Chances are you didn’t decide to become a business or life coach to be weighed down in contracts, invoices, and scheduling appointments. But that’s all part of running your own business, right? So how do you manage all the administrative tasks on top of building relationships with your clients? With the use of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool made specifically for coaches. In order to help your clients, you have to help yourself first, and that starts with using the right tools to meet your goals and needs. Let’s take a look at three platforms created just for coaches and how they can help you and your business.
Features of CoachAccountable vs Paperbell vs Practice
As a coaching business owner, it’s crucial to operate your business with efficiency. The software and tools you choose to incorporate into your day-to-day process should help you streamline your workflow. Not all platforms will be the right fit for you, as it all depends on your specific needs and business goals.
Features of CoachAccountable
If you’re wondering, is CoachAccountable a CRM, the answer is yes. CoachAccountable was established in 2012 as a CRM platform specifically to meet the needs of coaches running their own businesses. Within your account, you can facilitate both individual coaching and group coaching sessions and manage all clients through a shared portal. You’ll be able to track metric statistics, invoices and payments, schedule appointments and reminder notes, and create documents that can remain private or shared with your client. Some of the main features you’ll have access to with CoachAccountable include:
- Client management portal
- Invoicing and payment reports
- Form templates and worksheets
- Shared resource library
- Appointment scheduling and calendar sync
- Contracts and document sharing
- Application integration
- Group coaching availability
- Coaching programs and course creation
- 7-day free trial
CoachAccountable provides coaches with the resources to create their own programs and courses. This removes the need for outside software and tools (like Kajabi and third-party webinars) while further establishing your expertise in your field.
Features of Paperbell
Lauren Roeder, founder of Paperbell, set out to create a simple but efficient system for coaches. What started as an idea for her own coaching business became an in-demand system for coaches and consultants at all stages and sizes in their careers. Coaches appreciate the clean and simple design of the platform, plus the ability to track all necessary documents and appointments within their dashboard. You can also create a Paperbell account and onboard your first client for free. Here are more features you’ll have access to with Paperbell:
- Client management and portal
- Resources and limited file uploading
- Intake surveys
- Invoicing and payment processing
- Contract signing
- Appointment scheduling
- Customized landing pages for packages
- Group coaching availability
- Sell digital products and subscriptions
Paperbell exceeds expectations with its customization of landing pages, client plans, and packages. In just a few minutes you can design a plan and send it to your client. It’s a one-stop shop for coaches to build their services and grow their businesses. In the comparison of CoachAccountable vs Paperbell, Paperbell grants you more customization and flexibility in incorporating your branding into the experience.
Features of Practice
Practice offers an all-in-one platform for client-focused coaches and entrepreneurs. Users can communicate directly with clients through a client portal, making it easy to stay on top of tasks and milestones. You can also view documents, invoices, and payments through each client’s dashboard to ensure all necessary information is kept in one place. Take a look at these key features available to all users:
- Unlimited contacts and storage
- Shared access to client portals
- Direct communication with clients
- Automated workflows
- Invoice and payment processing
- Appointment scheduling and calendar sync
- Application integration
- No additional transaction fees
- Digital contracts and proposals
- 7-day free trial
Practice makes it easy to grow your coaching business with its unlimited clients and storage space. We also recognize how essential it is to have the ability to immediately reach out to your client, and vice versa, which is why we’ve created shared client portals for optimal communication and engagement. Send reminder messages, notes, and stay up to date with billing inquiries through your portal.
Pricing and Plans
If you’re on the fence about CoachAccountable you can try their software with a 30-day free trial. After that you’ll need to choose a plan, Single Coach (for solopreneur coaches) or Team Edition (if you work as a team of coaches). The pricing remains the same for each plan and provides access to all system features. With CoachAccountable pricing, there are no upfront costs or contracts to start using their platform, but keep in mind that plans function on a tier system determined by the number of clients you have (only active clients count). At the Starter level, you’ll be charged $20 per month for 2 clients. Level 1 jumps up to $40 per month for 5 clients, and so on.
Paperbell offers two plans, Free and Paid. If you want to try out the software you can sign up for a completely free plan that will give you access to all features and the ability to onboard 1 client. This Free plan functions like other platforms’ free trials to give you the opportunity to test things out. If you decide to move forward with Paperbell, you’ll be charged a flat fee of $57 per month if you choose their monthly option ($47.50 per month on a yearly option). With the Paid plan you’ll have unlimited clients, packages, contracts, and file space.
Here at Practice we offer users a 7-day free trial before committing to a plan (no credit card needed). Users can choose our Basic Plan, starting at $35 per month, which will give you access to unlimited contacts and storage space, plus private client portals, automated workflows, and invoice and payment processing. For coaches looking for more customization, you can upgrade to our Pro Plan for $60 per month. You’ll still have access to all the features in our Basic Plan in addition to Zapier integration, contracts and proposals, and customized domain and white label to incorporate your own branding and design.
Ease of Use and User Interface
Not all CRM platforms are made equally. Depending on your personal taste and needs, some software may be more suitable to use for your coaching business than others. Both CoachAccountable and Practice are known for their user interface design that makes navigating the platform easy and enjoyable. You can automate workflows, share documents, set up invoices and payments, and schedule appointments. What sets Practice apart is the ability to communicate directly with clients through their portal, removing the need for additional email or texting apps. Chat, leave notes, and share voice memos with your client all from your dashboard, further streamlining your communication so you’ll always stay on top of your tasks and deadlines.
Paperbell, on the other hand, is known for its simplicity and lightweight tool features. The design isn’t complicated so users can easily navigate throughout the platform. From your dashboard you can quickly create client portals, coaching packages and programs, or schedule appointments. However, Paperbell lacks the bells and whistles of other CRM programs, sticking to its straightforward user interface—which may be a good thing, depending on the type of experience you’re looking for.
Customer Support
CoachAccountable boasts its bug-free software, reducing the need for platform issues and fixes. But let’s say you still need to reach out to customer support for another issue. You can access the support team via email, chat, or by calling the support line. If your inquiry isn’t answered immediately you’ll receive a response within 24 hours if not sooner.
Due to its smaller-scale operation, Paperbell doesn’t yet offer a chat widget to allow you to speak to a customer support agent directly. You can contact the support team via email or browse their online database with support articles to help guide you through and troubleshoot your problem.
Aside from our resource library with articles and guides to assist you with any problems, you can also submit a request that will be sent to our customer support team at Practice. We’ve also created a community forum for users to find information, ask questions, and share stories with fellow coaches. Practice also offers users the ability to set up a one-on-one onboarding session with an experienced agent. You can schedule 30-minute or 1-hour sessions to help walk you through the platform, review the product and features, and help you set up your account to get you on the road to success.
Reviews and Testimonials
It’s no surprise that CoachAccountable has established itself as a preferred CRM for coaching businesses. Since its launch the platform has received a solid 5.0 rating among users who enjoy the software for its user-friendly interface and feature accessibility. Some users, however, aren’t a fan of the CoachAccountable pricing and its fixed-tier system. One coach on Capterra wrote, “I thought it was pricey, as the monthly fee increases when you coach more people—opposed to the fixed monthly relatively low fee that the other software provider charged that I used before.” It should also be noted that for coaches who work in the healthcare and wellness field, CoachAccountable is not currently HIPAA compliant.
Paperbell users tend to agree that its simple design and ability to create custom landing pages make it a great option for coaching businesses. With a 4.6 rating on Capterra, users have made note that even clients enjoy the experience and straightforward approach to their client portal. However, some coaches see Paperbell as an advanced scheduling tool (similar to Acuity scheduling or Quenza) and that it lacks the necessary and advanced features to sufficiently run a coaching business out of one platform.
Our team at Practice is confident in the user experience we provide for coaches, which is reflected in our 4.9 rating among users on Capterra. Overall, users enjoy our interface and design and appreciate the ability to work out of one CRM system with all the necessary tools. Many coaches also made note of how responsive our customer support team is. We focus on positive engagement with our customers and strive to develop a tool that works for them. In turn, they value our continual effort to add new features and make improvements where needed.
Strengths and Weaknesses
CoachAccountable is known as a trusted brand in the world of coaching software. With its wide range of advanced features and user-friendly interface, CoachAccountable is an efficient tool to help your day-to-day operations. It removes the need for extra software (like Kajabi and Calendly). However, it falls short in its tiered system pricing plan, which may not be the best financial option for everyone.
Paperbell understands that a key component of running a coaching business lies in its ability to accurately and successfully book appointments and sessions with clients. Paperbell, compared to other CRM tools, offers coaches a robust built-in scheduling tool to smoothly coordinate meetings with clients without the worry of double-booking or scheduling too far in advance. Unfortunately, if you’re in need of more advanced client management tools and features you may need to look elsewhere.
As a coach, you’re often faced with the question, how do you coach accountability? Practice solves this problem and takes the client experience to the next level. Our goal is to offer both coaches and clients the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently—which reinforces accountability—with each other while still prioritizing the user interface and accessibility of all our features. At the same time, we’re constantly working on new features and improvements to further streamline workflows for business owners to make the most of their time on our platform.
Conclusion
In the world of coaching, you know that at the heart of your business is your passion and need to help others become the best version of themselves. Incorporating the right CRM tool to help facilitate your day-to-day tasks will only increase your productivity and allow you to spend more time with your clients.
CoachAccountable: Best for coaches to create programs and courses
It’s no surprise CoachAccountable has become a favorite platform for coaches. With its advanced features and the ability to onboard a large client list, CoachAccountable is a go-to choice. Coaches can take advantage of the ability to create programs and courses within the platform and include them in your coaching packages. This further simplifies the process without the need for outside software if you’re interested in course creation.
Paperbell: Best for coaches who want customized packages
Paperbell offers a straightforward and clean system to effectively manage your clients and sessions with ease. One of Paperbell’s key features is the ability to showcase your coaching services through customized packages and landing pages. This allows you the opportunity to highlight what makes your client experience different from other coaches by putting your personal stamp and expertise on your landing pages.
Practice: Best for coaches who want a central place for their client communication
At Practice, we can easily help you set up packages as well but we also realize the importance of keeping an open line of communication between coaches and clients. Our unique client portal allows you to stay in touch with your client and send texts, voice memos, and share documents all through one platform, so you and your clients only have on place to go. We offer an all-in-one CRM system for both coaches and clients to use and work out of without the need for any other software. Give our 7-day free trial a try today.
