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What Can Bonsai Do For You?

Integrations:

Bonsai may link to payment processors like Stripe to combine your payment accounts with your Bonsai dashboard for invoice payments. Its other connectivity options are limited, although it can link to your Google Calendar to remind you of upcoming chores, appointments, etc.

It also integrates with Slack, which is helpful if you work on client-facing teams. The connection will deliver push notifications to relevant Slack team members when a project task is due or complete, a contract is signed, or a proposal is seen. This feature requires a Professional Bonsai account to access.

Accounting:

I frequently hear freelancers joking that if they didn’t have to deal with accounting, their lives would be much simpler, and I have to agree. Keeping track of revenue, spending, tax payments, and everything else that comes with the work on your own may take time and effort.

Bonsai cannot replace a professional accountant, but it may assist you in keeping your income and spending in line at tax time. Import costs from your bank account, manually input them into the software, and then link them to client invoices. However, this function might be enhanced if you scan receipts with your mobile device and instantly add them to your account.

Invoicing and payments:

You may directly bill customers and receive payment by PayPal, Stripe, or wire transfer to your bank account. Bonsai invoices are plain and uncomplicated. With a professional account, you may add your branding, attach the invoice to a customer and project, and then add line items, taxes, discounts, and costs, if necessary.

Bonsai has just introduced the capability to provide recurring auto-payments to customers who prefer to pay a single invoice for a subscription service rather than several bills. Unfortunately, this functionality is only available if you take credit or debit card payments through Stripe.

Project management:

Your Bonsai dashboard is a centralized repository for all project-related information. Add social media, website, and contact information to each customer, along with remarks and project details. Additionally, you may initiate new projects in Bonsai and assign them to your existing customers so that they appear in the Client panel.

Each project enables you to name it, pick the currency you’ll be paid and set a flag to indicate whether or not you’re charging an hourly rate. If you’re charging an hourly rate, you can use Bonsai’s built-in time tracker to automatically record the amount of time you’ve spent on each project phase. Simply press the Start Timer button, configure your hourly rate, and tell Bonsai which project you want to monitor your time for.

If you have a Professional subscription, you’ll also be able to invite colleagues to your Bonsai project, which is helpful if your endeavor involves numerous components, such as content production, design work, etc.

Contracts and proposals:

If you’ve ever been required to draft a contract without prior experience, join the club. Freelancers are not necessarily proficient in legalese, but they do themselves a disservice by commencing a significant job without a contract.

Contract and proposal templates from Bonsai may significantly simplify the paperwork process. Use the proposals to detail everything you’re providing your customers, and then, if you’ve reached an agreement on the scope and payment, draft a contract. Actual attorneys review contracts with Bonsai, therefore, you do not need to know a single legal term. Additionally, you may modify your ideas and contracts to make more sense in light of your freelancing business, such as development or photography.

Time Tracking:

What if you are working on a project that is more flexible and lacks fixed deadlines and payments? Using the time tracking tool, Bonsai looks to have you covered there.

Within this area, there is a button for increasing hours. Click the button to choose a project and add working hours to it. If numerous workers are associated with a project, and you define separate hourly rates, you may specify who worked those hours.

In addition, there is a small timer button in the screen’s upper-right corner. Bonsai sets a timer that records the duration of your work when you click this button. After an additional click, the time worked is added to the project. If you mistakenly click the timer, you may also erase the undesired hours from the project. Again, everything is smooth and uncomplicated.

There does not seem to be a mechanism for customers to monitor this, which is the only concern I discovered. This may be fine for you, but less-trusting customers may dispute your hours, and the platform needs to provide a way to demonstrate how you spent them.

What did I like About Bonsai?

Zapier Integration:

Yes, a Zapier connector exists for you. If you are unfamiliar with Zapier, it is an automation tool that allows you to link two or more applications. Here are a few of the possible triggers for you. Paid Invoice, Viewed Proposal, Viewed Contract, and Accepted Proposal.

There are several options for what you can do. Send a thank-you email to the customer, for instance, if the invoice has been paid. If the proposal was seen, wait three days if it still needs to be paid, then automatically send a follow-up email. There are several ways in which using Zapier with Bonsai might simplify your life.

Mac OS X, iOS Apps, and Android Apps: 

Bonsai offers an iPhone application and an Android application so that you can access all of your data on the move. In addition, a Mac OS X application is mainly used for time tracking. It is located on your toolbar and is great if you want to avoid having Bonsai open in a Chrome tab throughout the day.

Get Paid in 3 different ways:

First, Bonsai gives you three options for transferring funds from your client’s bank account to your own. It is possible to link your bank, Stripe, and PayPal accounts.

Accept e-Signatures on your contracts:

Bonsai generates contacts that accept e-Signatures. You sign it on your end, followed by the customer signing it on theirs. That option is also available if your customer wants to sign using an actual pen. Simply save the contract as a PDF and give it to them to print, sign, and return to you. You are taken care of no matter how the customer wishes to handle the contract signing.

Send your Proposal To The Client in 3 Different Ways: 

After drafting and updating your proposal, you may send it to the customer through a link, email it to yourself, or make a PDF and send it. It is crucial to have this flexibility since customers prefer varied document delivery methods. If you allow Bonsai to send the email on your behalf, you may also personalize the message that will be sent.

Manage All Of Your Clients From Directly Within The App: 

Professional freelancers use a Client Relationship Manager (CRM) to handle their interactions with prospective customers. Bonsai provides a CRM to assist you to handle all possible customers you communicate with. A CRM is a method for managing your interactions with current and prospective customers.

Bonsai provides you with a CRM that is integrated with the contact form they supply. When someone contacts you using the contact form, they will be marked as a lead. You can immediately determine who you have previously collaborated with, who you are now collaborating with, and who is a new lead. You may also manually add customers using the given form.