The Calendly, Google Sheets, and DocuSign Alternative You Didn’t Know You Needed 

Hello there, darling! Welcome to Le Blog, a resource for creative entrepreneurs who want to run their business without it running them. My name is Chloe, and I’m a client experience strategist. Which is a really fancy way of saying that I create systems and automations that make your life easier and your client’s life better. 

In this blog, I’m going to let you in on a secret. You don’t need to own 1,001 apps to keep your business running. You don’t need to manually track what stage your clients are in by logging onto 10 different platforms. There is a single Calendly, Google Sheets, and Docusign alternative that will make running your business easier, smoother, and better for everyone. 

It’s called a Client Relationship Manager (aka, CRM) and it’s going to change your life. So grab yourself a pastry (I have an almond croissant) and let’s dive in! 

The Secret Cost of Using Multiple Apps to Manage Your Client Experience 

Money 

The most obvious cost is the financial loss. When you’re using multiple apps to manage your business, you’re paying for all of them. Meanwhile, one (albeit, more expensive) software can do everything your multiple apps are doing—and it can do it better. 

Software like Honeybook and Dubsado are designed to manage everything from scheduling to invoicing and contract signing. And the best part? You won’t have to log in to all the different accounts to see exactly where your client is in the onboarding process. Your CRM keeps all the important info (like you’re about to get paid!) front and center. 

And darling, if you’re on team “Multiple apps is cheaper,” I challenge you to go look at your subscriptions. Dive into your bank statements and add them up, one by one. It might only be “ten dollars here” or “fifteen dollars there,” but when you’re paying for three to five softwares… that cost adds up. Meanwhile, one CRM could replace all of it—and that’s before you consider how much your time is worth! Every hour you spend jumping between platforms is an hour you’re not spending on clients, on growth, on rest. That cost is real even if it doesn’t show up on an invoice.

Brand Confidence 

This is one of the most overlooked aspects of client experience, but one of the most important. When you use apps like Calendly, Google Sheets, and DocuSign, your clients are always interactive with that tool, not your brand. It feels fragmented from the client’s perspective, even if they can’t put their finger on why. A cohesive, branded experience builds trust. A patchwork of third-party tools quietly undermines it.

A well put together, branded CRM increases confidence in your brand, even before they book with you. And it increases your confidence, too! 

“Sending beautiful forms has been such an ego boost, and being able to provide clients with a more luxe experience has been amazing. There is something so sexy about cohesive branding across all touchpoints, so having my fonts and vibes so perfectly integrated into my Dubsado forms has been literally life changing.” – DJ, Desijn Studio 

Time & Productivity 

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, business owners switch between applications nearly 1,200 times per day. This breaks concentration, and it takes us nearly 23 minutes to regain that focus—even if we were just checking a notification real quick. This might not seem like a lot, but add that up per week, and then per year. Another similar study by Talk Research found that small business owners lose over three weeks per year to unproductive tasks. 

Even the vice president of product management at Slack, Jaime DeLanghe, says, “Successful entrepreneurs are learning to streamline their digital workflows.” If one of the top tech tools is noticing this trend, maybe we should start paying attention 👀. 

When you use a CRM, everything you need is in one place—no app switching required. You’re actually saving time (and money) because you’re not losing your focus or wasting precious minutes trying to find the necessary info in each app. And let’s face it, darling, no one wants to spend more time doing admin. That’s not why you started your business. A CRM helps save time so you can spend it where you actually want to, whether that’s planning a vacation for someone (I see you, Fora Advisors), working on a wedding day timeline, or catching up on Love is Blind. 

Mental Load & Energy 

All of this is important, but none of them touch on what I think is the biggest issue: your mental load. When your apps can’t talk to each other, you become the connective tissue. You’re the one signing into three different platforms to check if the form got filled out, if the contract got signed, if the lead tracker in Google Sheets is up to date. You’re doing the work that software should be doing for you. And do you want to know the craziest thing about your mental load? 

You won’t even realize how heavy it was until you put it down. And a CRM lets you do that. 

Your mental load also affects how you show up for your clients. If you’re gearing up to run through the gauntlet of platforms every time you get a new inquiry or sign a client… that friction lives somewhere. It makes the process feel heavier than it should, and that energy, even subconsciously, can translate into how you show up. A streamlined system doesn’t just save time; it makes welcoming new clients actually feel good.

The Best Calendly, Google Sheets, and DocuSign Alternative: A Bespoke CRM 

A CRM like Dubsado or Honeybook replaces all the apps you have swirling around on your laptop (and in your brain). These CRMs handle scheduling, contracts, client tracking, and so much more all in one place AND under your brand. 

The only caveat is that it actually has to be set up to do all that. And if we’re honest, setting up a CRM can be a long, arduous process. Which is why many business owners invest in a CRM but still revert back to using separate apps out of habit. That’s the worst of both worlds: paying for the CRM and still carrying the mental load of the old system. The whole point is to consolidate, not just add another tab.

Take it from one of my previous clients. Before we worked together, she described her day-to-day business operations as “a messy desk with no end in sight.” Now, she says it’s way more organized, and she has much more clarity on her systems. Plus, “everything got a branding upgrade which made my entire company feel more luxurious. It simplified my own work processes, making life much easier!” 

I offer completely custom CRM setups so that you can delete your separate subscriptions and start operating your business from a streamlined CRM—in just five weeks. From mapping your client journey to allowing payments to deposit directly into your bank account, my CRM setups make it easy for you to transition. Learn more about my Dubsado and Honeybook setups, and fill out my calling card to learn more about working with me!