First Essential
The all-in-one business platform with CRM, booking and marketing, built for the UK
Your CRM, booking, payments and marketing in one place, looked after by a UK based team you can actually get hold of.
What is an all-in-one business platform, and why it beats juggling separate tools
An all-in-one business platform is a single piece of software that runs the everyday jobs most UK small businesses pay for one app at a time: customer records (a CRM), online booking, taking payments, an inbox for calls and messages, and email and SMS marketing. Instead of five or six logins that do not talk to each other, you get one. First Essential One is our platform, built and supported here in the UK, so the same record updates everywhere and one team has your back when something needs sorting.
One business management platform, one login, one UK team
Tired of apps that do not talk to each other? First Essential One puts your leads, conversations, bookings, payments and marketing under one login, with a UK based team on hand when you need them.
From first enquiry to repeat customer, all in one place
Most software does one slice of the work. First Essential One follows the whole customer journey, so nobody slips through the gaps between apps.
Win the lead
Lead-capturing pages, forms and funnels feed straight into your CRM. Every enquiry from your website, phone, social and ads lands in one place.
Stay in touch
Email and SMS marketing, a unified inbox and automated follow-ups keep the conversation going, so warm leads do not go cold while you are busy.
Book and get paid
Online booking fills your diary, invoices go out, and card payments come in. The whole sale happens without leaving the platform.
Keep them coming back
Memberships, courses, review requests and reminders turn one-off buyers into regulars who bring their friends.
See your CRM, booking and marketing in one place
One screen for your leads, your conversations, your bookings and your money. Here is how it all comes together.
Every tool your UK business needs, in one platform
All the everyday tools small businesses end up paying for separately, in one place and working together.
Unified inbox
SMS, email, WhatsApp and social in one thread, so nothing slips through.
Learn moreCRM and pipelines
Follow every lead and customer from first hello to repeat business.
Learn moreOnline booking
Calendars and self-service booking that fill your diary while you work.
Learn morePayments and invoices
Send invoices, take payments and keep your cash flow moving.
Learn moreEmail and SMS marketing
Stay in touch with customers and give them a reason to come back.
Learn moreAutomation and AI
Hand the follow-ups and the repetitive admin over to smart workflows.
Learn moreMemberships and courses
Build recurring income with members areas and online courses.
Learn moreReputation and reviews
Gather reviews and show them off, so new customers trust you sooner.
Learn moreStop paying for six tools that do not talk to each other
Most small businesses end up with a separate subscription for the CRM, another for booking, another for email, another for the inbox, and so on. Each one is a bill, a login and a place for things to fall through the cracks. First Essential One brings them together, so you cut the stack down to one platform and one UK team.
Here is the kind of stack First Essential One can take over from. Swap the names for whatever you pay for today and add up what you are spending across all of them, month after month.
Booking, marketing and websites that win new customers
Build pages and funnels that bring in leads, then let your booking calendars and your email and SMS marketing turn those leads into regulars. It all runs from the same UK based platform.
Smart automation and AI, included from the first login
AI comes with every plan, not as a costly add-on. Smart workflows take care of the follow-ups and the admin, an AI assistant replies to customers and chases them up, and your UK team is always there behind the scenes.
Take card payments and grow recurring income with CRM at the core
Send invoices, take card payments and keep the cash coming in. When you are ready, add members areas and online courses for income that arrives every month. It all sits on one CRM, so every customer record stays in one place. Pair it with our card machines and you can take payments in person too, from the same business.
Simple all-in-one pricing, with a 14-day free trial on every plan
One platform, one monthly cost, no long contracts. Start free for 14 days, then pick the plan that fits. Higher tiers add more features, users and capacity.
Launch
For solo businesses and startups getting up and running.
14-day free trial
- The full platform: CRM, booking, inbox, payments, marketing and AI
- Everything to run and grow a small business
- UK support, 7 days a week
- No long contract, cancel anytime
Growth
For growing teams that need more capacity and features.
14-day free trial
- Everything in Launch, with more capacity
- More features for busier, growing teams
- UK support, 7 days a week
- No long contract, cancel anytime
Elite
For established and multi-site businesses that want it all.
14-day free trial
- Everything in Growth, with the most capacity
- The most features, for established and multi-site businesses
- UK support, 7 days a week
- No long contract, cancel anytime
All prices in GBP. You will see the full price, including any VAT, at checkout. The 14-day free trial lets you use First Essential One before you are billed, and you can cancel anytime. Prefer a guided setup? Book a free demo and a UK person will walk you through it.
Straight talk on cost, contracts and getting your data out
We would rather tell you the awkward bits up front than bury them in the small print. Here is how we line up against the way a lot of providers do business. We are talking about patterns we see across the market in general, not naming or quoting any one rival.
| What matters to you | First Essential One | How some providers do it |
|---|---|---|
| Try before you commit | 14-day free trial, so you can use it before you pay | Demo only, or a card needed up front before you see inside |
| What is included | CRM, booking, payments, inbox, marketing and AI in one plan | A base plan, then add-ons stacked on top for the bits you actually need |
| AI and automation | Included from the first login, not a paid extra | Often a separate upsell or a higher tier |
| Contract length | No long lock-in, we want you to stay because it works | Long 24 to 36 month contracts are common in this market |
| Your data if you leave | It is your data, you can export it and take it with you | Export can be limited, awkward or locked behind support |
| Where your data lives | Held in the UK and EU, GDPR ready | Not always clearly stated, sometimes held outside the UK and EU |
| Who you talk to | A UK based team, real people, 7 days a week | Offshore call centres, tickets and long waits |
| Card payment rates | From 0.3%, and rates vary by card type and business, confirmed at setup | Headline rate up front, the costlier card types and fees buried lower down |
GDPR ready, with your data held in the UK and EU
Your customer records are some of the most valuable, and most sensitive, things your business holds. First Essential One is built to keep them safe and to keep you on the right side of UK GDPR. Your data lives in the UK and EU, it stays yours, and if you ever decide to leave you can take it with you.
Part of one connected stack
First Essential One does not work alone. It joins up with your EPOS till system, your card machines and your website, so the whole business runs as one.
A UK partner, not just a login
We set it up, bring across what you already have, and stay on hand. The same team also looks after self-service kiosks and AI solutions when you grow into them.
Made for your sector
From hospitality to retail to salons, the platform bends to how you work. See how we help your trade on our industries pages, or get to know us first.
Frequently asked questions about First Essential One
What does First Essential One replace, and what does it actually cost?
Is there a long contract or a lock-in?
How long does it take to switch over and go live?
Can I get my data out if I ever decide to leave?
Where is my data stored, and is it GDPR compliant?
What support do I get, and is it really UK based?
Does it include AI and automation, or is that an extra?
Bring your whole business together
Start your 14-day free trial, or book a free, no-obligation demo and we will show you, in plain numbers, how First Essential One replaces the apps you are paying for today.
Start your 14-day free trial