Dec
12Tools of the Trade | HoneyBook & Trello
12
How many times have you had to manually send something to a bride, time after time, and wished there was as system that did that for you? Or an app that was always available to you, no matter where you are when you have that amazing idea or need to note a task before you forget? We try to keep so many things in our heads and there are only so many hours in the day. Wouldn’t it be amazing if there were affordable, or free (!), systems to give you back more brain space and time? Well, lovely, you are in luck! Today, I’m sharing how I use HoneyBook and Trello to keep HHE running and serve our brides and grooms well!
The first piece of the puzzle for me is finding ways to be efficient and give me time back in my day to focus on designing, working with my clients and meeting other artists. The tool that make that possible for me is HoneyBook!
I am able to store my contracts, take credit card payments directly deposited into my account, send invoices and receipts, automatically respond to inquiries and store templates for my collections, questionnaires and emails! Hello efficiency! I especially love the automatic inquiry response. You can set it up to reply with a questionnaire or file, if you prefer to send your look book right away. No matter where I am or what time it is, potential brides and grooms will hear from me right away, starting their client experience on a high note.
Once brides and grooms get into the system and receive files from the HB system, it is branded and streamlined. That was a complaint I’ve have with previous systems. If I cannot brand it, is it really a client facing tool? With HoneyBook, I have never had to ask that question. It also acts as our central communication hub to keep all of us from searching through emails- something I’ve wasted far too much time doing in the past. It also has a great pipeline view and allows you to see each event and the stage it is in.
While I am focused on the experience and service my couples receive, the HB team is constantly improving the system and focusing on the community of business owners using it. There is a community chat function, they are always available to troubleshoot or answer questions. They’ve also created an option in our profiles where we can showcase our work and make connections with other artists!
The community facets are seemingly never-ending. It is so easy to add workspaces to an event and share them with other vendors and my team. Making teamwork simple allows me to delegate and get help when needed. The vendor connections and workspaces also simplify that communication. I could go on for hours about how much I love HoneyBook, but I also promised I’d tell you about Trello.
Honestly, I do not know what I did before Trello to manage my tasks and workflow! It’s a free app that can be used on your mobile or desktop. Yes, please! One of my favorite features is that it updates in realtime from any device. If I’m out at a site visit and need to take notes or add tasks to my list, I can do it directly in the app and not spend that time transferring from a notebook later. It is also great for teamwork! You can invite team members or clients to boards and assign tasks to others with due dates. It is great for managing projects and reminding clients if they have a few things to send your way. It is not necessarily something that all of my clients enjoy, but I always offer it, in case it is a tool that works well for them.
I also really enjoy being able to color code things and move things around for due dates. I love the calendar view for blog planning and seeing how to plan my week. Something that is a time saver, similar to HoneyBook, is to create templates of tasks for each of my collections to ensure I’m fulfilling my contract and adding in any details along the way. I do this for not only collections, but styled story prep, projects, wedding day packing/prep and anything I do more than once. If I am copying something at any point, I create a generalized card template for it.
There are so many things you can do with Trello and we even use it for home. When we plan trips, save packing lists, grocery lists and more. If Adam and I both need to know about it, we will put it in Trello.
If you have any questions about how I use these two tools in tandem, feel free to reach out. I also would love to know how you use them or any other tools and systems you find useful. Happy organizing and planning, lovelies!
xoxo, Jenn
