A management consulting business will work closely with numerous organizations to help them improve in all aspects of their general processes. Your firm is responsible for helping others improve their efficiency, solve problems, and develop better business strategies. A business like this demands many tools to encourage you to work better with clients, so this post will walk you through the best management consulting business software solutions.
Each option on this list is worth learning more about as it will contain features to help you be a better management consultant.
The Shortlist Of Software Solutions For Management Consulting Businesses
- Unit4 – Best overall management consulting business software solution
- Deltek
- NetSuite
- CMap
- monday.com
Unit4
The undisputed leader of the management consulting business software pack is Unit4. This software has many features that make it ideal for management consultants, but the key USP has to be its stance as a Management Consulting Unified Platform.
In other words, it gives you one place to deal with various aspects of your work, such as:
- Strategy
- Finance
- People & Projects
You may see other solutions on this list that are only capable of catering to a couple of your needs, yet Unit4 is excellent at handling everything you need assistance with as a management consultant. It’s easily the best way to manage projects and professional services engagements – and most of all, it’s literally built for professional services and consulting. Again, you’ll see how this differs from some of the other options on the list, which can fall into the generic ERP category instead. It’s much easier to get more use out of a software solution when it’s built for your line of work.
Deltek
Deltek is a software provider that develops various ERP solutions for different businesses and industries. One of those solutions is called Deltek Vantagepoint – and it’s been designed for consulting firms. This software solution lets you work smarter with an ERP that helps you manage complex projects and company financials in a single place.
There are some clear strengths that you get when opting for Deltek Vantagepoint:
- Amazing dashboard visibility makes it easy to see where everything is and control your various projects.
- Good integration with accounting, human resources, CRM, and more.
It can compete with Unit4 in a lot of departments, yet there are two big downsides that may turn some businesses away from it. Firstly, Deltek has a steeper learning curve than most software solutions for management consultants. It’s harder to get to grips with – but then there’s the second issue: it’s not very customizable. You have an “out-of-the-box” solution that’s ready to go, yet may not match all of your unique needs.
Nevertheless, that structure might suit some management consulting businesses, while others will prefer a more flexible and customizable solution.
NetSuite
Like Deltek, NetSuite is one of the biggest names in the business software industry and provides a host of solutions for just about any company or sector out there. Deep within its offerings nestles NetSuite for Consulting Firms – a software solution that provides integrated ERP and Professional Services Automation (PSA).
Having dual ERP and PSA capacities means NetSuite gives you a diversity of benefits, including:
- Optimized staffing
- Managing profitability
- Improving collaboration
- Automating time and expense management
There are too many individual features to mention, but know you’re getting an all-in-one solution here. It sounds great – so why isn’t NetSuite ranked higher on the list? Well, it’s down to the cost & complexity of this software solution, especially when compared with Unit4 and others. It’s far more expensive than most and incredibly complicated to set up and implement.
If you’re looking for an introductory software suite for your management consulting business, this won’t be it. However, if you’re tech-savvy and wish to upgrade to a more complex system, then it could be right for you.
CMap
CMap For Consulting Firms is marketed as “the operations engine for ambitious consulting firms.” It lays down a few key features right away, boasting the ability to replace spreadsheets and fragmented systems with a purpose-built platform. It’s all about maximizing utilization to assist you in boosting margins and scaling your consulting business efficiently.
You’ve got something remarkably intuitive with CMap, and it’s easy for anyone to use. This makes it a top option for smaller consulting firms or businesses that are obtaining management consulting software for the first time. Overall, it definitely shines in the project management department with loads of features helping you see the entire project pipeline.
Where does it falter? For us, there’s not enough on the financial side of things to make it as powerful as other all-in-one solutions. You also get worse reporting capabilities than almost any other software option on the list, making it hard to rank CMap above most of the other choices.
monday.com
We’ve ranked monday.com last on this list because it’s the only option that’s not 100% dedicated to management consulting businesses. Think of this as more of a project-management software option that helps you plan and execute work across numerous projects in one go.
Visually, it’s one of the best systems to use and gives amazing overviews for every step in every project. You also receive loads of integrations with this software, allowing you to connect it to other applications like Slack or Gmail.
If your consulting firm is strictly looking for project management software, then it’s hard to find a better option than monday.com. Nevertheless, that’s where its capabilities end. You lose loads of industry-focused features that come from using software dedicated to management consulting businesses. It’s not an option for businesses that want an all-in-one solution.
So there you have it: the best software solutions for a management consulting business. Choose the right software to help you focus on your business and get more out of your daily routine. You’re better off making a list of essential features or elements that you want to get out of a software solution, which will help you filter the options listed above until you find the right one for you.
