Why Teams Switch from Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is popular for general home services, but it's not purpose-built for seasonal businesses like Christmas lights installation. Teams switch to SVP for industry-specific workflows, simpler per-season tracking, bin/storage management, and a crew portal that doesn't require a per-seat mobile license for every field worker.
Step 1: Export Your Data from Housecall Pro
Export your customer list from HCP. Follow the Export Clients from Housecall Pro guide to download your CSV file.
Step 2: Import into SVP
Use SVP's import tool to upload your customer CSV. See Importing Clients from a CSV for the full walkthrough. Import clients first, then jobs if you have a job history export ready. See Importing Jobs from a CSV.
Step 3: Set Up Your Team
Re-create your team in SVP. Add employees and assign roles. Crew members will use the SVP Crew Portal for their daily work — it's mobile-friendly and shows them only what they need. Send each crew member an invite and walk them through the portal before your first job day.
Step 4: Connect via Zapier (Optional)
For parallel operation during a transition, use Zapier to automatically push new HCP customers into SVP. See Connect Housecall Pro to SVP via Zapier.
Step 5: Explore Your Module
After setup, activate the module that matches your work:
- Christmas lights: CL Season module — tracks installs, takedowns, client bins, season stats
- Pressure washing: PW Dashboard
- Lawn care: LC Dashboard
Go to Settings → Modules to enable. Your module dashboard will appear in the sidebar immediately.
Tips for a Smooth Transition
- HCP's customer export is comprehensive — review the mapped columns carefully before importing to avoid address field mismatches.
- Notify your crew of the change before it happens. A quick walk-through of the crew portal reduces first-week friction significantly.
- Check that your HCP account is still active during the transition in case you need to reference past job notes.