Gazelle Piano Tuning Business Software: Tuners' Review 2024
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.
I recently asked a colleague of mine, Kevin Klemm, to answer questions I had about Gazelle business management software for piano technicians.
In this article I am sharing his responses to my questions I had with him in an email exchange. Please reach out if you have any specific questions about Gazelle, and I can help find you the answer.
Find Kevin Klemm with his website:
KB: How many years have you been using Gazelle’s All-In-One business management software for Piano Tuners?
KK: I’ve used it for almost 3 years now.
KB: Were you busy within the first few months when you started working with Gazelle?
KK: I started my piano tuning business 5 years ago in 2019, so I wasn’t immediately busy when I switched to Gazelle 3 years ago.
*Here's a glimpse of Kevin Klemm's calendar in April 2024.
KB: How did you integrate your business into Gazelle?
KK: I emailed them my tuning list via an Excel spreadsheet and they transferred the data into Gazelle for me. This can take additional time for people in the piano service industry who have 1000+ clients within their own system.
After that, I added a link to my website and it was all set to run by itself.
KB: If you were a new tuner, would you rather seek full time employment or work with Gazelle’s Piano Tuning Business Management Software?
KK: I’d rather work with the software, for sure!
Gazelle does a ton of the work for you. It saved me about 10 hrs a week of scheduling.
I don’t have to hire others to take phone calls or help with scheduling.
KB: What’s the scheduling process like for service appointments? What’s it like scheduling a future appointment?
KK: It is fairly simple.
A client can click your scheduling link and schedule through Gazelle. As soon as they’re done, you get an email.
You can enable or disable auto scheduling, auto appointment approval, or manual appointment approval.
For future appointments, you can have clients scheduled using your link or you can manually add an appointment through the app or web browser.
You may also adjust how many days in advance you choose to permit clients to book. I allow clients to book 6 months in advance.
KB: How has Gazelle changed your business model?
KK: It has increased my retention rate ten fold (10x)!
When I switched to Gazelle, it grew my business very rapidly.
Now, I also have more free time for family, downtime, and vacation!
KB: Would you recommend Gazelle to other piano technicians?
KK: Absolutely. It changed the way I do business.
The Gazelle team uses a wealth of business knowledge to help piano technicians do better in their industry. They are educating people how to run their business in the modern age. If you put the time into researching and reading their recommended books, it will pay off big time. They are here to help and the cost is absolutely worth every penny. The team at Gazelle is drawing from years of research in the piano industry with every lecture that they post on their blog.
KB: Do you think Gazelle is easy to use for older piano tuners? Or can the software get complicated?
KK: It can be a little complex for someone accustomed to doing it their old way.
From what I know, Gazelle is similar to QuickBooks.
KB: Is Gazelle worth it? Especially considering the price compared to added annual revenue?
KK: To start, as my clientele number increases, so does Gazelle’s monthly fee. They switched to a pay-for-each-service model for pricing.
Is it worth it, though? Absolutely.
I have two of the best piano technician mentors in my state. Under their guidance, I am training to be the absolute best. I must have the best software on the market that takes the least amount of time to master.
Gazelle is an excellent resource if you want to rise above the competition. I don’t use all of the features, but it’s great that they offer them. As with anything, there’s a learning curve. With proper time and patience, you’ll get the hang of it!
Clients absolutely love it. I know this because I get positive comments all of the time about my scheduling system. It’s very easy to use for the client and it’s easy to manage for the piano technician.
KB: What other information can new clients see about skilled professionals like yourself? Can they see whether you’re an aural tuner, have positive reviews, have years of experience, or are a Registered Piano Technician (RPT)?
KK: Not really.
Every Gazelle “homepage,” is very similar. Even if you display a few paragraphs on that page, most people won’t read it. They will just click through to booking steps and not see it.
Having said that, I make sure to put all of that information on my website. A good website is a must. Most people struggle to find a piano tuner!
I believe as technicians, we should make it easy for clients to find us, get to know us, and do business with us.
KB: Are you able to keep piano condition reports and service records for each client?
KK: Yes. You can put as much information you want about any client’s piano.
I usually make a note of the temperature, humidity, and anything that went wrong during the appointment, literally anything. I keep meticulous records in case a client contacts me years from now posing a question.
When you are finished with an appointment, simply complete the appointment and add any details to their file. You’ll have the option to add temperature and humidity readings, piano pitch readings, any personal notes for next time, send them an invoice, provide a google review link, and others.
KB: Does social media help drum up new business on Gazelle?
KK: Yes, absolutely.
I used google ads for about 3 years and had great success. There are only about 3-5 people using google ads in my state, so that helps. Also I read several books on google ads. It’s hard to master and you have to have money to burn if you want real results.
Lastly, your location makes a huge difference as well (outside of social media).
KB: Does the mobile app work nicely?
KK: Yes, incredible ease of use while on-the-go.
The mobile Gazelle app is great. I use it to finish up appointments, send invoices, and send estimates right in the home. I can look back on the entire history of any client in a few seconds.
The only downside is when I don’t have service. I cannot input information when I am tuning in the mountains. I have to jot my notes down and input them when I have service.
The map and itinerary functions have increased my efficiency as well. You can tell instantly if you have made a mistake by criss-crossing around town!
When I receive an inquiry I can either put the address into google maps, or put it as a temporary “personal event” in gazelle. Then I check the itinerary and it immediately lets me know an estimated time to get to that job. I love it, it has saved me a ton of time and made me more efficient throughout the week. It truly has given me more free time at home.
You can’t change your availability and many other features using the mobile app, but those would be too complex to do on a phone anyway.
Gazelle is great, it has saved me so much time. It’s almost like a personal bookkeeper for much less money than actually hiring someone.
I’m tech-savvy and organized, so everything goes into the calendar individually.
One of my calendars is specifically for waze and gives me alerts when I need to leave in the morning or to the next job. This works well for me with Gazelle. When I receive a gazelle appointment request, I accept or email the client to ask further questions. If I do accept the appointment, it goes in my “iCal” calendars and then is linked to all of my devices.
Quickly view Appointments, Pianos, and Client information at a glance!
Thanks for reading!
Attn. New Piano Tuners! Educational Resources/Opportunities
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.