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Software for Consultants: What’s Your Tech Stack?

The ideal software for consultancy should be easy to use and integrate, adding convenience to your business without being difficult to use or time-consuming. 

This is what you should keep in mind when deciding to adopt new software to build your consulting business tech stack.

Read on to learn the essential software types for consultants to improve your business workflow.

5 must-have software for consultancy success

Many software options are available for consultants, but the endless choices can make it challenging to decide what to use. 

So, we’ve narrowed it down to five essential types of software for consultants and suggestions for specific software to start with. Let’s discuss the benefits and examples of each software below.

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1. Customer relationship management (CRM) software

Nutshell software for startups and consultants

Consulting firms often find themselves unbalanced in guiding their leads through the buyer’s journey

Either you focus too much of your resources on delivering to your current clients, sacrificing time that could be spent on new client acquisition. Or, in spending too much time on acquisition, you neglect to nurture current clients, and they end up dropping off. 

A good customer relationship management (CRM) software for consultants can help you balance your priorities and keep a steady stream of new clients coming in. 

With sales pipeline creation and management features, you have a visual view of where your current leads and clients are in their journey and what the next best action is for your sales team at any given moment. 

Our picks for CRM software:

  • Nutshell: When starting out, you need a simple and affordable way to manage your leads and close more deals. With a robust starter option plan and unique add-on options, Nutshell is built for service businesses looking to scale. Learn more here about how Nutshell helps professional services businesses close more deals.
  • Salesforce: Salesforce is a popular option for large consulting firms, though it can get pricey for smaller businesses.
  • HubSpot Sales Hub: A decent middle-of-the-road option for CRM users. It is scalable and has many integration options.

2. Time-tracking software

ClickUp software for consultants

Consultants often work on a per-hour basis for clients, so good time-tracking software is essential to running your business. 

Ensure you’re getting paid for the value you add to your clients with options such as:

  • ClickUp: Track time from any device, stop and start tracking in real time, and add retroactive hours as necessary. ClickUp makes time tracking easy so you can focus on your work.
  • Harvest: In addition to visual reports of your time spending, Harvest allows you to process automatic invoices and payments through integrations with QuickBooks, Stripe, and PayPal.
  • Hubstaff: This powerful time-tracking and workforce analytics app includes features like screenshotting and activity rates. Plus, you can add timesheets to proposals and invoices to ensure that you and your client are on the same page.

3. Invoicing software

Quickbooks software for consultants

A good invoicing software for consultants will allow consultants to accurately calculate your billable hours, manage taxes, and send personalized invoices to clients. 

Use these invoicing software tools to make managing your client’ accounts simpler:

  • QuickBooks: QuickBooks works from any device, allows you to send invoices and automated payment reminders, and gives you an overview of the cash flow of your business.
  • FreshBooks: FreshBooks has all the features that a robust accounting software needs, plus their Select Plan allows you to customize service options for companies with more complex accounting requirements.
  • Xero: An accounting software created with small businesses in mind. Xero helps you keep your finances organized by automating admin and storing your documents online for quick access, in addition to customized billing and invoicing.

4. Project management software

Asana software for consultants

When you have a consulting team, it’s vital to coordinate your tasks in a central online location so you can collaborate more efficiently. 

With project management software for consultants, each member will know their tasks as well as the responsibilities of other members on consulting projects. 

Here are some picks for great project management software for consulting businesses:

  • Asana: Asana comes with multiple project views, primary and automated workflows, and unlimited essentials, such as projects, tasks, and storage.
  • Trello: Even when your team is in different places, Trello helps to keep everyone on track, with options for different types of workflows you might use as a consultant, such as projects, meetings, and onboarding sessions.
  • ProofHub: ProofHub offers a robust suite of features for teams of all sizes. With five different project views, project templates, and a host of other features, it’s an excellent option for firms looking to scale with their software.

5. Communication and collaboration software

Slack software for consultants

Communication software enables consulting firms to communicate within the team in both one-to-one and group settings. Communication software is also a great place to start when you need a place to communicate with clients on record. 

Here are some communication apps for consulting firms to get you started:

  • Slack: Slack is a popular communication tool for small teams that want better collaboration. With unlimited message history and lightweight, voice-first huddles, we can see why.
  • Microsoft Teams: MS Teams allows you to meet, chat, call, and collaborate with everyone you work with, including colleagues and clients. You can create different teams for different communication purposes and manage access, member roles, and invitations for each.
  • Chanty: Trusted by many enterprise-level companies, Chanty is a secure platform for messaging, video calling, and task management. It offers enterprise-grade data protection and encrypted transactions.

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How to start building your consulting business tech stack

While we’ve made this list as simple as possible, building your consulting business tech stack can still feel overwhelming when you’re just starting out. 

We recommend starting with CRM software for consultancy. 

Why? It’s important to get clients, especially when you’re starting out. With Nutshell, our singular goal is to help you make more sales with an easy-to-use CRM that your team will love. 

With customizable sales pipelines, task automation, and expansive integration options, Nutshell can help you get your consulting firm off to a running start. 

Nutshell: the ideal CRM for consulting companies

Try Nutshell for free for 14 days. You’ll have full access to the plan of your choice, plus our white-glove services, including contact importing and live demo training. 

Close more deals, get more clients, and grow your consulting business with Nutshell. 

Sign up today for a 14-day free trial. Or contact our team to learn more about how Nutshell can help your business.

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