Customised Software for Consulting Businesses: A Comparison of the 14 Leading Providers

In order to manage their processes, management consultants and auditors often work with a conglomerate of different software island solutions or repeatedly reach their limits with IT solutions they have developed themselves.

Challenges in business consulting

As an experienced management consultant, you know best where the pain points are in your industry: customer acquisition and retention are a constant battle. Competition is intense and customers expect customised solutions and a high degree of flexibility. Projects must be completed on time and within budget. In resource management, optimising the allocation of consultants to projects based on availability and skills is also a major challenge. You can also only ensure a stable financial situation through precise invoicing, budget control and cost management. Without knowledge management, the wheel is constantly reinvented and innovative solutions fall by the wayside. And last but not least, consulting companies have to fulfil numerous compliance requirements and manage risks.

Software Business Consulting: The Importance of Customised ERP Software

ERP software tailored specifically to the consulting industry can manage all activities in a management consultancy in a targeted manner and helps to save time, money and resources. It integrates CRM functionalities to improve lead generation and customer relations, offers specialised project management tools for efficient project monitoring, optimises resource allocation through automated planning functions and facilitates financial management through real-time monitoring of income and expenditure.

It also supports knowledge management through modules for internal information sharing and promotes compliance and risk management through appropriate compliance and risk assessment functions. By automating and optimising these processes, consulting firms can reduce their operating costs, increase productivity and improve their competitiveness.

A careful approach is crucial when selecting and implementing the right software for your consulting company.

Analysis of Business Requirements

Start with a thorough analysis of business requirements to understand exactly which functions are essential for your organisation. Consider specific needs such as project management, CRM, resource planning and financial management. Create a detailed specification of the necessary functions. The best way to do this is to conduct interviews with key stakeholders in your company, from individual consultants to the accounting department and the CFO. Who all should work with the software? Which software should be replaced and which should be integrated via interfaces? How do your business processes currently work? Where is there potential for optimisation? Also prioritise the items on your requirements list according to must-haves, nice-to-haves and optional extras. This will make it easier for you to make the right choice later on.

Evaluation of Software Options

With the requirements specification in hand, you then carry out an evaluation of all available software options. Are there partner companies that are already satisfied with ERP software? Which software solutions are recommended by interest groups? What results does a Google search return? We have compiled a list of the leading providers of ERP software specifically for management consultants for you below.

Pay attention to user-friendliness, scalability, customer support and integration options. The best insight into what software for consultants can do is provided by a guided demo. In contrast to a pure online demo, you have the opportunity for direct interaction, open questions can be clarified immediately and companies often benefit from a transfer of knowledge from the software experts. Based on your requirements and the market research, you now select the provider whose software best suits the needs of your management consultancy.

Pilot Phases and Test Runs

It is advisable to first implement the software on a limited scale in the pilot phase before rolling it out to the entire company. Test all functionalities in close cooperation with the software provider's support team. This helps to recognise potential problems at an early stage and make any necessary adjustments.

Employee Training

Ensure that all employees are trained and can use the software effectively. A well-conducted training course minimises the familiarisation period and maximises productivity. It is also important that you have a dedicated contact person at the software manufacturer throughout the implementation process who is familiar with your way of working.

Support and maintenance

Finally, ongoing support and maintenance is essential. Make sure that your software provider offers reliable support and regular updates to ensure the performance and security of the software. Continuous monitoring and adaptation to changing business requirements will ensure that the ERP software provides long-term value to your consulting organisation.

LEADING Job is also a comprehensive all-in-one software solution that is specially tailored to the requirements of consultants. This includes tools for customer management, project acquisition and management, time recording, capacity planning and utilisation management, invoicing and accounting through to project controlling and reporting.

What makes LEADING Job different from the software solutions listed above? Most other software solutions on the market have a modular structure and have to be purchased separately. With LEADING Job, all functions are included right from the start. This means that customers have immediate access to the full range of management functions without having to buy additional modules:

Interested? Try LEADING Job risk-free for up to three months and find out why it is the best ERP software for your management consultancy.

*Disclaimer
Our articles are carefully researched and compiled. The content listed in the provider overview is based on publicly available information from the respective provider websites as of 10 June 2024. Please note that the overview does not contain a complete list of all available providers on the market, but only focuses on the leading software providers for management consultants, The offers of the software providers can change at any time. We assume no liability for the topicality, completeness and correctness of the information.