Compare
What dealers need from their software.
Most water treatment dealers start with a general-purpose CRM, a system that came with a franchise, or a notebook by the phone. Any of them can work. What matters is whether it handles the way a dealer actually sells: a free water test, a consult, a quote, financing, an install, and years of refills after that.
This page lays out what dealer software has to handle and compares a general-purpose CRM, out of the box, with one set up for a dealer.
We don't name any product or franchise here. The comparison is between a CRM as it comes and one built around a dealer's day, so you can hold any option up against the same list.
Water tests, financing and filter reorders.
A water treatment dealer's year turns on three moments: the free water test that starts the conversation, the financing that decides whether a quote becomes an install, and the filter and salt reorders that keep a customer for years.
Water tests. A homeowner who asks about a test at nine at night should get a reply that night, not the next morning. The text back lands in minutes, and the test or consult goes on the calendar. At the consult, one form captures well or city water, the main concern, hardness in grains per gallon, TDS, the recommendation and the outcome. Those answers decide everything that follows, which is why we build the form around your questions, not a template's. More on that in water test booking.
Quotes. Between the test and the financing sits the quote. When it goes out, a timed series of texts and emails follows up and stops the moment the homeowner replies, and your rep gets a task when it's time to call. A homeowner who says they want to think it over still hears from you, so the quote doesn't simply go quiet.
Financing. A financing application that stalls quietly kills an install date. When one stalls, someone on your team gets a nudge task to follow up while the homeowner still remembers why they wanted soft water.
Filter reorders. After the install, reminders run on a schedule set by the system the customer bought and their water's hardness, and a text tells them when a filter ships. A general-purpose CRM can do all of this once someone builds it; the difference is whether you build and maintain it yourself or have it set up for you and run with you.
Referrals. A few weeks after the install, every customer gets the same friendly text asking if they know someone who'd want a free water test. A referral comes in as a lead with its source marked, so over time you can see which customers keep sending you business.
How Clutch City works.
A consult that leads somewhere
Well or city, the concern, hardness and TDS go on one form, and the recommendation and follow-up come from those answers.
Follow-up that waits for nobody
Unsigned quotes, unpaid deposits and stalled financing each get their own nudge, so nothing sits until someone remembers.
Customers for years
Filter and salt reminders run on a schedule set by the system and the water, so refills come back to you.
See it in practice on our Water treatment page.
What week one looks like.
Example- MondayThe free 30-min call. We map your lead sources, how you book water tests and what happens after a quote.
- TuesdayFor a new dealership, texting registration goes in first. The consult form is built with your water questions.
- WednesdayThe pipeline from lead to installed is built, with the quote, deposit and financing nudges.
- ThursdayYour current customers come over, and their filter and salt schedules start from their install dates.
- FridayA short training for whoever runs consults and books installs. The first consults get logged.
An example first week. Your timeline is set on the call; most setups go live in about 10 days, and the second week is fixes and fine-tuning.
Side by side, area by area.
| What a dealer needs | Clutch City, set up for a dealer | A general-purpose CRM, out of the box |
|---|---|---|
| A fast reply to new leads | A text back within minutes, day or night, and the lead lands in the pipeline. | Possible in most, once someone builds the automation. |
| The consult | A form for well or city water, the concern, hardness in gpg, TDS, the recommendation and the outcome. | Custom fields you create and keep up yourself. |
| Quotes and deposits | In build A reminder when a quote sits unsigned for 48 hours, and a nudge with the payment link while a deposit is unpaid. | Usually a manual task or a reminder you set each time. |
| Financing | A nudge task when a financing application stalls, so the install date holds. | Tracked by hand unless someone builds it. |
| The install | In build The crew gets a task with the system, the address and the customer’s notes. | A task you create and assign each time. |
| Filter and salt | Reminders on a schedule set by the system and the hardness, sent by text when they are due. | Recurring reminders you set up per customer. |
| Texting rules | In build Business texting registered before the first ad runs. Do-not-disturb respected, unsubscribe on every email, STOP ends all texts. | Depends on the product and on how it is set up. |
| More locations | In build A second market starts with the same pipeline, follow-up and ad setup; only the area, number and calendar change. | Depends on the product. Ask how a second location is set up. |
The right-hand column describes a typical general-purpose CRM before anyone sets it up for a dealer. It is not a statement about any one product.
Moving over: what we set up.
- A free 30-min callTalk to Trent and Jared about your lead sources, how you book water tests and how you follow up after the quote.
- Texting firstFor a new dealership we register your business for texting before anything else, with the privacy and opt-in pages it needs.
- Build the consult and pipelineThe consult form, the stages from lead to installed, and the follow-up for quotes, deposits and financing.
- Bring your customersWe import your current customers, so filter and salt schedules start from day one.
- Connect your lead sourcesAds, your website, calls and referrals, each tagged so you can see what books.
- Train your teamShort sessions for whoever runs consults, books installs and answers the phone.
- Run it with youWeekly check-ins at first, then changes as your offers and your process change.
Who each is for.
A general-purpose CRM may fit if you
- have someone in-house who likes building automations
- sell more than water treatment and want one generic pipeline
- are happy to set up the fields, forms and reminders yourself
- already have a system that came with your franchise and covers what you need
Clutch City may fit if you
- lose water test requests to slow callbacks
- have quotes and financing that stall after the consult
- want filter and salt customers to keep coming back
- are starting a new dealership, or opening a second location
- want it set up and run with you, not handed over as a login
Questions to ask any vendor.
- How fast does a new lead get a reply, nights and weekends included?
- What does your consult form capture?
- How are unsigned quotes and stalled financing followed up?
- How are filter and salt reminders scheduled?
- What happens when we open a second location?
Talk it through with Trent and Jared
A free 30-min call about how you work today and whether we're a fit. If we're not, we'll say so.
Questions about switching
Do water treatment dealers need special software?
Not special, but set up for how you sell: tests, consults, quotes, financing, installs and refills. A general-purpose CRM can do most of it once someone builds it; we build it for you.
What should a consult form capture?
Water source (well or city), the main concern, hardness in gpg, TDS, the recommendation and the outcome. Those answers decide the follow-up after the consult and the filter and salt schedule after the install, so the form is worth getting right.
How do filter and salt reminders work?
Each customer’s schedule comes from the system they bought and their water hardness, and the reminder goes out by text when it is due.
How long does setup take?
Most setups go live in about 10 days, depending on how many lead sources, calendars and team members you have.