Google Ads for pool service businesses make it possible to quickly grow your business with a steady flow of new clients, a well-established online presence, and an expanded reach.
The best Google Ads for pool service businesses have the power to untap:
- Instant results without waiting to rank in Google
- Trackable data to discover your ROI (i.e. Return On Investment)
- Google’s preference since ad space is prioritized over organic results
- Eager leads who are actively searching for a solution to their problem
Remember, the main distinguishing feature between Google Ads and social media ads is that Google Ads touch leads who are actively searching for a solution.
Whereas, social media ads touch leads who aren’t necessarily seeking a solution. As a result, they’re generally considered more intrusive.
In other words, social media ads force your business to put in a bit of additional effort in convincing clients of two things:
- They have a problem
- Your business is the solution
Alternatively, Google Ads allow you to skip the first step in convincing clients they have a problem. Which means, all you have to do is convince them your business is the solution.
Even though social media ads hold large possibilities for results, Google Ads tend to be faster and more effective. After all, you’re reaching higher quality leads.
Although, Google Ads have a tendency of being higher cost and more difficult to navigate the additional setup and background knowledge required.
In turn, many businesses unlock the full power of Google Ads for pool service businesses.
Simplify the process of creating Google Ads for pool service businesses by taking advantage of this complete guide.
Eliminate intimidation by equipping yourself with everything you need to know in this article. Explore how to maximize spending and untap the most lucrative Google Ads features.
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1. Determine What Areas to Target
Opposite to everyday brick-and-mortar businesses where clients come to you, pool service businesses are unique in that you are coming to your clients.
Which means, it’s important to choose specific neighborhoods and set areas to target so that you can condense routes as much as possible.
Keep in mind, areas with higher population tend to get results faster. However, these highly populated areas have higher competition leading to increased CPC (i.e. Cost Per Click).
If you can, try to choose areas with the best balance between the highest population and the lowest competition.
Ideally, you’ll want to avoid targeting low populated areas due to the longer amount of time it takes to see results.
Also, low populated areas don’t allow for as much insight, which helps with ads optimization.
2. Set a Google Ads Spend Budget
It’s best to wait until you have a better grasp on Google Ads before setting your Google Ads spend.
Then, you can set your ads spend budget for new lead conversions once you’ve developed a fundamental understanding of Google Ads.
While it’s important to stay on-budget, know that you can’t run effective Google Ads for as little as $5 a day (like you can with social media ads).
After all, these higher quality leads who are actively seeking solutions to their problems come at a higher cost.
As always, it’s critical to find the perfect balance between staying within your budget and spending just enough to see a decent ROI.
On average, businesses make $2 for every $1 they spend on Google Ads.
Though, the average CPC for field service businesses widely varies based on your location, population, and more.
However, you can always check Google Ads to see how much specific target keywords cost in your area.
3. Begin a Lead Followup Process
In order to avoid losing leads, you’ll need to begin a lead followup process.
For example, if your website or landing page’s main CTA (i.e. Call-to-Action) has all leads call for a free estimate, then an assistant will need to answer the phone.
By the way, you can quickly complete estimates from anywhere (even over the phone) with Service Autopilot.
How many hours per week do you spend scheduling?
4. Gain a Basic Understanding of Google Ads
Here’s a basic overview of how Google Ads work:
Match Types
The symbols near the search terms indicate the keyword match type Google uses to determine which ads show up.
Take a look at a quick summary of each match type:
Broad Match Modified
Keyword: +pool services +dallas
Broad match modified only shows ads when “pool services” and “dallas” appear in the search term.
In other words, Google will only show ads when these keywords (or something close) appear in the search box.
Broad Match
Keyword: pool services dallas
Keywords without a symbol are known as broad match keywords. Simply put, ads will appear when anything related to pool services in Dallas is searched.
Keep in mind, you’ll only be able to create four ads with broad match.
This is because broach match types randomly show ads to anyone searching for anything even remotely related to the search term.
As a result, broad match has a tendency of diluting and taking away from the desired message. Due to this, I don’t recommend using the broad match type.
Even so, if you still decide to use broad match, remember that it might decrease your CTR’s (i.e. Click Through Rate) and overall ads performance.
Phrase Match
Keyword: “pool services”
Phrase match means Google Ads will appear whenever the phrase is searched in the listed order. Although, additional words can be included before and after the phrase.
Even though slight variations are allowed, it’s not as loose as broad match.
Exact Match
Keyword: [pool services in dallas]
An exact match type means Google Ads will only appear when the exact phrase is searched. Though, Google has recently allowed for minor exceptions to this.
For example, if you were to use the same phrase as in the above example, then your ads will still appear when “pool services dallas” or “pool services by dallas” is searched.
The Primary Goal of Google Ads
The best way to ensure you’re targeting the right audience is to choose the right keywords to reach them. Then, right ads with the target audience in mind.
In order to see the best results, it’s best to only use broad match modified, phrase match, and exact match.
5. Define Your Services and Area
Write out a list of the main services your business offers. Next, choose which ones to promote in Google. Then, list the subcategories of each service.
For example:
- Pool maintenance
- Repair
- Cleaning
- Installation
Next, write out a list of the most common services you don’t offer. We’ll use this later on to create a list of negative keywords so your ads won’t appear in the wrong searches.
For instance, if you don’t offer pool installation, then you wouldn’t want your ads appearing in that search result.
6. Pick Your Main Keywords
To start, use Google’s search engine to do keyword research. Input your services into the search bar and take a look at Google’s dropdown of suggested related keywords.
These suggested keywords can then be used to drive your research in discovering which terms are most and least effective. Alternatively, this works for negative keywords too.
Then, use Google Keyword Planner to research each keyword’s volume, competition, ads spend, and more.
Plus, this free tool will provide alternate keyword suggestions to better guide you.
However, don’t overly focus on keyword volume. After all, your ads are likely on a local level with a lower population where volume doesn’t apply as much.
The primary focus here is on keyword categories, which can help you categorize your keywords into groups for ad development.
Then, test to see if any ads outperform others. Also, don’t forget to consider search intent to make sure your keywords are only targeting those actively looking for pool maintenance.
For instance:
- Pool cleaning services
- Pool cleaning business
- Pool cleaning services near me
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7. Stretch Spending Further With Your Account Setup
Properly manage and organize your account in order to optimize and improve ad performance.
Stretch spending further with your account setup by creating high level categories of your services. Next, create a Google Ads campaign for each one.
Then, split each of these high level keyword categories into different ad groups.
Alternatively, you can level up your campaigns even more by breaking these categories into match types. Later on, this will help with split testing to better track performance.
Finally, create ads for each of those specific keywords and include it in the search term.
As a result, including search terms in your Google Ads can help increase relevance and CTR’s. Therefore, this helps lower CPC.
BONUS: Split Up Campaigns By Location
Use radius targeting to split up campaigns by location.
Even though you don’t have to split up every city in this way, it does help to split campaigns by granularization. In turn, this builds data in your account.
Plus, splitting up campaigns by location helps to pinpoint where conversions are originating. Likewise, you can find out where you’re getting high clicks and low conversions.
Failing to split campaigns by location prevents you from separating these two factors.
In addition, after a while, you can turn off ads running in underperforming areas and increase bids in other outperforming ones.
In fact, you can also do this with your ads schedule. Simply break ads out into smaller increments and days to discover which times outperform others, and then make adjustments.
8. Decide Where to Send Campaign Traffic
Where are you sending your Google Ads campaign traffic? For example, will you send them to your website or landing page?
The main difference between a homepage and a landing page is the navigation bar. A homepage has a navigation bar, whereas a landing page doesn’t.
For this reason, landing pages are great because they have one CTA with no distractions.
However, if you want to save additional time and money, then sending campaign traffic to your website is a viable, lucrative option.
In fact, some businesses create a hybrid between a homepage and landing page by making a clickable navigation bar.
As a result, your homepage won’t seem overly busy to leads, but traffic can still be driven to the necessary parts of your site.
Although, you’ll want to ensure your website is functional and professional in appearance. In addition, be sure it’s mobile AND desktop friendly.
Also, verify there’s a clear CTA on your homepage. Keep in mind, your CTA doesn’t have to be complicated.
For instance, a great CTA could be as simple as, “Call XXX-XXX-XXXX now for a free estimate!”
BONUS: Conduct Competitor Research
With a little research, you can find out where the competition is sending their campaign traffic. This brief competitor analysis can help generate ad ideas for your business.
Although, as tempting as it might be, don't click on the competition’s ads since Google Ads are expensive.
To avoid charging the competition for your clicks, right-click on the link, click “copy link address,” and open it up into a new tab.
While you can hurt the competition by clicking on their ads, remember that they can do the same to your pool service business.
Even though you can blacklist IP addresses, it’s best to be courteous in not charging them for your clicks - especially considering they can return the favor in retaliation.
On another note, don’t forget to see where sites like Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor are sending their campaign traffic.
Then, use this information to generate ideas based on their successes.
9. Easily Ramp Up Your Copywriting Skills
Anticipating your audience’s needs is one of the easiest ways to ramp up your copywriting skills.
Which means, you need to know what your audience is thinking, feeling, and looking for when seeing your ads.
To start, take a look at lukewarm reviews between 2-4 stars. Generally, these reviews are the least emotional and most objective.
Keep in mind, 1 and 5-star reviews tend to be more emotional and less objective (and at times, fake).
When analyzing the reviews, read between the lines to consider their concerns.
For instance, when a client says, “I don’t like XYZ” what they’re really saying is, “I value XYZ.”
Use this information to explore new ways to set your pool service business apart from the competition.
For example, if a client says they felt unimportant when another business didn’t follow up on their estimate, then you can make clients feel valued by quickly following up after an estimate.
Plus, you can include this unique perspective in your CTA to increase clicks: “Call XXX-XXX-XXXX for fast, free estimates in less than 5 minutes!”
By the way, did you know you can create quick estimates in less than 5 minutes using Service Autopilot?
Automations is the #1 way to follow up with clients. If you’re not using it, your business might still be successful - but it won’t grow.
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In Service Autopilot, our automations send emails and texts to:
10. Only Pay for Good Clicks With Negative Keywords
While few businesses utilize negative keywords, it's an important strategy to use to ensure you’re only paying for good clicks.
Much like we briefly discussed earlier, you can use negative keywords to target leads with the right intent.
For instance, if you’re targeting leads, then you wouldn’t want your ads showing up in hiring or job related search queries.
In addition, if you have a lower ads spend budget, then you’ll want to include the competition as negative keywords too.
Although if you have a higher ads spend budget, then targeting the competition’s keywords can prove quite effective in results.
However, using the competition’s keywords is a gamble, and businesses with smaller ads spend budgets need to maximize every last cent.
11. Split Test to Improve Ads
By far, one of the best ways to improve ads is by split testing. In order to split test, create two ads with only one variable of difference between them.
For instance, you could create two identical ads with different headlines as your one variable of difference. Then, see which headline performs the best.
Remember, in order to properly perform a split test, you can only change ONE VARIABLE. This allows you to directly relate a set variable to a specific outcome.
In other words, if you change more than one variable, then you don’t know which variable caused the outcome.
12. Use Different Google Ads Formats to Get Better Bids
Did you know Google offers better bids when you use different Google Ads formats?
In turn, you can save more money, maximize spending, and Google will place the ad higher in the search results.
Also, since adding multiple ads formats makes the ad larger, you’ll likely increase your CTR.
Take a look at these Google Ads formats you should consider trying:
- Call extensions
- Enables visitors to directly call from the ad.
- Local extensions
- While it’s not necessarily important for the pool service industry, it shows your business on a map with a promoted pin and a call button.
13. Take Advantage of Conversion Tracking to Measure Performance
The concept here is simple: Whatever is being measured also needs to be managed.
Which means, you can’t measure ad performance if conversion tracking isn’t set up. Therefore, defeating the purpose and appeal of Google Ads.
Take a look at a few various types of conversion tracking to consider measuring:
- Phone call
- Form submission
- Call extension phone call
- Clicks on the CTA call button
Plus, you can even use call tracking software to record and track. Then, you can use the call replays to improve the sales process and the lead quality being funneled in from the ads.
Then, if you’re using an all-in-one pool service software solution, you can save their information for future marketing opportunities and tag them as a Google AdWords lead.
Next, calculate your Google Ads revenue by exporting Google Ads leads. Calculate your ROI by dividing the leads and clients acquired by total monthly spending.
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14. Analyze Google Ads Results
While Google Ads can generate immediate results, it’ll likely take several months before you can gather enough data for significant optimization.
Remember, since you’re likely releasing ads on a local level, there’s not as much data to gather so it takes longer to spot trends.
Consider running a Google Ads campaign of this level for 6 months to gather enough data to spot trends and calculate your CPL (i.e. Cost Per Lead).
After the ad has been running for some time, you’ll ideally see your conversion rate hold steady and your CPC (i.e. Cost Per Conversion) decrease over time.
Always remember, the longer an ad runs, the more data that’s being gathered to improve it.
Use These Top Strategies to Easily Create Google Ads for Pool Service Businesses
While creating Google Ads for pool service businesses might seem intimidating and overly complex in the beginning, these top strategies will simplify the process.
Now, you have the power to unlock true growth and:
- Beat the competition
- Quickly win new clients
- Expand your online presence
- Increase revenue with automatic lead conversions
- Become the leading pool service provider in your area
Immediately take advantage of these winning strategies, and begin creating the best Google Ads for pool service businesses today!
Related: Pool Service Marketing: 13 Effective Expert Strategies
Originally published May 5, 2022 7:00 AM
This release includes some enhancements to Automations to improve your experience and to speed up processing. We’ve also made numerous updates to correct system issues that you’ve reported, especially in Forms, Accounts, and QuickBooks Online.
What’s New at SA
Virtual In-House Training
Click here to see details and sign up for Virtual In-House Training.
Advanced In-House Training
March 29- 31, April 26-28
Basic In-House Training
April 5-7, April 12-14
Automations Enhancements
We streamlined the Automation Sequence Pipeline and Automation Sequence List to increase processing speed.
Automation Sequence Pipeline
The updated Sequence Pipeline now shows only the status and number of accounts in the sequence.
Until now, the Sequence Pipeline displayed a lot of data for each account in the sequence, such as the name of the client or lead, their address, and how long they had been in the sequence.
Reducing the data on the Sequence Pipeline screen will give you a clearer overview and speed up screen load time. You can click into any individual sequence to see detailed information.
Click the “total items” card in a sequence to view the Automation Sequence list screen, with a list of the clients in that sequence.
Automation Sequence List Screen
The Automation Sequence list screen looks like this:
These columns appear by default:
Filter the Automation Sequence List
Click Add Filter to filter by any of these columns on the Automation Sequence list screen.
For example, you might click Sequence Status to filter for all scheduled automations.
Updates to Correct System Issues
Accounts
- Accounts created through the Add Account feature from the Email and Estimate buttons in Tickets weren't being recognized in the “Client Since Date” filter. This has been fixed.
- In some cases, route sheets were not generating. This has been fixed.
- In some cases, the ACH Payment Method was not saving. This now works as expected.
- Some attachments in Chrome including docx, xls, and pptx were not opening. This has been corrected.
- In some cases, users were unable to upload .MP3 or .Mov file types. This has been fixed.
Automations
- In some cases, the Automations Processor Stop Rules would set an Automation as Completed instead of Stopped. This now works as expected.
Estimates
- We fixed an issue with the Estimates List not loading properly.
- In some cases, the Estimate Descriptions: popup windows were not closing. This now works as expected.
- In some cases, the Estimate Grid’s “Amount” column did not reflect discounts. This has been fixed.
V3 Forms
- In some cases, Members were unable to publish a V3 form. This now works as expected.
- We fixed a problem with unselected Email notifications being deleted.
- In V3 Forms, if you used "Custom Field List" to map custom fields to a pre-built list, the options in the dropdown list did not stay in order. This has been corrected.
V2 Forms
- When sending an internal email In V2 Forms, the email was being sent to only the primary email address. This has been fixed.
- With V2 Forms, the Show On Assets Form did not appear in Assets. This now works as expected.
Jobs
- The Job complete by date replacement field was previously replacing with a blank string, even on waiting list jobs. This now works correctly.
Legacy App
- Previously, form responses from the Legacy app that contained duplicates were exporting properly in SA. This now works as expected.
- In some cases, the Edit Crew screen did not recognize that employees were already clocked in. This has been fixed.
QuickBooks Online
- We fixed the Getting Started process for QBO users.
Report Center
- In some cases, the Client Services report was not loading. This has been fixed.
Tickets
- In some cases, the Account Name or Vendor Name was not appearing for clients synced from QuickBooks. This has been corrected.
This release continues our drive toward making existing processes simpler and faster. New enhancements include Search Bars on list pages, a simpler setup for Chemical Tracking, improvements to the Job Wizard, and the ability to “watch” Tickets. Enjoy!
Enhancements
Accounts
You can filter for Custom Fields on the V3 Accounts list.
- We added a new option to the Custom Fields filter, is empty, based on Member feedback.
- Note: You can search on only one custom field at a time, not combine multiple custom fields in a search.
Calendar Events
When you are creating a Calendar Event, the Body field is no longer required. This is for consistency with other screens.
Chemical Tracking Enhancements
No more restricted entry
With the growing popularity of SA’s Chemical Tracking feature, we’ve removed restrictions for using it. You are no longer required to attend the training webinar before you’re allowed access.
But do check out all the free training resources! There are videos, a user guide, and articles on Chemical Tracking in the Help Center.
- Go to Settings > Chemical Tracking to set up your company for the Chemical Tracking feature.
Consolidated Settings
We’ve consolidated Chemical Tracking Settings into one tab, at Settings > Chemical Tracking > General Chemical Settings. Here, you can add or change any of your chemical information.
Consolidated Emails
We consolidated Chemical Tracking Emails into one screen. Here, you can manage your emails for clients, with separate tabs for Client emails: Instructions, Recommendations, and Upsells.
Copy Products
You now can copy a product to save time with creating new items that are similar. This is particularly helpful for Chemical Tracking to help you replicate application rates and product mix instructions.
To create a Product copy:
1. In the Non-Inventory Products list, select a product.
2. In the Actions dropdown list, click Copy.
3. In the Copy Product dialog, fill in the New Name field to create the new product in your Products list.
4. Open the new product copy and edit it as needed.
Copy Services
You now can copy a service to save time when creating new services that are similar.
To create a Service copy:
1. In the Services list, select a service.
2. In the Actions dropdown list, click Copy.
3. In the Copy Service dialog, fill in the New Name field to create the new service in your Services list.
4. Open the new service copy and edit it as needed.
Help Center
Have you checked out the Help Center lately? We’ve added a section for Service Autopilot User Guides.
- Click Help Center under your avatar, then go to Getting Started & Training > Help > User Guides.
Job Wizard Enhancements
Appointment times
We simplified setting Appointment Times on the Job Wizard.
- You can still select from the Calendar tool, but now you have the option to type the time and AM or PM directly into the field, similar to the V3 Calendar Event Editor.
Budgeting tool
We’ve added a Budgeting tool to the Job Wizard, similar to the tool in V2. This tool lets you calculate your budgeted hours and set up budgeting overrides for repeating jobs.
1. When scheduling a job on the Job Wizard, click the cog icon to bring up the Edit Budgeted Hours dialog.
2. Enter the number of staff members and hours into the Men and Time of Job fields. The system calculates your budgeted hours appear under B.Hrs.
3. You can type your target staff hour rate into the field labeled To achieve man/hr Rate of. The dialog then shows you what to change in order to get the rate you want.
4. Click the number under B.Hrs if you want to adjust the budgeted hours.
5. Click Add Override Budgeted Hours to make changes to the budgeted hours for a specific date range. This can be useful for repeating jobs.
- Type a date into the Start Date and End Date fields, or use the calendar tool.
- Click Add override to add more time periods, if needed.
Invoices
The Activity Stream on the Invoices list lets you quickly see if a payment is owed or has been over-applied to an invoice.
- The Remaining Amount appears with a red border if a payment is owed.
List Pages Search Bar
To help you quickly search for records, we’ve added Search Bars to these V3 list pages:
Accounts, Tickets, Invoices, Payments, Credits, Expenses, Installment Plans, and Forms
- As usual, you can add more filters to narrow your search.
- Change your search filter by selecting another radio button and clicking Update filter.
- There’s still an overall search feature at the top of every screen.
Tickets Enhancements
Watch Tickets
You now can specify Tickets to watch, and you’ll receive alerts about any changes.
1. Open an individual Ticket or select multiple Tickets in the Tickets List.
2. Under Advanced Actions, select Start Watching or Stop Watching.
- When you open a watched Ticket, you’ll see this banner on the screen:
- You and others watching this Ticket will see alerts when there are changes to it.
- Anyone looking at the Ticket will see the initials of others who also are watching it on the bottom right of the screen.
- And that’s not all! The My Day page now has a ”Watching” tab for Watched Tickets. Click the tab to see a list of all your watched Tickets.
Complete a Ticket from My Day
You now can complete a Ticket from the My Day page.
1. Select the check box for a Ticket you want to complete.
2. At the prompt, click Confirm.
3. The Ticket information shows a strikethrough to indicate the Ticket is complete.
4. If you want to re-open the Ticket, select the check box again and click Reopen on the confirmation dialog.
If you don’t reopen it, the Ticket is removed from My Day after you refresh the screen.
Client Portal Enhancements
Autopay
If you offer Autopay:
- If your client has a credit card on file for autopay, the system will automatically update their payment information for any scheduled jobs, and future invoices will use that credit card as the payment method.
If you disable Autopay:
- If the client updates their credit card information, their payment information will be updated correctly with that information for future invoices.
- Note: Any job that has manually updated payment information will NOT be changed.
Create Tickets from Services
With this release, your clients can create Tickets from Services on the Client Portal.
- They can create the Ticket under My Services from either the main job or an individual visit. When the Ticket appears in SA, it will be marked as a Related Item.
- Note: This function does not reschedule a visit or service. It simply creates a Ticket related to the job or service. Maintenance-only businesses like lawn care might want to disable this feature because it probably would not apply to most of your clients.
Client Portal App Enhancement
Clients can now submit Ticket requests from Jobs and Visits on the Client Portal app.
- This gives clients a simple way to notify your company of changes, issues, or other requests.
Legacy App Enhancements
Failed Login Message
We reworded a generic error message, “invalid username,” which a user might see if they didn’t use the correct credentials to log into the Legacy app.
- The message now notifies the user that their manager must update the user license.
Attachments for Tickets
If Legacy app users send or receive emails with attachments that are too big or not a supported file type, the Ticket that’s created will not have the attachment. You’ll instead see a message stating that attachments were blocked.
- Attachments must be less than 20 MB.
- Supported file types are: doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pdf, rtf, txt, png, gif, jpg, jpeg, and bmp.
Updates to Correct System Issues
Accounts
Activity Stream
- On the Activity Stream, the Past Visits card sometimes showed the paper clip icon to indicate an attachment, even after the attachment was removed. This has been corrected.
Edit Account screen
- For non-U.S. Members using Payroc credit card processing: On the Edit Account screen, closing the Add Card dialog sometimes caused a blank error message to appear. That’s not helpful, so we fixed it.
Automations
- In a few cases, the “Invoice was Paid” stop condition would not stop a running instance triggered by an “Invoice Past Due” condition. This now works as expected.
Client Portal
Payments
- In a few cases, if a client paid an invoice on the Client Portal, it would still display in the list of invoices to pay. The list is now updating immediately.
Registration
- We addressed some issues with Client Portal registration.
Scheduling
- In some cases, if a past service was still scheduled (not completed, cancelled, or skipped), it would show the incorrect month for the schedule. This was fixed.
Tickets
- If a client submitted a Ticket from a Visit, they would see the @ symbol, even though no appointment time was set. This has been fixed.
Email Integration
Mobile Devices
- We made some usability fixes for mobile devices.
Yahoo Email Addresses
- We fixed a Reply All issue for Yahoo Email users.
V2 Forms
- For non-U.S. Members who use CardConnect or Open Edge credit card processing: Chrome users had problems submitting the CC Update Form. This has been fixed.
V3 Imports
- When on a V3 screen, navigating to Imports was going to the incorrect screen. It now takes you to the correct one.
Jobs
- For Chrome users, Avatars for resources were not displaying on the Review Job screen, but they’re back now.
Legacy app
- In a few cases, signatures on Estimates were not being saved. This now works as expected.
Service Autopilot
- In some cases, if you were setting a sales tax and an error prevented it from saving, the system would let you close the screen without telling you about the problem. This has been fixed, so you’ll now be alerted when such an error occurs.
The theme of this release is Make Life Easier. We continue to improve, clarify, and polish different areas around SA based on your feedback. This release includes enhancements to the Accounts screen and Activity Stream, new previews on some Review screens, and many improvements to the Client Portal and Client Portal app (because we want your clients’ lives to be easier too).
Enhancements
Account Activity Stream
- On the V2 and V3 Account Activity Stream, the Past Visits tab now indicates if there are attachments from the visit.
Click the paperclip icon, and the Visit Review screen displays notes and attachments on the right.
Note: Attachments added from the V3 desktop do not currently appear as described. We’re working on that!
- At the top of the V2 and V3 Activity Stream, a new Add a Note… field lets you quickly create a general note.
1. Enter your text into the Add a Note… field.
2. The Ticket Status defaults to closed. Click the open radio button to change the status if needed.
3. Click Add. This creates a new Ticket containing your note.
Calendar Events
- You now can Quick Add a Calendar Event in V2.
1. Click the Quick Add icon and select Ticket from the dropdown list.
2. On the Add Ticket overlay, click the Event radio button and fill in the fields.
This function was implemented in the July release for V3.
Account Review Screen
We made various improvements to help you use the Account Review screen:
- The Account Status appears in the header of the Account Details screen.
For former clients, the Cancel Reason appears below the Account Status.
- The Account Balance appears below the client name. This card also displays other amounts including Past Due, Uninvoiced, Credits, and Prepayments.
- The Account Overview card now displays the Account Source, such as Door Hanger, Google Ad, etc.
Date Range Filter
- We updated the Date Range filter on all screens to allow for Floating Date options such as today, this week, etc. When you save one of these filters, it will remain selected when you open that screen again.
Example: Say you select and save the filter called “this week” during the week of August 1st. When you open that screen the following week, the filter will bring up data for the week of August 8th.
Email Integration
- For Tickets created with Email Integration, the Tickets List now indicates when SA has no Account or Vendor associated with an email address. The “ACCOUNT/VENDOR NAME” column will say “No Linked Account” in this case.
You can click the Ticket to open it, then select an account from the Account / Vendor dropdown list. This ensures that any replies to the Ticket will be sent to the correct email address.
Invoices
- In the Invoices List, we added a column that indicates invoices flagged for review. You can click to flag or unflag any invoice in the list.
All flagged invoice rows are also tinted to make them more noticeable, even if the
flag column is hidden.
- In the Invoices List, we added a “REMINDERS” column with Email and Print icons.
- Click the Email or Print icon to see its dialog screen.
- From there, you can quickly send the invoice. The icon then turns gray.
- Click any icon to toggle it on or off.
- In the V3 Accounts List, we added two filters, which are the same as in the V2 Clients List:
Estimate - Package
Estimate - Service
Job Wizard
- To save you a step when you’re creating a Package on the Job Wizard, the Auto Renew option is now selected by default.
You can select another option from the Auto-Renew Setting dropdown list if needed.
- You now can add service-specific job notes while scheduling a job with the Job Wizard.
1. On the service line, click the note icon.
2. A dialog opens where you can type the note.
3. Click Add note to add additional notes.
Leads
- On the V2 Leads List, the filter Registered for Client Portal is now available.
Tickets
- Back by popular demand, the Quick links for Past Due and Open Tickets assigned to the user appear on the My Day page. This lets you view Tickets assigned to the current user based on their due dates.
- We improved the process of opening and closing the Tickets card:
- If there are no open Tickets for an account, the card defaults to closed.
- If there are open Tickets for an account, the card defaults to open.
- If a Ticket is closed and you select a tab, the card opens without further clicks.
- The Tickets Activity Stream now shows previews of Notes, Calls, Emails, and Calendar Events.
Client Portal Enhancements
We improved the experience for your clients when they submit Ticket requests on visits:
- The Ticket number for the visit appears on the Client Portal Services screen.
- Clients click the Ticket number to see their current correspondence.
- Clients click the calendar icon to request a change.
- The Reschedule Request overlay displays the visit date and time on the left. This gives the client some context about the visit for which they’re submitting a request.
- Tooltips explain the client’s options (such as “Reschedule Visit”).
- Clients can optionally add a suggested date when requesting to reschedule a visit.
- Clients get a confirmation message when their request is submitted successfully.
- Members see the suggested date at the beginning of the email about the reschedule request.
- Members can see the related visit on the Ticket Review screen for easy response.
Client Portal App Enhancements
- We added a link code for automatic registration with the Client Portal app on Android devices. This link is already available for iOS devices.
- The Home Page on the Client Portal app now shows your company phone number. Clients can tap the button to call you.
- On the Tickets screen, we adjusted the date format. For example, instead of “7/1/21,” it now shows “07/01/21.”
- Clients now have the option to add attachments to Tickets.
Supported formats are: bmp, doc, docx, gif, jpg, jpeg, png, ppt, pptx, svg, xls, and xlsx.
- When clients use “Forgot Password” in the Client Portal app, they’ll now be able to answer the same question multiple times until they get the right answer. Because everyone deserves a second chance.
- For iOS devices, we fixed an issue with the pull-to-refresh function on Tickets screens.
- For clients using the Client Portal app to register for the Client Portal, we made a slight update to the opt-in check boxes:
- If the client left Send Marketing Materials checked during registration, it would double-opt them in, allowing improved communications.
- If they unchecked it, this previously would affect your company’s ability to send some notifications such as automated scheduling or invoicing. We've changed this option to no longer affect marketing email or text communications.
Updates to Correct System Issues
Client Portal
- We fixed an issue with Guest Checkout that allowed some clients to make payments for more than the maximum payment specified in Settings.
Email Integration
We fixed a few issues with adding emails to Tickets.
- Previously, Tickets were not being created from emails sent as “Reply All.” This now works as expected.
- Replies from iPhones were displaying the letter “y” incorrectly in SA. Don’t ask Y; it works now.
- The V2 Email Preview was cut off at the top when opened from the V2 Activity Stream. Emails now display correctly.
V2 Forms
- We fixed a problem with the CC Update Form not working in Chrome. This affected only those Members outside the U.S. who use CardConnect or OpenEdge credit card processors.
Mobile
- Mobile attachments were not displaying in SA if they were uploaded from a Calendar Event. This has been fixed.
Route Sheets
- We fixed an issue in which Route Sheets with payment coupons weren't displaying discounts that were added to the job.
Quick Add
- On the Quick Add Event screen, the Assignment field was being skipped when tabbing through the fields. This has been fixed.
Sales Campaigns
- Some users had trouble viewing and printing their Sales Campaign PDFs. This now works as expected.
Two Way Texting
- We fixed an issue with incoming Text Messages not appearing in Message Center.
The theme of this release is “Improving Quality of Life.” We’ve focused on both functional and aesthetic improvements throughout the system as we continue working to make Service Autopilot a better experience for you. Many of these changes are based on Member feedback.
This release also debuts important features in the Client Portal and Client Portal app:
- Tickets can be created from the Client Portal.
- New settings let you further customize the Client Portal for your clients.
- Prepayments can be made in the Client Portal app.
Keep reading to learn more!
Accounting Enhancements
- To save time creating Installment Plans, you now can choose to Auto-Fill fields below the currently selected one.
- The Payment Edit screen is now responsive on smaller devices.
- When you are adding a credit card or replacing a card on file on the Payment Edit and other screens, you’ll see we re-styled the Add Card/Bank Account options for consistency.
- On the Payment Edit screen, you now can select the services that the prepayment is for, similar to V2.
- The Invoice and Installment Plan screens now retain the choices you make under Advanced Options. You’ll see your changes the next time you open those screens.
Client Portal Enhancements
With this release, your clients can have the option to submit and work with Tickets in the Client Portal. Clients can:
- Open a new Ticket.
- Read and send replies to your company messages.
Note: Clients see only emails, not internal notes, calls, or calendar events.
- See the message history between the client and your company.
- Add attachments to a Ticket.
- See a list ofopen or closed Tickets.
- Use the Search Bar in the Tickets list to search for a Ticket number, category, subject, or other identifier.
Tickets
- Clients can create a Ticket from their Client Portal home page by clicking Open a ticket in the Open Tickets or Contact Us section, or by clicking the message link at the bottom right corner.
- When creating a Ticket, clients can choose from a dropdown list of Ticket categories (which you can customize), type in their question, and add attachments.
- You’ll be able to see open Tickets for the client in the SA Tickets List for the account and respond through SA.
- The Your Service History section now lists the employees who worked on a service. It can be useful for clients to know who worked certain services and reference them when they submit a Ticket.
- Clients can see a list of open or closed Tickets on the Client Portal “Tickets” tab.
Clients can click any of these to look at the email correspondence.
Note that the Client Portal displays only those Tickets containing emails to clients, not internal notes or calls. You can choose to turn off this permission in Settings.
- Clients will see an unread message icon next to any Ticket containing an email from your company.
- Clients can contact your company from the navigation bar if they want to send a regular email or give you a call.
Note: Tickets make it possible for your clients to do most communications with you through the Client Portal, but it still displays your company’s email address and phone number for quick reference. If your company chooses to turn off Tickets functionality, the client can easily see your contact information to reach you.
New Settings for the Client Portal
These settings let you customize the Ticket functions your client can access.
- The setting Allow Clients to submit a Ticket was previously labeled “Allow Clients to ask a Question.”
It lets you specify whether clients can see or create Tickets. This check box is a “master” setting, so unchecking it will disable all Tickets functions on the Client Portal.
- Ticket Categories Shown to Client lets you select which Ticket Categories display on the Client Portal when they submit a Ticket.
- View Open Tickets lets you specify whether your clients can see their Open Tickets in the Client Portal.
This applies to the Tickets List as well as the Open Tickets section on the Client Portal Home page. - View Closed Tickets lets you specify whether your clients can see their closed Tickets in the Tickets List.
- Custom Fields lets you specify any custom fields you want to display on the Client Portal and Client Portal app.
- There is now a Display Order for Ticket Categories that you can choose in Settings > Ticket Categories. This setting lets you customize the order in which Ticket Categories appear for clients in the Client Portal and Legacy app.
Client Portal App Enhancements
Prepayments Are Here!
- Now, your clients can add Prepayments on the Client Portal app. This is based on new settings that you control, including the client’s ability to make a prepayment, and the maximum amount.
Credit Card Messages
- Client Portal app users will now see more user-friendly error messages for things like card expired, invalid expiration date, etc.
Service Autopilot Enhancements
We’ve made many general improvements to help you get around in SA:
Activity Stream
- To simplify the Activity Stream, we removed Job Comments from the list of Past Events. You can still see the Job Comments by clicking the airplane icon on the record.
- The Account Activity Stream for V2 and V3 now shows a small, expandable preview of Notes and Calls from the Activity Stream. The full screen design caused some Members to lose the context of the Ticket, so same information, but new look and feel.
Audit Trail
The Ticket Review Audit Trail lists when any of these are created or updated:
- Ticket
- Ticket Status
- Note
- Call
- Event
V3 Calendar Events
- To expedite creating a Calendar Event, we updated the time inputs so you can type directly in the fields if you prefer.
Dialog Screens
- We’ve simplified closing dialog screens. You now can click anywhere outside the dialog, and it will close.
Dispatch Board
- You now can add an “Event Category” column to the Dispatch Board. Click the Columns dropdown list and select the Event Category check box. Save the view (Dispatch Board > Save) and the new column will continue to appear on your Dispatch Board in future sessions.
Invoice Edit and Review Screen
- Billing Notes now display for all invoices in V3. Previously, only those invoices with a "Need to Review" flag would appear.
- Billing Notes now display as a field instead of in the banner at the top.
Payment Edit Screen
This screen has several improvements for ease of use:
- You now can tab through input fields (and tab backward with Shift+Tab).
- We added a Save & New button to help you quickly add payments and make new ones.
- Account Balance details are now displayed to let you quickly reference this information.
Search Bar
- In SA, you now can immediately choose a tab to search on after you click the Search Bar in areas like Invoices and Tickets. Previously, you had to first do a search before you could see the tabs.
Quick Add
The Quick Add in V3 Accounts has some new improvements including:
- You now can tab through fields.
- When doing a Quick Add, data like Display Name, Name on Invoice, and Property Name auto-populate to speed up the process.
- You now can see the full address on the Quick Add, so you can tell what City and State was set.
- When doing a Quick Add from either an Account or a Ticket associated with an Account, SA now auto-selects the Account.
- The Event Category field has been added to the V3 Quick Add.
- There are now more fields available when using Quick Add to add a lead or client. For leads, the only required field is First Name.
- The Account Quick Add now honors the Validation Rules you’ve set up. (Settings > Validation). Fields that you set as required will display for your company to fill out.
- The Account Quick Add now has a Save & Edit button that saves the Account and takes you straight to the Edit screen to fill in more details.
- While we were at it, we spruced up the Quick Add screens by refining spacing, grouping related fields together, and bolding required fields.
Team and Legacy Apps Enhancements
- A disclosure message now appears the first time a user logs in after installing the Team or Legacy app. The message says that the app does location tracking. This applies to both iOS and Android devices.
Updates to Correct System Issues
Accounting
- We fixed a problem with the Charts of Accounts not saving expenses due.
V3 Accounts
- On the V3 Property Edit, users were unable to add a Linear Measurement within a new Area Measurement. This now works as expected.
Activity Stream
- Text Messages were not appearing on the Activity Stream for V2 and V3 Accounts screens. This is working now.
- Some Email records were not displaying correctly in the Account Activity Stream for a Member in the UK. This has been corrected.
Automations
- Some automations were not loading properly in Firefox. This has been fixed.
- Avatars for Resources weren’t appearing correctly for the merge tag (replacement field) in Automations Emails. This has been corrected.
Calendar Events
- Calendar Events created from Automations that had B. Hrs entered would have the “Appointment Time” selected when opened from V3 Tickets. This has been corrected.
Client Portal
- Some Members had trouble registering clients for the Client Portal, and we have made some updates to address this. However, if you still have problems with clients not being able to access their account after registering, do not try to have your client re-register; instead, re-send them their username and have them click “Forgot Password” to reset their password. If you still have problems, please contact Member Support.
- Some clients saw a “Valid amount required” error when making payments in the Client Portal. This now works as expected.
- In some cases, there was a rounding error in which payments made on the Client Portal were generated in SA with an extra decimal, causing it to appear as 1 cent less than the actual amount. (The correct amount was actually charged to the credit card processor.)
Email Activity
- On the Email Activity screen, some bounced emails were showing blank errors. This has been fixed.
Estimates
- On the View My Proposal screen, the Subtotal was occasionally not accounting for package item totals. This has been corrected.
V3 Forms
- Some dropdown fields mapped to Custom Fields were using the number of the option selected instead of the dropdown value. This has been fixed.
V2 Forms
- We fixed a problem with V2 Forms Internal or Confirmation Emails not saving inserted documents.
Legacy App
- Previously, signatures were not appearing on the PDF for Estimates on the Legacy app. This now works as expected.
Master Schedules
- We fixed an issue with not being able to export clients on the Master Schedule.
Member Websites
- Members who had an old website were unable to save changes. This has been fixed.
V3 Package Jobs
- If a Member deleted Package Rounds after renewing a package, V3 Jobs would still display the deleted rounds as blank line items. This caused an error, which also prevented the user from adding an Installment Plan to the job. This has been corrected.
- Package Jobs in V3 no longer display rounds that have been deleted from the main package.
QuickBooks Desktop
- In QuickBooks Desktop, credits in the Amount field (which equals Rate x Quantity) were incorrectly populating the Rate field in SA. This now calculates correctly in SA.
Route Sheets
- When there was a Calendar Event on the route, the last job was not printing correctly on route sheets in Work Order formats. This now works as expected.
- Trying to email a route sheet with the culture set to English (United Kingdom) caused an error. This has been fixed. Jolly good!
V3 Tickets
- In the V3 Ticket Review, you may not have been able to scroll past 10 items to see all the Ticket details. This screen now lets you scroll through additional records correctly.
Waiting List Jobs
- On the Waiting List, if you tried to view allJob Notes for a Waiting List job that’s a Work Order, you would see an error. This now works as expected.
Updates to Correct Issues with Mobile Apps
Legacy app
- A few Legacy app users saw the error “String Or Binary Date Would Be Truncated. The Statement Has Been Terminated.” This has been fixed.
- Australian Legacy app users were sometimes unable to map Calendar Events. This now works as expected.
Team app
- Dropdown list options were not generating when a field was set to map to "Custom Field Text." This has been fixed.
In this Release, Tickets replace the functionality of To Do’s. We think you’ll find that Tickets are an easier, consolidated way to track issues and correspondence. Any issues with an Account can be documented, assigned, and resolved from start to finish within a single Ticket.
What about my To Do’s and Calls???
All your existing To Do’s and Calls have been automatically converted to Tickets. None of your data will be lost.
Tickets are Live Now!
Unlike previous SA releases, please note that Tickets functionality is now
live in both V2 and V3, so there is no option to toggle back and forth between To Do’s and Tickets.
Learn About Tickets
We’ve got you covered with webinars and written training for Tickets!
- Find Knowledge Base articles and training videos at:
HELP > Knowledge Base > CRM > Tickets - Download the Tickets User Guide here.
TICKETS OVERVIEW
Tickets consolidate your notes, correspondence, and tasks related to Jobs, Events, Accounts, and Resources:
- Track correspondence with Accounts and Resources.
- The system creates a Ticket automatically when you create a Note, Call, Calendar Event, or Email.
- Calendar events can include a time by setting either budgeted hours or a specific time range.
- Set the status of a Ticket such as Open, Closed, On Hold.
Tickets List
On the Tickets list, you can find, manage, and work on Tickets.
- It includes filters, actions, and sorting like other list pages.
- We recommend that you build a combination of filters so you can save and load your own customized Tickets list.
Ticket Review
Click any Ticket in the Tickets list to open its Ticket Review screen. Here, you can review important information and correspondence, including emails, notes, calls, and calendar events:
- Add Estimates or Jobs quickly.
- Use Ticket Edit to change data or relate other Tickets, Estimates, or Jobs.
- Related items appear right on the Ticket for reference.
CHANGES IN OTHER AREAS OF SA
To work with Tickets, we’ve made some changes to other parts of Service Autopilot:
- My Day now has tabs for “Tickets due today” and “All Tickets.”
- V2 Timelines and V3 Activity Streams now include Tickets functionality.
- Automations can now generate Tickets from Email and Ticket events.
- M.dot (a function in the original version of SA) does not support Tickets and is being retired. The Legacy app now offers all the functions of M.dot.
Accounts
Activity Stream
Ticket-related data now appears in each Account’s Activity Stream:
- Notes
- Calls
- Emails
- Past Calendar Events (when marked as Completed, Cancelled, or Skipped from scheduling screens or mobile apps)
V3 Calendar Events
Calendar Events are now available in V3. These are also still supported on the V2 scheduling screens. In V3, you now can:
- Create Calendar Events with or without Tickets.
- Create a follow-up Calendar Event quickly while sending an email or creating a note/call from within Tickets.
- Create repeating and single events.
- Set budgeted "Anytime" events or specific appointment times.
- Set a different address location from an Account address (this is integrated with Google and can show on the map).
- Add attachments to Calendar Events.
- Schedule, dispatch, and route Calendar events just like Jobs, similar to previous To Do's.
Important Note on Calendar Events
Calendar Events marked as Completed will also close the parent Ticket if there is one associated with it. This allows existing automations to work seamlessly with the “Ticket was Completed” trigger after existing To Do’s have been converted to Calendar Events.
Legacy App
To accommodate Tickets, the Legacy app has two new filters on the Ticket List:
- Resources filter - Lets you filter Tickets that are assigned only to certain resources.
- Account filter - Lets you filter Tickets for a particular Account.
Marketplace
Automations in the Marketplace that had To Do Events or To Do Triggers are now Ticket Events and Ticket triggers. The Marketplace supports the new data for uploading and downloading.
Automations
To Do Events are now Ticket Events. Here are some things to know:
- Tags on Complete and Due Date are set at the Ticket level, not the Calendar Event.
- Tickets created are "Open" by default.
- When Automation sequences create Tickets from Emails or Ticket events, those will be related so you can find them on the Ticket Review screen.
- Ticket Events will have a Ticket Detail record of Note, Call, or Calendar Event.
- Tickets require a Subject, so any old events will display the subject "Created from an Automation"
- If an automation would create a Calendar Event, the "Start in" and "End in" days will set the start and end date on the Calendar Event.
- To Do Types are now called "Ticket Categories." Previously set "Types" are still set as "Categories" on Ticket Events.
- All other settings such as documents, custom bodies, etc. remain unaffected and are applied to the Note, Call, or Calendar Event upon creation.
To Do triggers are now Ticket triggers
These changes are automatically made, so no action is required on your part. The new triggers are:
- To Do was Completed > Ticket was Closed
- To Do was Created > Ticket was Created
- To Do Past Due > Ticket Past Due
Note that this trigger now runs once a day in search of past due Tickets, for up to 30 days past due. - Ticket was Reopened is a new trigger that you can set to detect when a Ticket has been reopened.
To Do conditions are now Ticket conditions
These changes are automatically made, so no action is required on your part. The old and new conditions are:
- To Do Type > Ticket Category
- To Do Past Due > Ticket Past Due
Report Center
Dashboard Components Changes
- Dashboard components that mentioned "To Do’s" now say "Tickets," and all data reflects the correct Ticket information.
- Key Performance Indicators dashboard component: "New To Do’s" are now "New Emails.” The "New Calls" component has not changed.
- Open Tickets Dashboard component - The data now reflects Tickets; however, the individual chart elements no longer open when you click on them.
Reports Changes
- "Scheduled To Do’s report” is now "Calendar Events report.”
- Lead Timeline and Client Timeline reports now reflect the Account Activity Stream. The “Description” and “Assignment” columns have been removed.
- Damage Report has been removed.
- Legacy SA Reports – To Do Detail and Calls Detail reports have been removed.
USER RIGHTS FOR TICKETS
Some user rights have been added, removed, or renamed for Tickets functionality. You may need to adjust user rights in order to use all features of Tickets. Go to
Settings > User Roles & Rights [role] > CRM to review your user rights.
- The column "To Do's / Calls Access" has changed to "Tickets Access"
- "View/Modify To Do's" and "View/Modify Calls" were consolidated to "View/Modify Tickets"
- "Add Notes" and "Add Calls" determine what type of Ticket the SA user can create.
- The user right "Damage Case List" has been removed.
WHAT’S GOING AWAY
With this release, we’ve removed some items that were not used much or had their function replaced by Tickets:
- Following functionality on old To Do’s was removed due to low use of this feature, and the lack of notification for updates. We recommend using a combination of filters on the Tickets List to find Tickets that you need to monitor.
- Damage Case fields for specific damage case type To Do’s were removed due to low use.
- Touchpoints were removed due to low use. You can get the same functionality by using Tickets and tags.
ENHANCEMENT NOT RELATED TO V3 TICKETS
Automation View
If an Automation is triggered by a Job, Invoice, or Estimate, the Automation View now identifies the item triggered by that sequence. This lets you easily navigate to the Job, Invoice, or Estimate.
UPDATES TO CORRECT SYSTEM ISSUES
We’ve made general improvements and corrected some issues in this release.
Automations
Fixed a bug for which in some cases, a Wait Period that only had basic settings for Hours/Minutes, would schedule for midnight instead of scheduling for the following day.
V3 Accounts
Fixed a bug in which trying to look at inactive jobs from the V3 Account Review was not returning any data.
V2 Accounts
Fixed a bug in which certain time zones would show an incomplete invoice on the Client View.
V3 Forms
- In some cases, the Review field was not saving rules. This is now working.
- Sometimes, merge tags for physical addresses on Email Notifications were not populating. This has been fixed.
- Previously, exporting form responses that resulted in duplicate tab names would create an error. This has been corrected.
V2 Forms
V2 Forms Exports were failing due to certain format problems such as leading spaces or exceeding character counts. This has been fixed.
V3 Installment Plans
Fixed a bug for which in some cases, when working with a V3 Installment Plan assigned to a job, the service's rate was being updated.
V3 Invoices
Fixed a bug in which some members who migrated card data to Clearent were seeing problems with the "Credit Card on File" filter for the Invoices list.
Report Center
Some custom analyses including timesheet data were not showing "Lunch" as a work type. This has been corrected.
Two-Way Texting
We fixed a couple of issues with Two-Way Texting when a new number texted to a phone number and created a new lead.
Certified Advisors
Previously, Certified Advisors saw an error if they signed in through a Member's account, then tried to fill out a form from the V2 or V3 Account pages. This has been fixed.