Customer story: Guard Up!

The problem

At first glance, you might think that a sword fighting school is all fun and games. But at Guard Up! Family Swordsmanship, each session is an educational adventure — and this means each child has their own individual story that’s a combination of transaction history and skills attained.

As the business grew, owner Meghan Gardner wanted a customer relationship management (CRM) program that could help her staff manage all of that information for more than 1,200 clients. She needed a program robust enough to store detailed client history — so when a child returns three summers from now, all of the information from their previous experience is readily available.

The solution

As a longtime Intuit user, Meghan wanted a CRM that worked with QuickBooks Online so the two systems could be connected and she could avoid entering customer data multiple times. She went to apps.com and that’s where she found Method CRM.

Meghan was impressed by what she saw: not only was Method a top-rated app in the QuickBooks marketplace, but the integration between QuickBooks Online and Method CRM was exactly what she needed. With all of her customer and sales data in one system, she could enable different levels of access for different users. This meant her employees could use Method’s customer management features, but only she had access to the company’s financial information.

Method also offered a level of customization that was unmatched by other CRMs. Meghan worked closely with Method’s customization team to optimize the system for Guard Up!’s specific needs. The time spent on this endeavour has been well worth it; once the company decides to offer franchises, the customized software will be ready for their franchisees.

“Method and QuickBooks Online wrap around my business, instead of expecting my business to adjust to their software.”

— Meghan Gardner, Owner

Business benefits

The software duo of Method CRM and QuickBooks Online provides Meghan with focused visibility into everything from employee productivity to the performance of new offerings. These insights enable her to make better decisions for the company, while reducing the stress associated with running a thriving business.

Since Method CRM provides a robust solution for customer management, Meghan’s team now has better visibility into each customer’s history, including past transactions and conversations. Customers feel special because no matter which employee they talk to at Guard Up!, that employee knows their child’s story. As a result, the company’s retention rate has increased since they started using Method.

The Guard Up! team also uses Method to track all sales lead information. If someone is interested in Guard Up!’s services, they get in touch with the company by making a phone call or submitting an online form. At this point, a salesperson (called a “story collector” at Guard Up!) interviews the potential customer to learn about their needs, their children’s passions, and so on. This forms the foundation of a history, which continues to evolve with every interaction.

After seeing how successfully Method CRM was able to adapt to Guard Up!’s needs, Meghan is now looking forward to franchising her company and taking Method and QuickBooks Online along for the ride.

A version of this story was originally published by Intuit.