HoneyBook

HoneyBook for Wedding Vendors: A Client Case Study

September 15, 2023

If you have ever dreamed of getting married on the East coast, I have just the venue for you: Historic London Town and Gardens. Not only is it a stunning waterfront property in Annapolis, Maryland – it happens to be the focus of our first-ever HoneyBook Case Study for DaSilva Life!

Kristin, the Director of Private Events at London Town, reached out to our team in need of some help organizing and streamlining her processes. In addition to providing a beautiful wedding venue for couples, she also wanted to create an unmatched client experience. And she knew there were better solutions out there – she just wasn’t sure where to start.

Having worked in Dubsado for a while, Kristin knew she wanted to transition out of that system and into a new one. Our answer to that? HoneyBook, of course!

Let’s take a closer look at Kristin’s business transformation!

The problem

In addition to the initial hurdle of transferring from Dubsado, Kristin felt like things were slipping through the cracks throughout the inquiry process.

With so many inquiries coming in, Kristin was constantly repeating manual tasks – writing emails, sending information, requesting information, and more. She knew her process needed to be automated, but she didn’t know how or where to start. We also wanted to ensure that through the automation process, Kristin didn’t lose the levels of personalization she includes with every new inquiry and client.

On top of that, Kristin wanted solutions that weren’t too complex. We know first-hand how intimidating this process can be for business owners like Kristin who are new to HoneyBook, which is why we always aim to keep things simple.

The solution(s)

With a full custom HoneyBook build, our team was able to sit down with Kristin to:

  • Migrate her systems from Dubsado to HoneyBook
  • Build out custom workflows
  • Create custom brochures and forms with HoneyBook Smart Files
  • Develop canned email templates
  • Provide ongoing support as Kristin and her team adjusted to and learned the ropes of HoneyBook!

Here’s a deeper dive into some of our custom solutions!

Organized leads pipeline

With her previous system, Kristin felt like she couldn’t keep up with the number of inquiries coming through. Thankfully, HoneyBook has the perfect solution for that (which also happens to be one of my favorite features)!

With her new leads pipeline in HoneyBook, Kristin can oversee and manage every single person that’s inquired about her wedding venue. She can also keep track of:

  • Brand-new leads (so no one slips through the cracks)
  • Who she has followed up with
  • Who has signed their contracts
  • Whose wedding has been complete
  • And more!

Asset creation with HoneyBook Smart Files

With HoneyBook Smart Files, we were able to do a few things for Kristin. First, we were able to create every asset she uses throughout her client experience, like her:

  • Brochure
  • Scheduler
  • Booking Form
  • Questionnaires
  • Proposal
  • Invoices
  • Welcome Guide
  • Canned Email Templates

These are assets she uses every time a new client inquires about her services, schedules calls, and books her venue.

Next, we eliminated a lot of disorganization and manual work. Before her HoneyBook Buildout, Kristin was sending each of these crucial pieces of information as attachments to emails she was writing from scratch. Now, everything is right there in HoneyBook. Not to mention, now that these assets are HoneyBook Smart Files, it has completely elevated their entire experience!

But how does this feature eliminate manual work? Let’s dive into our next solution: workflows and automations within HoneyBook!

Client experience workflows and automations

For Kristin, we built out an entire workflow, which helps streamline and automate so much of her work – all while curating that elevated client experience. Even though this is a workflow that’s customized to her business, it can apply to virtually any type of wedding vendor!

Here’s a high-level look at her brand-new ‘wedding workflow!’

  1. When someone inquires about the venue, Kristin checks if their wedding date is available.
  2. If it is (yay!), Kristin uses a canned email template and HoneyBook Smart Files to send a brochure (AKA: it's like a mini website) that includes details about the venue, pricing, approved catering lists, FAQs, and contact information. In other words: Everything the couple needs to know about her venue!
  3. From there, Kristin uses another canned email template to send scheduling information so couples can book a call or a tour of the venue.
  4. When a couple books the venue (another yay!), Kristin sends an automated response that includes a booking form and questionnaire.
  5. Once that’s filled out, HoneyBook automatically fills the proposal with information pulled straight from the questionnaire. This way, Kristin doesn’t have to fill out her proposals manually – HoneyBook does all this work on its own!
  6. Once the signatures are secured, an automated message goes out that includes a personalized Welcome Guide (created with Smart Files!) with everything the couple needs to know. This email sequence also includes reminder emails leading up to the big day.
  7. After the wedding, Kristin sends a personalized thank-you email with any follow-up details. A few weeks later, HoneyBook automatically sends a final thank you and a request to gather information like wedding photos and testimonials.

Of course, there are tons of other details and capabilities we built into Kristin’s workflow that fit her specific business. But for wedding vendors with similar needs, processes, and wants, HoneyBook is the catch-all system for it all! Amazing, right?

The results

"Collaborating with Kristi & The DL Team on our custom HoneyBook Build was an absolute dream! She relieved me of the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where or how to start in HoneyBook. The build has made my job much easier. We had a few Zoom calls to discuss the project and goals, and Kristi kept me updated with videos as the project progressed. She made changes as necessary and ensured I was always in the loop. The build was definitely worth it, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience!"

Now that Kristin has HoneyBook in her business arsenal, she feels super organized and confident in her processes. Even more exciting? She’s been able to release so much stress now that she can find everything she needs and knows nothing is slipping through the cracks!

Kristin’s favorite part about working with DaSilva Life

"Working with Kristi has been an absolute pleasure, and I have truly appreciated her patience with me. She is a remarkable teacher who took the time to explain how HoneyBook works and the best ways to utilize the program. Her dedication to understanding our business and making all of the automations sound like my voice has been exceptional."

On Kristin's experience with our extended monthly HB maintenance package.

"The long-term maintenance support has been a life-changing addition to my work life. Without it, I can only imagine the stress and frustration I would have to deal with on a daily basis. Since I do not have a support staff at the office, Kristi's responsiveness and timely assistance have been invaluable in helping me work through any HB issues I am faced with. Her extensive knowledge of HB and her exceptional problem-solving skills have been truly exemplary. Their long-term maintenance support saves me at least 20 hours per month!"

HoneyBook + wedding pros = a match made in heaven

If you ever feel like your current systems aren’t working for you or things are slipping through the cracks, you should always seek out a better solution. Even if you don’t know what that solution is, that’s ok! That’s why we’re here to help.

With a full HoneyBook Build, we’ll take a deep dive into your processes and hurdles to create a customized solution for you. This way, all of the pressure is off of you, so you can continue to focus on what you do best. For Kristin, that’s ensuring couples have an amazing experience at the wedding venue she oversees. For you: What could that look like? Let’s find out together!

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