Business Pilot blog

Practical guides for local business owners in BC and across Canada.

• What is a CRM? A plain-English guide for small business owners

  What a CRM actually does for a local business, when you need one, and what to look for. A plain-English guide for owners in BC and Canada.

• Why missed calls cost local businesses more than you think

  Most callers who reach voicemail don't leave a message. Here's how to work out what missed calls cost your business and simple ways to fix it.

• How to get more Google reviews, the right way

  Practical, policy-safe ways for BC local businesses to get more genuine Google reviews and respond to them well.

• CASL basics: email and text marketing rules for Canadian businesses

  A plain-language overview of Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation for local businesses sending marketing emails and texts. Not legal advice.

• All-in-one marketing platform vs separate tools

  Booking app, email tool, review tool, inbox, CRM: when does it make sense to combine them into one platform? A guide for local businesses.

• AI chatbots for local businesses: a practical guide

  A plain-language guide to AI chat for local businesses: where it helps, where a human should step in, and how to set it up safely.

• Podium alternatives for Canadian small businesses

  How to compare Podium with other review, messaging and CRM platforms as a Canadian local business, and the questions to ask before you sign.