Businesses in the professional services space come in all shapes and sizes. From creatives and consultants to accountants and engineers they all have one thing in common; they are all selling their time and expertise. In this industry, more than any other, people and skills are the product.
According to a report by The Aberdeen Group, some of the biggest problems facing professional services businesses includes:
- accurate demand prediction
- time & project management
- cash management
But fret not, there’s loads of software to help you deal with these challenges. Here’s a run-down of the best add ons that can integrate with your accounting software to smooth the ride.
Lead Management
Whether you’re on the lookout for your next customer or trying to organise the ones you already have, Insightly is the CRM tool you’ve been looking for. Track invoices and performance and manage tasks with one of the highest rated add ons out there. The project management feature decreases project turnaround time and Insightly will store all correspondence around opportunities and projects so you have all the information you need at your fingertips. Available on QBO and Xero.
Quoting
Use New-Zealand-based app Quotient to generate, track and organise your quotes all in one place while also giving your clients the ability to instantly accept a quote anywhere, on any device. This is the app for busy professionals on the go. By linking to your accounting software Quotient cuts another step out of the process leaving you with (you guessed it!) yet more time to yourself. Available on QBO and Xero.
Invoicing and Time Tracking
MinuteDock makes hourly billing easy, simply type in your time, start the timer or even use the natural language entry feature to log your hours. The reporting tool lets you compare your hours worked day by day and week by week. The best part about MinuteDock is the invoicing tool, log and bill for your time in one fail swoop! Available on QBO and Xero.
Planning and Reporting
Predict when money will move in and out of your business with Float. Unpredictable incomings combined with steady outgoings can make running a services business a cash flow nightmare, that’s where Float comes in, set budgets, manage invoices and create cash flow forecasts in minutes giving you a granular view of your businesses cash position now and in the future. Available on QBO and Xero.
All In One Solution
Used by over 5,000 businesses, Workflowmax is the all in one, cloud based job management software that could be your business’s new best friend. This add on to automate all the tasks that distract you from doing what you love such as lead management, quoting, time management, invoicing and job management. Save time and money and relax in the knowledge that all of this is linked to your accounting software. The only thing it doesn’t do is cash management and forecasting. But Float can help you with that! Available on QBO and Xero.