Lume vs Excel: when to move from a spreadsheet to field service software

Almost every service business starts on Excel. One tab for clients, one for quotes, one for this week's jobs, and a "paid?" column you update when you remember. It works. Until the day it doesn't.

To be transparent: this guide is published by Lume. We also tell you when Excel is still the right choice.

Excel is fine to start

Excel has real strengths:

• It's free, or already paid for in your Microsoft subscription.
• It's flexible: add a column whenever you want.
• You already know it: no training.

If you work alone, with a few dozen clients and few quotes, keep your spreadsheet. Software wouldn't save you much.

6 signs your spreadsheet is costing you money

1. You forget to follow up on quotes. The client was interested, forgot, and someone else got there first. Excel doesn't remind you of anything.
2. You type the same information three times. Name and address in the quotes tab, then in the jobs tab, then in the Word invoice.
3. Your crew calls you to know where to go. The file is on your computer, not in their pocket.
4. You don't know who owes you money without filtering, sorting and checking your bank account.
5. You don't call last year's clients back. They're in the file, but nobody thinks of reaching out in the spring.
6. Two people edit the file at the same time and one version overwrites the other.

If two or three of these sound familiar, the spreadsheet is costing you more than software would.

What Lume actually changes

In Excel, each step is a separate tab. In Lume, the same record moves forward:

• The quote goes out by text or email and gets signed online. You know when the client opened it, and follow-ups go out on their own.
• The job is created from the accepted quote and lands in the schedule, with routes grouped by area.
• The crew sees their day on their phone, clocks in, and their timesheets feed payroll (QuickBooks export).
• The invoice comes out of the job with GST and QST, gets paid by card, and payment reminders go out on their own.
• Door-to-door sales, if you do them, feed straight into quotes and jobs.

You no longer have to remember everything. That's the real gain.

How to move from Excel to Lume without retyping anything

1. Keep your file as is. No need to clean it up perfectly.
2. Import it. On the Clients page, the Import button accepts a CSV or Excel file.
3. Check the preview. Lume shows you duplicates and errors. Nothing goes into your client list until you approve it; the Lume team then does the final import.
4. Start with one week. Send your next quotes from Lume and let the follow-ups do their work.

The import button is reserved for the account owner and admins. Support is available in English and French throughout the switch.

What it costs

Lume starts at CA$150 per month (Minimum plan, 3 users), month to month, with no commitment. The Scale plan includes 10 users ($347 per month) and Autopilot 20 users ($495 per month). In the winter, a $15/month standby plan keeps your data safe. Full pricing is on the pricing page.

Still comparing tools? Read our comparison of field service software in Canada.