Sprout Studio Erfahrungen

I love Sprout! From the fantastic customer service to the myriad of features it's been amazing!

Vorteile:

I love that my whole photography studio is under one roof. Leads, calendars, workflows, contracts, galleries, album proofing, money management... everything is all in one place. It makes my life so much easier! I also LOVE the customer service. The team is super prompt at answering questions and solving problems, and they're very responsive to adding newly requested features for their members. Amazing!

Nachteile:

There isn't much I have to say that's not positive about Sprout, I think at this point the only thing I would say isn't working for me is that the calendar system isn't easy to navigate. At this point I have to click through each month to get to a date in the future, and when I'm looking to see what September 2019 looks like, for instance, having to click through 18 months to get there is annoying. Also sometimes I find the lead and shoot pages are quite slow, I'm assuming it's because I have a lot of open shoots so it take awhile to populate. It would be great if these pages could somehow populate a little quicker :)

Sprout is the tool I needed

Kommentare: I love it. I have used many other platforms but none had everything I needed in one place. I would invoice a customer here, send a gallery from there, manage a calendar in yet another place. Now, I have all of that and sooo much more in ONE PLACE. It is such a critical part of my business and I'm grateful!

Vorteile:

Having Sprout is like having an employee, without the cost. I'm able to set up workflow, that makes it easy to stay in touch with potential clients and customers to ensure that nothing is missed. It also provides great reporting to stay on top of the business. It's awesome.

Nachteile:

Nothing. they listen to their clients and are constantly making updates which makes the software even better.

Worst CRM with the Worst People

Vorteile:

Sprout has some decent features, notably their booking proposals which are very pretty.

Nachteile:

Where do I begin? 1. Site speed: It takes FOREVER to load anything. I just sat for literally 2 whole minutes waiting for an email drip campaign to load. It takes about 30 seconds just for your active shoot dates to load. It takes about 20 seconds to search for a specific client. It is truly mind blowing how slow it is. This should not happen on a website in 2024. We have 1gig fiber internet and this happens on every computer at every location for all of our employees. 2. Bugs: they have bugs all the time. The #1 thing you need in a CRM is trust that there will be no bugs. What if a shoot date just disappeared? That hasn't happened yet, but we have no faith that it won't, considering how often other bugs pop up. Their latest was to send out a marketing email to every single email address that has ever contacted us. People whose weddings were years ago, weddings that haven't happened yet, freaking those couples out, people who decided not to use us, etc. 3. None of their workflow items are dynamic and update in real time across the system. So, if you have 100 shoots coming up and a questionnaire is set to go out to them 6 weeks before the wedding, and you want to add a question to that questionnaire template, that added question will not update on all 100 of those current weddings... it will only apply to any NEW bookings after the change is made. So any critical changes you want to email templates or questionnaires, etc basically are always a full year behind in implementation LOL. 4. Customer service - they often take hours to respond in the chat. When they do they rarely have answers for you that are helpful, and they clearly do NOT care about their clients at all. They don't actually relay any of the feature requests you want and instead focus on new features that are totally unnecessary. They have no system of voting on feature requests like other CRMs, so they just choose to work on whatever THEY like the most, not what their PAYING CUSTOMERS actually want. They just recently had a huge email blunder described above, and when I gave a simple solution for how they could send us the email addresses that were affected by it using ChatGPT they literally told me they weren't allowed to use ChatGPT to help us out..... I could go on and on. Do yourself a favor and avoid this company at all costs. On the surface it will look like a good option when you're shopping around, but trust me you will regret it down the road, and it is a huge hassle to switch CRMs once you're all set up with one!

Can't beat it for the price

Kommentare: Overall, I'm pretty happy with it, and I don't think you can beat it for the price. Customer Support is always friendly and helpful. It's a pretty complex program, so there's a definite learning curve- it's not really a figure-it-out-as-you-go kind of program. But the tutorials are very clear and thorough, as long as you actually the take time to watch them.

Vorteile:

My favorite feature is that it includes gallery delivery- so my clients only have to manage one portal for everything from signing the contract, making payments, and

Nachteile:

I REALLY wish they would have an automatic payment option. I don't love that clients have to manually make each payment individually.

All in one for client management for Photographers

Kommentare: Extremely useful, however, they need to do a wayyyy better job at explaining where to start setting up all of the tools they have to offer. I think even for them is hard to explain what number one thing to do from the get go. I love all of the tools they offer but there has to be a better way of setting up. In my opinion the templates are the number one place to start, then price list, etc.

Vorteile:

These is so much in this software, and much that I have been wanting to keep my photography business organized.

Nachteile:

It is quiet the learning curve with the immense amount of tools that the software offers. They should have step one, step two, step three. It is extremely disorganized even their training. I had to create my own 1,2,3 list of where to start setting up. Yes they offer a whole "school of training" which has the most annoying music one hears for too long when each training video starts. Now give me two weeks later between learning how to use it, I can appreciate all of the tools

Has potential, but entirely unreliable

Kommentare: Horrible. I wish I could say differently. I paid $1000 for someone to build my Sprout account for me (because I lacked the time and knowledge at the time) on top of the $600 annual fee. Now I'd consider myself and my team borderline experts just by simply troubleshooting so many errors. Unfortunate, but there are many others out there! Don't waste your money!In the end, they offered to refund me $90 for the "2 months I was distressed".

Vorteile:

I love the potential. It has a good foundational concept. Client Management, automation, drip campaigns.

Nachteile:

The platform is incredibly unreliable, outdated integration, bugs, customer service takes hours to respond and when they do it's a generic answer or they limit you to 15 min chats that take 15 minutes to troubleshoot the connection then you start all over again. More specifically: SPF records didn't exist until it was too late; leaving emails not reaching my clients for the first 2 months (thousands $ lost). For 6 weeks I was told it was a host or domain issue then it was Google's problem - to contact them (impossible btw). I hired my own tech engineers and they got to the root of the issue; finding Sprout had never created SPF records in the first place, brought it to their attention and basically said thanks for finding the problem. The fb community was puzzled and demanding answers but the issue was never addressed publicly. This was about the time they locked down comments.Simultaneously, I had spent about 6 weeks building my storefront and just as I completed it, had noticed one day the thumbnails were ruined. Upon discussion, Sprout claimed it was an irreparable bug, to reupload all images again. Like the SPF issue, they were well aware but we were left to find it on our own. I refused to fork the engineer bill again, so with 7 storefronts and approximately 60-100 items per store, I'm 1 week in and not even half way finished. I have historically opened 1-3 tickets per week for 3 months. I can't wait to win enough time back to part ways!

LOVE this software!

Vorteile:

I cannot say enough about the customer service with Sprout! When I signed up, I received a handwritten thank you note from the CEO. The software definitely has a learning curve, but the Sprout School videos lay everything out so clearly, and every time I've reached out with questions, someone from Sprout has promptly responded. If I call customer support instead of sending a message, a live representative answers the phone by the third ring. The software is beautifully designed with a lovely client portal. If you take the time to go through the Sprout School videos (which I highly recommend), you'll find the software is much easier to navigate than it seems at first brush. Sprout Studio is constantly growing and evolving. Just last month, they vastly improved the features available for customizing client galleries. I actually prefer it to PixieSet for gallery delivery. I love that this program was specifically developed with photographers in mind and that it is a small business run by real, kind, supportive people. I can't recommend it enough!

Nachteile:

I'm hoping to one day see Sprout Studio add an automatic payments feature, so my clients don't have to make each payment manually. Other than that, I have nothing but good things to say!

It truly is the best all-in-one!

Vorteile:

Migration. -I can't stress how easy it was to integrate orders and contracts that were made in my previous CRM and online. This was something I had struggled with when signing up to my previous one. Interface - Really well-thought out, easy to use and intuitive. I love how quick it is too. Galleries and shop - Are truly beautiful, my setting up Sprout and having a shoot ready to present to a client was a happy coincidence. After creating a couple of test galleries, I got the nack of it pretty quickly and the client side is simple and easy to use. Payment integrations are great too and I love being able to give the client the choice to still pay in person by cheque or cash too (and the option to create my own methods!) Customer support - This is always important to me as there's nothing worse than running into issues and having no help when you need it. Sprout's customer service is great. I had the pleasure of dealing with rep. He was really keen to help and his responses were lightning fast, no more than 5-10 minutes apart.

Nachteile:

As someone who will be using the lower packages at least for another year or so, it could do with just a few more features of the premium-featured plans. I get the reasons for doing it and it's great for growing businesses that are working their way up to needing that package but some of the reports (even just income and profit) would be helpful and are almost necessary for all businesses and doesn't take much away from your existing offering. The same can be said for album proofing, it would be good to at least have maybe even one album proofing allowed at any one time?

Sprout Studio has streamlined my business to make me more organized and profitable.

Vorteile:

I love everything about Sprout Studio. Before I found SS I was paying for several different services separately for galleries, invoicing and sending contracts. It drove me crazy having to go from one login to another, keeping organized etc. Not only do they offer an amazing piece of software, they also offer some really incredible photography education via their podcast and online workshops!

Nachteile:

There's the occasional bug that comes with updates but they are always resolved in a timely manner! I really have had a positive experience with their service.

Simply awesome! I will never use another CRM in my life.

Vorteile:

1st photography CRM software that I can incorporate client and sales galleries also integrates with Zapier. Still in the early stages, but will be very awesome! Custom workflows, client portal, online contracts, and more! Totally worth the price.

Nachteile:

Can have a slight learning curve if you're not a techy person. But once you get everything set up, it does get a lot easier.

Big Hopes, Big Promises, Low Quality Delivery, Different Product

Kommentare: Pretty terrible from day 1. But I bought it stupidly so gave it time, too much time it's time to switch. I speak with support often but nothing is ever fixed.I'd rather pay 3x more money than have to put up with the bugs and problems sprout throws at me on a daily basis.

Vorteile:

The design is great, for the most part.If a good looking system to work in everyday is your primary concern, go with Sprout. Rounded corners, pretty boxes and subtle colouring.All-in-one, but if none of it works properly or fully, what's the point in it being an all-in-one solution?

Nachteile:

Where to start?So many missing features.So many bugs and errors.Far too complex for most users to even consider setting up by themselves.Basic things that a CRM should have, integrated emails, nope.Marketing that sends from YOUR email address, nope sends from noreply@sproustudio.com, your mass marketing emails aren't sent from your own email address.Calendar scheduling that doesn't disconnect every day or week, which then allows clients to double and triple book your time.Workflows aren't editable once applied to a shoot, you also can't easily add new steps without creating a workflow under settings and applying it. The add step option on the shoot or lead is a joke of an implementation.Contact management is basic and truly underwhelming at best. Merging contacts is again, a joke.They give you stats for irrelevant things.Task management is just painful to work with.The whole system is just annoying at best and down right awful at worst.If you have a VERY simple photo business with 1 brand and a lot of time to learn and configure sprout, go for it, but buy a lot of advil, you'll need it, otherwise, choose any other CRM. You'll thank me.

Hard to set up, but like a lot of the features

Kommentare: Was okay. Wasn't my favourite CRM which is why I ultimately ended up switching but I'm glad I tried it based on other people's like for it.

Vorteile:

I liked the client portal. It was actually the reason I bought the software based on a friends recommendation of how nice it looked when she would send it to clients.

Nachteile:

I found it very difficult to set up. I've used two other CRM's and for some reason the set up just wasn't intuitive (for me at least).

And all in one client? Sold.

Kommentare: I've been on a hunt for a quality client management program since forever. I've gone through them all: 17hats, Tave, Pixifi... and just nothing. Most were confusing or just clunky design that didn't allow you to change and edit to match your brand. I was never sold on a client management system and just tracked everything myself. Most management programs are a little confusing to get the hang of hence why I was never a fan. I recently decided to hunt again for one when the business started to pick up and came across Sprout Studio. At first, I was a little unsure due to the price. But then I realized that if the product is worth it, the price is nothing. So I went ahead and did the trial to get a taste of what they have to offer. Best decision I ever made. The starting up process was phenomenal! It walked me through each step and provided input and directions on how to set up everything. Within a week I was sending out invoices, emails, and gently setting it up to match my brand and style. I LOVE it. Love, love, love! I have never been so sold in my life on a product for my business and this is certainly one I don't regret getting behind.

Vorteile:

The seamless client login display and functionality for my clients really makes me look like a professional business. The automatic emails sent, the invoices, and the GALLERIES? Hold the phone, you mean I can cancel Shootproof? Yes, yes I can. Sorry Shootproof, but you gotta go. And the album proofer is going to be my new favorite. There are too many pros to mention. This is THE photographer's software. They nailed it.

Nachteile:

The only gripe I have is that the logo on the invoice is really small along with the client page. Minor detail. Also, I would love if they could integrate it with your website with a custom URL, but that's also a minor detail. Cosmetic appearances is hardly a deciding factor for me.

A CRM for photographers, created by photographers

Kommentare: Since I started using Sprout Studio I finally feel like I look properly professional to my clients. Everything is streamlined and simplified for them. My only reason to stop using them would be if I stopped being a photographer

Vorteile:

I love how SproutStudio makes me look professional and keep everything in one place. I especially like their client portals and the new public pricelists and shop design. They have all the tools a photographer needs

Nachteile:

As this is a Canadian software, some of the features are not optimized for European photographers and European business (like invoicing, payment solutions and tax). I've found workarounds for now, but it would be nice to have it 100% suited for our use as well in future.

Totally Worth the Switch

Kommentare: Overall I feel like I have barely scratched the surface for what I can automate with Sprout and I am so excited to see how much this will improve my business.

Vorteile:

I used ​different software for a few years before I switched to Sprout Studio and I am so glad that I did. Although I did tons of research before I purchased the first CRM for my business (and invested quite a bit of money getting it set up), I found that as a solopreneur I just didn't have the time to learn how to use it properly. Sprout Studio was more expensive but MUCH more user-friendly and I felt like I was zipping through the set-up. I thought - so what if I have invested my money somewhere else if I am not actually using it? That made the decision easy. Part of what I love about Sprout is that it is all-encompassing​ - and I believe it is the only CRM for photographers that is (as of this review). It includes contracts, invoices, client galleries, album proofing, workflows and what seems like so much more! For real.​

Nachteile:

I do see where there might be some limitations in what it can do. For example, I still use Shootproof for my school shoots. Having said that, I also see that they are always working on new developments - including a scheduling feature so that clients can book their session, viewing & ordering etc. through an automatic calendar system which would eliminate the need for an additional​ paid service like Calendly.

I ADORE SPROUT STUDIO!!!

Kommentare: I found Sprout because I was not full satisfied with my current client management system. After a little time on the web I saw some previews of the software via YouTube. I was instantly interested. She was a photographer and had tried multiple other management systems like me and still felt she was lacking in areas of managing her clients. That was me!!! My mind wanted more than my software was allowing.... So I started looking further onto Sprouts website. Right off, I loved the clean display. I loved the fact that it was solely made for photographers and I knew I needed to look further! I made a consult with one of the team members which was FREE of charge! Customer service is HUGE to me so the fact that they were taking care of their clients off the bat was awesome news to me! It was in that convo with Nick that I was officially sold. I knew immmedaitely by the 3 questions I had for them that Sprout was going to be my next step for client management. I want to tell every photographer about them! I want people to know there's a better way out there!!

Vorteile:

My pie charts for my income and sessions makes my nerdy heart happy!! That was one of the features I wasn't getting with my other system. I needed to know my projected yearly income and I wanted it broken down into something tangible I could understand! Sprout surpassed my expectation for sure!!!

Nachteile:

Oh gosh- I don't feel like I have anything I don't like. There's definitely a learning curve (like with any new thing) but like I said the customer service is too notch and has made that process so much easier. The system really is super sleek and not lacking in my opinion.

Easy to Use, But Missing Essential Features

Kommentare: It's no longer possible to communicate effectively with clients, and our marketing/referral efforts are suffering. We are unlikely to continue using the software another year unless this problem is addressed prior to our next renewal.

Vorteile:

This software eliminates the learning curve a non-salesperson would normally have with a typical CRM. Opportunities are called Shoots, for instance. Also, the gallery feature and workflows are spot-on, and the online contracts are a game-changer. All in all, there's some great functionality to be had.

Nachteile:

Don't plan on communicating with your clients. I cannot fathom how a CRM solution would have no communication capability outside of an automated response. It's not possible to export contact records based on shoot type or date. It's not possible to send mass emails in any way. It's not possible to automate messages based on shoot type or date. It's not even possible to filter a list of contacts by shoot type. If you want to put your data into a system but not be able to get it back out in a useful manner, Sprout's the way to go.

Awesome Company

Kommentare: What can I say? It should be in every Photography Business. I love it!

Vorteile:

They guide you through all of the setup. They've thought about almost every situation a Photographer has in managing a studio, and have tried to offer a time-saving solution. Not only that, they offer training for how to improve your Photography business. They also give you analytics that gives you statistics that can help your business grow. That combined with customer service that rocks, and you have a superb company and software.

Nachteile:

It's a powerful piece of software, and takes some time to get to know. But once you do, it's awesome! I wouldn't use anything else to run my Photography Business.

Sprout Studio helps me perform the most basic and the most complicated things with my business daily

Kommentare: The biggest benefit is time. Using sprout has given me more time to myself because my business practically runs itself now!

Vorteile:

The biggest pro about Sprout is that the software is your one stop shop for your whole business. Your leads, shoots, galleries, album proofs, orders, expenses, workflows and everything is right at your fingertips with ONE login . Before I was using 3 sites to manage all of this, not I use Sprout and only pay half of what I was paying before.

Nachteile:

The biggest con would have to be overall speed. Sprout is lacking a bit in-between screens (from leads to shoots, to shoots to galleries etc) although they say this is next update that will come out, and I believe them! The other con would have to be the galleries not having a lab fulfillment option, although that is also next on the their docket.

Customer Service is second to none!

Kommentare: It's been an incredible time saver and also really pushed me to think about how I could maximize my time on my computer while really boosting my booked clients as opposed to just inquiring and forgetting. The community has been very helpful as well. Having everything in one place is the best part- no need to log into multiple accounts to upload galleries, send Emails, invoices, put in my bookwork information!

Vorteile:

While the software is incredible, time saving and constantly improving, it's the customer service that consistently impresses me. They are so kind and patient and always easy to get in touch with. They are there for you every step of the way. Will forever be a loyal client!

Nachteile:

There are a few things I've asked for - among them being a calendar where the client can schedule appointments. I believe that they are in the works and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

My experience with Sprout Studio has been incredibly beneficial to running and growing my business.

Kommentare: Business growth and efficiency.

Vorteile:

The all-in-one features offer a simple and efficient way for my clients to book and navigate through their time with me. Streamlining everything into one studio management software not only helps my client experience run smoothly but also allows me to spend more time working on other aspects of my business.

Nachteile:

There are minor bugs or glitches that occur when pushing each new update. This is completely understandable, but would be the thing I like the least.

Overall Sprout has really helped my business grow. It keeps me organized. My clients love it too.

Vorteile:

I like that my clients can access pretty much everything about their session in one place. Contracts, dates, galleries, etc are all accessible via the client portal. Saves everyone time.

Nachteile:

The sales gallery system still isn't what I need it to be for my business. I do IPS and the Sprout sales gallery is geared more towards online sales for client sessions.

Great experience using Sprout Studio, customer support staff is top notch and delivers great product

Kommentare: Not only do my clients have an easy experience having all of their information and documents together, but so do I. In having all of their contact details and booking information in one place that can be accessed on the go at a moments notice.

Vorteile:

The ability to offer wedding clients a portal which encompasses all pertinent information including galleries, contracts, invoices and questionnaires.

Nachteile:

Many glitches occur after large updates with the software. This is forgiveable however I do not trust the software to automate emails quite yet.

Amazing customer service, made by photographers, so many functionalities!

Vorteile:

How comprehensive it is, how it is ALL IN ONE. I only use something else for accounting, but otherwise I manage my entire business in one place.

Nachteile:

Glitching with booking proposals, the submit key. How hard it is to sell a digital file because clients can't find it. Inability to hide coupon field. No easy way to sell without creating a portal (think mini sessions). Can't brand email templates individually (I don't want non-wedding clients getting a wedding image header for instance)

How was I doing it WITHOUT Sprout....???

Kommentare: I love sprout studio. I am still working to manage all of my time and energy when it comes to my business but within the first month of working with sprout studio, I am amazing at how easy everything seems to be running in the business. I have no clue what I was doing before! This program and some of the educational resources that Bryan and Rob have out ie. the lie of busy and 80/20, have changed my life. I no longer feel guilty for taking time for myself and even understand how to take breaks, focus on my work life better so I can focus on my personal life with even more time, again, without the guilt of wondering if I left something undone or a client hasn't been helped. I have come across a few different studio management systems in the past (and my first) year of business, all of which had wonderful and different offerings. I had been working with proofing systems and other programs to make sure to keep everything "easy". I didnt know what easy was until I decided to work with sprout studio. When I run into a glitch or anything, one of the crew is there to help me. It is intuitive and helps you to set it up based off of your needs. You can create powerful workflows to make your life easier. Plus it integrates different systems that you would have to pay for separately, otherwise, like proofing, invoicing, client management, album proofing, etc. I am happy to grow with sprout studio - because thats another great thing, they are consistently making this program better.