cheap.

No. Marshall Robinson with HCP explains credit card processing in-depth in the May 16th 2018 Whiteboard Wednesday.

What’s a good lead management app to use with HCP?

There are rumors of this functionality coming to Housecall Pro eventually, but for now Streak or Zoho are recommended by some pros.

Is there a way to track commission in HCP?

Not at this time. Many pros have used tags as a makeshift solution; ask or search in the Facebook group for more information.

Can customers decline options on an invoice?

No. Invoices can only be approved or denied.

Does HCP know how many clicks I get to Online Booking page?

No. You can track this yourself by creating an account with bit.ly and using a shortened link.

If customers reply to an automated email, where does it go?

It comes to the email address on your HCP account.

Can I print address labels from HCP?

No, you’ll need to export the customers or copy and paste the information.

How do I see new customers in a given time period?

You can create custom reports using Zapier. Learn how in our Housecall Pro + Zapier course.

How do I have customers sign contracts?

HCP does not have a contract feature. You can use a service like DocuSign to do this.

Is Housecall Pro down?

You can check by visiting downforeveryoneorjustme.com.

Can I save customer notes instead of job notes?

Yes; these are accessed in the Edit Customer view.

How do I my clients set up the Housecall app so that I’m their preferred contractor?

Have them download the app, then use the custom invite code in the menu. This will add you as their preferred contractor.

Does Housecall Pro give my customer information to competitors?

Roland’s official answer to this question is an emphatic no.

There have been several posts in the Housecall PROs Facebook group about this. Most of the concern and confusion centers around the Housecall (not Pro) app, which is for consumers. Some Pros have logged in to the Housecall consumer-facing app and seen their competitors.

However, if set up correctly the app should show only your company to your customers, so long as:

  1. They signed up with your invite code, or the email you have for them in Housecall Pro,
  2. Your Instabook settings are configured properly.

Roland has stated several times that the HCP team is moving away from the Housecall app for consumers, and even suggested Pros turn it off.