Achieve project visibility and control

A strong sales culture is at the heart of every professional service business. But sales alone can’t ensure that every contract generates the revenue it needs to contribute to overall performance.

To ensure project profitability (and ultimately company profitability), your organization must play as a team throughout the lifecycle of each project. From the work the sales team do understanding needs and scopes, to the activity of your consultants, to the way that every aspect of management from onboarding to invoicing is handled.

Of course, this isn’t easy. Sales, consulting, and operations teams have very different cultures. And to say this can sometimes get in the way of collaboration would be an understatement.

Fortunately, modern technology can play a huge role in breaking down these cultural barriers. Creating unified work environments that help different silos see exactly what role everyone plays in their shared successes.

Break down the barriers, reap the rewards

At a time when customers are more demanding than ever, it’s essential to perfectly understand their needs before moving forward with a project.

But consultants are often just as reluctant to dig into a sale’s potential as sales teams are to offer the information that would let them make that judgment.

The solution here isn’t wholesale reorganization – it’s better communication. And this communication is best facilitated through operational platforms and collaborative tools that provide a shared space to collate all data.

Merging the tools that two very different teams with very different goals use creates an opportunity not only for cross-pollination and increased productivity. It allows both teams to take a step back and re-assess the way they’ve been working – both together and apart.

Optimize processes – because selling more is selling better

Increasing project profitability is a long-term strategic objective for many professional services businesses. But it’s achieved (or not achieved) on a day-to-day, operational level.

The processes the business relies on must, therefore, be optimized. Not just to ensure more sales – but to ensure that sales are useful to the business in the long term.

Doing this requires IT tools that can be used cross-functionally, and which go well beyond the traditional CRM paradigm. Integrating data and estimates from sales, consultants, finance, project management, and general management to create dynamic profitability estimates, optimized resource utilization quotes, and smooth, automated invoicing.

Migrating your business to this model requires a change in culture and thinking as well. Moving from order-taking at all costs to using collective intelligence and new ways of working in order to master productive, manageable growth.

The right tools for the job – aim for the perfect working environment

Achieving this kind of operational excellence between departments requires you to leverage new technology to create a more modern working environment.

The software you choose is essential. Above all, applications should be judged on two factors: their ability to integrate, and their ability to deliver services. Your focus for the future must be on creating a unified environment that brings together all the functions your different teams need to perform at the highest level.