Housecall Pro App vs. Thryv: Compare Core Features, Customer Service, Reviews & Price

Today’s service-based small business owners want to simplify running their companies, while also amping up the “woo” factor that captivates customers. From scheduling and managing jobs to online bookings and payments, the list of manual tasks is long. After all, that time could be spent with more customers.

However, many businesses believe comprehensive software would be too time-consuming and intimidating to take on. So they either stick to what they know or implement multiple tools that solve only fractions of their needs.

What small businesses deserve is an easy-to-use platform. One that combines marketing, payments, social media posting, reviews management and online listings in one place.

Here we consider two options with multiple capabilities: Housecall Pro and Thryv. You’ll be able to compare features offered, ease of use and customer service provided.

What Is Housecall Pro

Housecall Pro (formerly known as Housecall and founded as Codefied) is a software platform claiming to be an all-in-one field management system. The company was founded in 2013 by Ian Heidt, son of a painter, to connect home service professionals with new clients and business management tools.

The company had been known for its quick expansion, and boasted about its employee increase from 140 to 210 in 2019. Oddly, a lawsuit filed in March of the same year alleged Housecall Pro tried to solicit customers without consent, violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Despite denying any wrongdoing, the company eventually settled and paid a $2.2 million fine.

Shortly after the settlement, the company that once boasted of growth laid off roughly 43% of its staff, claiming company reorganization.

Housecall Pro is designed for consumer-facing businesses of all sizes, but lacks the customer service users need. After an hour spent trying to resolve errors using Housecall Pro’s chat support, one user noted: “Some issues I have are a complete lack of phone support. I have over a hundred errors that I try to resolve and once I do that, 60 more pop up because the sales tax issue isn’t resolved.”

Housecall Pro features and pricing

Job Management. All Housecall Pro versions (Start, Grow, Manage and XL) offer job management. You can schedule and dispatch jobs and communicate with customers from start to finish. A color-coded calendar allows users to easily identify previous and upcoming jobs.

Automation. Housecall Pro’s email and postcard automation helps you send customer communications to inboxes or mailboxes. But you have to set up the automation process yourself. And the feature is only available to Grow, Manage and XL plan subscribers.

Communications. Text messages are housed in the app’s messages tab, and can be accessed within each job. You can add private notes and send progress texts to alert customers when technicians are on their way, when they’ve begun the service and when they complete it. Housecall Pro make this easy through its premade, yet customizable, customer message templates.

Appointments. Users can add scheduling buttons to their websites and Facebook pages for online booking. You can manage appointments and scheduling through a color-coded calendar that allows you to add client and service information. Additionally, you can send text invoices and upcoming service notifications to customers through this feature.

Furthermore, Housecall Pro’s XL plan comes with a sales proposal tool. But other plan users will pay an additional $40 monthly for that feature.

Invoices & Payments. With Housecall Pro, all invoice line items and payments automatically push to Quickbook accounts. However, users must be on either the Grow, Manage or XL plans for this integration.

Another Housecall Pro feature is Instapay, which allows business owners to collect credit card payments in the field. In addition to your card processing fee, funds are deposited into your bank account within 30 minutes for a 1% charge. You can create and send quotes and invoices in all versions of Housecall Pro, but recurring services are only included in the XL plan. All other Housecall Pro users would need to pay a $40 monthly add-on fee.

Multiple Locations. Users with more than one account can create “parent” accounts that can access each “child” account. Any Housecall Pro user can run reports, dispatch and schedule, but only the parent account has full visibility; the child account visibility is limited.

HOUSECALL PRO PRICING

Housecall Pro’s general pricing is as follows.

• Start: $49/mo, includes 1 user
• Grow: $109/mo, includes 1-5 users
• Manage: $199/mo, includes 1-9 users
• XL: Contact Housecall Pro for pricing

Additional users and contacts can be added, starting at $30 per month for each additional user. A 14-day trial is available.

Housecall Pro REVIEWS: What customers* say

“The expense for what is offered does seem excessive. My biggest pet peeve is they add on ‘features,’ but never once have those features been fully useable or robust once they release them. They’re a lukewarm attempt so they can create a cash grab.” – Administrator in construction, verified user, G2 review, Dec. 2, 2020

Pros: Users praise the ease of scheduling, dispatching workers and invoicing customers. Customer relationship management (CRM) users say Housecall Pro’s centralized information helped them streamline leads and sales activities.

Cons: Customers get frustrated when Housecall Pro says new features have been added, but actually are still being developed. They say the inability to customize invoicing makes them appear unprofessional. Chat bubble support offers little-to-no way of escalating problems to real people.

Housecall Pro customer service

A Housecall Pro representative will provide a 30-minute demo, which is exploratory and generally transactional. Unfortunately, the person conducting the demo uses a fair amount of jargon. The demos are feature-driven rather than focusing on solving a business owner’s problems.

Many customers praise Housecall Pro’s self-serve onboarding process and initial setup process. However, Housecall Pro’s claims of world-class customer service and real-time chat fall flat; additional tech support or help isn’t readily available. Autobot responses are delayed, representatives don’t reply and no phone support forces customers to figure errors out on their own.

What is Thryv

Wise small business owners who realize the need to become more digital — adding capabilities such as contactless payments and automated marketing campaigns — will recognize they can get more out of Thryv.

Job Management. Thryv’s end-to-end customer experience platform is fully integrated with nearly every business activity, such as organizing customer databases and sending bulk emails and texts. It also helps you manages jobs from initial outreach through ongoing communication, estimates, invoices, payments, receipts, follow-ups, reminders, online scheduling and more.

Communication. Thryv’s automated marketing offers super-handy, ready-to-customize text messages and email templates. This means you’ll never miss a job follow-up or customer celebration, like birthdays and business anniversaries. Following up with busy customers is essential, so this feature is a must.

Keep customers in the know with email and text messages that remind them of upcoming appointments and ongoing sales. Then request reviews once the job has been completed.

Additionally, Thryv users can use our vast social media message library and easily post to various social media sites using the Thryv dashboard. Keeping everything in one secure, easy-to-use place improves business efficiency and saves time. A bonus? Thryv will regularly review your company website, social media and online reviews to help you improve.

Payment Options. Thryv stands out from other customer experience software platforms with ThryvPay. Designed specifically for service-based businesses, this payment processing solution helps you offer contactless payment options. Businesses using ThryvPay get flat-rate fees for credit card transactions.

Furthermore, you can save thousands every month by offering automated clearing house (ACH) payment processing for customers who want to pay through their checking accounts. Payments show up immediately if funds are available. No more bounced checks.

Thryv’s ever-evolving App Market integrates seamlessly with several popular business-operating programs. Apps include Gmail, Quickbooks, Jotform, Yext, Constant Contact, Indeed, Mailchimp, Shopify, Typeform, Zoom, ShareAble for Hires and Clover.

Thryv features and pricing

As a full, end-to-end platform, Thryv helps businesses:

• Get the Job by improving online presence, building and maintaining reviews, growing social media audiences, setting online appointments, creating and delivering estimates and providing easy form fills.
• Manage the Job by maintaining a staff calendar in real time, collecting and storing online documents, creating and delivering estimates and offering a variety of contactless payment methods, including ThryvPay.
• Get Credit through social posts, text and email campaigns, requesting reviews, sending promotions and customizing messaging to the right audience at the right time.

The Transparency Needed to Grow

Robust CRM. Thryv’s cornerstone is a centralized CRM system that enables every action and interaction. Particularly helpful is the ability to organize, access and tag customer information with details such as services received and date of last service.

Even Thryv’s CRM terminology is customized based on your industry. You can easily track and find specific information associated to each job, patient, case, pet, vehicle, etc., including appointments, payments, notes, conversations and documents. This game-changer makes every other action more seamless, helping you manage your customer’s entire journey effortlessly.

Thryv also helps you create one-to-many relationships with your customers, organizing multiple jobs, patients, cases, etc., under one contact. For instance, a contractor can perform several jobs for one homeowner; a dentist can consolidate multiple family members under a parent; a lawyer can access several cases under one client; a mechanic can track services for one family’s multiple vehicles.

Multiple Locations & Franchises. Hub by Thryv is especially helpful to franchise owners managing multiple locations. Its ready-to-use business apps help your franchisees view jobs, messages, appointments, payments, reviews and more — in one place.

Particularly important is the ability to get full financial line of sight while also ensuring franchisees follow your processes. View your best- and worst-performing locations by geography, average order value, number of appointments and more. Tailored to your specific industry, Thryv users can attract, onboard and manage hundreds of locations.

Streamlined Sales & Payments. Create estimates, invoices and receipts from your Thryv dashboard. Additionally, you’ll get a clear overview of any outstanding invoices. Customers can choose their preferred method to pay, including credit, debit, ThryvPay, PayPal, Braintree, Venmo, Square, Stripe, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

ThryvPay offers competitive flat-rate fees for credit cards and low ACH fees. Customers also can pay from their mobile device using Thryv’s Pay by SMS Text. No more waiting to get paid.

Customer Communication. Manage every conversation from your inbox and respond immediately, whether over email or text. Staff members also can be assigned to manage specific correspondence.

Online Scheduling. Put power in your customers’ hands with online scheduling. When customers choose their own appointment times, you and your staff get time back. No more time-consuming reminder calls, texts or emails.

Reputation Management & Online Presence. Thryv’s powerful online listing capabilities ensure your business information is current and accurate across more than 60 online listing sites. Thryv also helps you maintain a robust online presence so customers anywhere can find your business, no matter where they look. Regular reporting helps you stay on top of incoming reviews so you can respond immediately.

Automated Marketing & Social Media. Create, customize and schedule automated marketing campaigns that can be sent in bulk or after a milestone or special event. The platform’s sophisticated CRM and tagging capabilities help you automate one-to-one customer communications, like when it’s time to schedule a next appointment.

You also get substantial social media posting services, including a library of posts that make regular, ongoing social presence and posting a breeze.

THRYV PRICING

Thryv’s base package pricing is competitive with Housecall Pro’s, but Thryv offers much more. Key features include social media management, online review management, reputation management, ongoing free 24-7 technical support. Plus, there’s a specified support team for ThryvPay. Please visit our Thryv Pricing page for more information.

Thryv Reviews: What customers* say

“The patience, the willingness to show and direct me on all the tools they offer to help me succeed. My website is user-friendly and so beautiful. They work with me as much or little as I need.” – Krystal S.; verified user; G2 review; Feb. 9, 2021

Pros. Excellent onboarding and ongoing communication with support team; a central location for everything; multiple services in one place; great coaching; social media management and scheduling saves a lot of time. These tools allow small businesses to compete with larger companies. Thryv receives and considers all user feedback.

Cons. There’s a lot to learn, but support is always available – it’s worth the time and effort to educate yourself on how to fully use the software.

Thryv Customer Service

Simply put, Thryv’s customer service is second to none. Beyond extensive onboarding support, Thryv provides free, unlimited technical support 24-7. In Thryv’s online reviews, customers continuously point to this game-changer as Thryv’s key differentiator. Furthermore, you can have candid conversations with both Thryv experts and users on Thryv’s exclusive HighThryver Facebook group.

Thryv takes user feedback very seriously. In fact, a dashboard button takes you to a form to request new features and vote on those under consideration.

Free online resources include educational guides and blogs, customer testimonials, how-to videos, and a robust knowledge center with step-by-step instructions and new feature updates.

Also, Thryv provides video and one-on-one demos designed to address each business’s individual needs — from improving customer communication to getting more organized or to generating more online reviews. It’s a no-pressure information session, not a hard sale.

Housecall Pro vs Thryv

Thryv and Housecall Pro both include communications inboxes, email and text messaging, online appointment scheduling and payments. And both offer marketing automation. But only Housecall Pro’s Grow, Manage or XL plans offer that feature.

Thryv offers all features in every package. Thryv’s more advanced packages and pricing are based on the number of users (up to unlimited). Some include premium features, such as custom videos and website design.

Other Thryv features not available in any Housecall Pro packages include a dedicated client portal (for a more customized experience), reputation management (instant review notifications, auto review generation, competitor watch), online presence (listings accuracy, Google Business integration) and social media management (with posting library).

Thryv also provides more payment options, such as ThryvPay, with its competitive rates, convenient processing, transparent reporting and payment dispute assistance. With Thryv, Zapier and Quickbooks are available for integration regardless of plan, unlike Housecall Pro where you must upgrade. Both platforms are HIPAA-secure.

When it comes to understanding what customers need, Thryv is here to listen. Thryv experts speak to customers in ways they understand, rather than using software industry jargon. They take the time to learn about you and your business instead of pushing software features.

Thryv continues to strive to meet today’s small business owners’ needs. And it shows through the software and customer support.

*Review comments consolidated from verified users via G2 and Capterra software review sites.