Work is not like it used to be. These days, so much new software and technology is available to help us optimize our workflow that it can be hard to identify and pick the right tools for our businesses. But there are a number of tools for consultants which can be used to make the day to day processes of your workflow more streamlined and efficient. Knowing what to look for in your management consulting tools will make the process of creating a suite of consultant apps for your team a significantly more enjoyable experience. After all, there are so many different options available, it would be all to easy to get overwhelmed by a deluge of different software options without knowing exactly what you need beforehand.
What to look for in management consulting software
It is important to know what types of software apps for consultants you will be looking for, but it is equally important to identify which aspects of each app will bring the most value to your team. You might consider broad customization options to be integral to your selection of a specific app, even to the point where you might be willing to choose a more costly option if you would get more better customization options out of it. Depending on the size and requirements of your team, you may be concerned about how user restrictions and permissions are handled within the apps you are considering, as well as the flexibility provided by those apps.Take a moment to outline your ideal app before you start looking for the best fit for your business.
5 Types of Software for Management Consultants:
1. Time tracking software
When dealing with a number of different tasks or projects across multiple clients,it is highly important to make sure you have access to the best available time tracking for consultants. You will likely be looking for a time tracking app which is capable of categorizing your time entries in order to streamline your billing processes and provide you with valuable data to show you how your work time is being spent and let you optimize your workflow. A time tracking app like MinuteDock, which is designed to cater to professional services such as consultants, might be the kind of specialized tool that will provide the best value to your team.
You will want a time tracking application that is designed to cater to the needs of a management consultant – a simple clock in – clock out system is unlikely to cut it when you need to record time against multiple clients on any given day.Make sure you are picking a solution which help you achieve what you need – you may end finding a solution which streamlines your billing process by integrating with your accounting software to reduce your manual workload. You will quickly come to value the way time tracking will improve your time management and make your work day more productive than ever.
2. Project management software
Always be organized! Knowing the steps you need to take towards completing long term projects and having a checklist to ensure you don’t forget any elements of the work you need to do is vitally important to your success. Using a popular project management app like Asana will allow you access to a tool which makes the planning and management of your projects simpler and more efficient, saving you time and helping to prevent unforeseen circumstances making a negative impact on your work.
As a consultant you are likely to have work on across multiple clients and the ability to effectively manage your involvement in different projects will be a major factor in your success and productivity. Make sure that the project management software you choose is one which can cater to the industry specific needs of your work. You will likely find that the only way to get what you need is through a dedicated project management application rather than through an app which provides basic functionality for multiple services.
3. Communication/collaborative software
You're working with a team, but are not necessarily a part of the team you are working with. It’s important to have access to communications and information relevant to your work, but the team you are working with may not feel comfortable with giving you direct access to their usual communications network. The solution? A piece of collaborative software like Slack you can create a space in which to communicate and collaborate on projects with your client.
This type of app provides another essential benefit to your work – it creates a record of your communications, allowing you to look back where needed at important ideas and information and not lose track of your end goals. The right app will keep you and the team you are working with well informed and on track to make your project a success.
4. Customer relationship management software
Your client base is perhaps your most important asset as a consultant, so making sure you are nurturing strong relationships with clients is likely a high priority for you. The right customer relationship software can make the administrative work of managing your business relationships easier by streamlining the technical details. The right software will allow you to better manage and document email correspondence, shared files, contact information and more.
The needs of a consultant when it comes to customer relationship management are as unique as they might be for other industries, so looking for an application which is designed with an emphasis on helping consultants, such as Copper, might be just what you are looking for to keep yourself on track.
5. Business proposal software
This type of software can streamline your proposal process and make the work of creating a clear and effective business proposal simple by providing you with a clear structure and various useful templates in order to cater the structure of your proposal to the project you are working on. Depending on what you are working on, your proposal will have differing requirements, so finding the right software to cater to your variety of needs will be important when considering what might be the best business proposal software for consultants.
There are numerous software options available such as Liveplan, a popular option which covers a variety of bases with its functionality. It is important however to examine your options and pick the right application to suit what you are looking to accomplish.