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Best software for consultants - How to choose the best project management tools

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Try Bonsai, the best software for business consultants for free here.
Try Bonsai, the best software for business consultants for free here.
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Updated on:
December 11, 2022
October 19, 2023
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A good consultant knows how important the right software for business consultants can be. Managing a consulting business on your own can be very difficult if you have too many clients, but some good CRM software can help you.

Bust what programs can you trust for your business management? Each piece of software has different features. You just need to choose the one that can be customized to your working needs.

We'll review this list of the best software for business consultants.

  • Bonsai
  • Qwilr
  • Avaza
  • Asana
  • Salesforce
  • Pandadoc
  • Proposify
  • Mavenlink
  • Bitsketch
  • Mavenfront

Bonsai Small Business Tool Suite - Best Consulting Business Tool

The Bonsai small business tool suite is an all-in-one small business tool that consultants can benefit from. It's a project management tool that helps you stay organized and in contact with your clients.

There are several features that you may enjoy with this tool, including:

Time Tracking Tool

Bonsai features a time tracker tool that business consultants can use. It offers an overview of the project, allowing you to add tasks when needed.

Business consulting professionals take on multiple clients at a time. So, time trackers are necessary to ensure all deadlines are met.

A time tracking software will record how you interact with a project. This will lead to the creation of detailed invoices, where nothing remains unpaid.

The management software can help you put your tasks in order. Now, they only need to be tracked, which can be very useful when sending invoices.

Bonsai allows time tracking with just one click. For example, if you spent 60 hours for one client, one click is enough to send the invoice.

Time can be input manually or automatically to ensure that nothing remains unpaid.

Note: if you want to automatically record how many hours you commit to tasks, try Bonsai's time tracking tool. Our software automatically records your hours without getting in the way of your productivity. Claim your 7-day free trial today.

Project Management Software

You must stay organized and know all the steps necessary to bring your project to fruition. This knowledge will help you track time better.

Bonsai's software allows you to create a list of the tasks you have waiting. You simply add deadlines and organize your time efficiently. This will help you respect your promises to your clients and not take more than you can handle.

Accounting Tools

Accounting and tracking expenses are very important for a consulting business. Bonsai can be helpful, as it uses advanced analytics to keep track of expenses.

This can be very useful when tax season turns a corner. Together with the Bonsai Tax feature, you may create an itemized expense list that can be deducted, and this is a huge money and time saver.

Note: If you are looking for an expense tracker to automatically record your tax deductions, try Bonsai Tax. Bonsai Tax automatically scans your credit card/bank receipts to discover potential tax write-offs. On average, users save $5,600 from their tax bill. Claim your 7-day free trial here.

Business Templates

Small businesses may still have a large influx of clients. This means that writing proposals, contracts, and invoices for each client may waste too much time. A template can help you save some of it.

Consultants for small businesses spend most of their time sending proposals to potential clients. Depending on the size of the company, writing the proposal yourself may take too long.

Business consultant proposal templates and software can help reduce the time spent on these documents. Most programs will provide proposal templates you can work on and customize based on your client's preferences.

Bonsai offers templates for a variety of businesses and activities. You can get one for contracts, invoices, proposals, and many more. These templates also cater to people such as management consultants.

Note: if you want to access contract, proposal and invoice templates that can easily be customized or designed, try Bonsai. Our templates are easy to edit to send off to potential or new clients. Try a 7-day free trial here.

Task Management

As a consultant, you probably work on your projects alone. Still, you might have to share information now and then.

Bonsai's task management software can be helpful to ensure access to information. It also creates a communication record that can be used at all times. This will improve productivity on client projects.

CRM Software

Consultants rely on their clients to get income. As a result, customer relationship management (CRM) is necessary because these programs can help nurture relationships with your customers.

Bonsai's CRM software options will help you manage correspondence, contact your clients, share files, and more. They streamline technical details and improve the trust between consultants and clients.

Payment Integration

Different clients may use different payment methods. Bonsai can also be helpful in this regard, as it offers payment integration with the most popular methods.

It allows clients to pay through debit credit cards, ACH bank transfers, PayPal, Stripe, Bonsai Payments, and wire transfers. The method may depend on the region that you are in.

Business Bank Account

Bonsai even includes a business bank account that consultants can use. The account may be used to send or receive payment at any time, using Bonsai's business account.

The bank account includes a physical card, a virtual card, and Apple Pay integration, and payment for your invoices is collected in just a matter of seconds.

Note: Try our online business bank account, Bonsai's business account, today. There are no hidden fees or monthly minimums. Our bank account does not require an application and does not do any credit checks (so it is virtually guaranteed). Claim your 7-day free trial here.

Alternative Business Consulting Software

There are several other tools that you may find useful to use. While they may not be an all-in-one comprehensive invoicing solution such as Bonsai, they should still be helpful.

Some of the most popular tools are:

Qwilr

Those looking for good proposal software might give Qwirl a try. The consulting software has an intuitive design that allows you to create personalized proposals.

It also features an integrated reporting tool that enables you to review your clients' interactions with your proposals. You can see how long they look at it and what areas they show the most interest in.

Qwilrl may be integrated with third-party applications. For example, you may connect it with an expense management program. This ensures that the business flows without any issues.

Avaza

Avaza focuses on simplifying business processes. It is a very useful tool for small business owners that don't need too many fancy tools.

The program can convert emails into tasks automatically to save the time you'd have to manually input the information. The tool also allows you to assign roles so that different people receive the appropriate projects.

With Avaza, you can automate your projects using recurring tasks and templates and business owners can sync calendars to improve accessibility.

Asana

Asana is a good time-tracking tool for your tasks. With this project management software, you can delegate tasks and track their timelines with ease.

The projects can be assigned to yourself, or potential team members and each task can have a due date, to ensure nothing is missed. This will keep your business process steady and your clients happy.

Salesforce

Salesforce is an effective CRM software that comes with a variety of extensions. You may use it to monitor performance, manage customer management, and improve team collaboration.

The tool can be very useful for project management as the data is stored on a cloud platform so that you may have easy access to it. Its in-depth reporting tools can also help you learn everything you need about your clients.

Customer support is available 24/7, through multiple channels. This can be very helpful if you are dealing with multiple international clients.

PandaDoc

PandaDoc is a good tool for consultants that want to gain customers quickly. The proposal software allows you to connect with your clients on different devices.

It also includes a team collaboration feature so that your employees can work on the proposal process together. You even have various advanced analytics tools to see how people interact with your proposals.

Proposify

Proposify, like the name suggests, is a proposal software you may find useful. It helps you draft a proposal using templates. The proposals are customizable and may include visual elements.

The program offers professional services for time tracking and team collaboration tools to improve communication and keep track of important due dates.

Mavenlink

Mavenlink is a CRM software that consultancy businesses can use to improve margins. The executive dashboard gives you clear insights into your resources and what improvements you can make.

The app can be integrated with other programs such as accounting software and consulting tools so that you can keep all your data in one place. The resource planning features also allow you to see how your employees are using their time.

BidSketch

BidSketch can help a consulting firm save a lot of time on proposals. The program uses automatic settings and templates to create proposals and works with data analysis to determine exactly what should go in a proposal.

The software includes a notification system that will inform you of your client's actions. It can be integrated with a variety of other programs such as Bonsai or Salesforce. This will bring your data together if you use multiple apps to manage projects.

Workfront

Workfront is good for business consulting professionals in need of a scalable service. It includes multiple team collaboration tools that can help keep your clients and employees connected.

The time tracking software gives you real-time reports so that you know the status at all times. It is a fully customizable service that can fit your needs.

There is also an automatic workflow feature that remembers your preferences and settings, which helps create a streamlined experience.

What to Look for in Project Management Software

In order to find the best business consulting software, research is essential. You must understand every feature. So, here are the factors that matter to small businesses:

Ease of Customization

Business consulting teams are not all the same. They may offer specific professional services or they may have different working needs.

The software that you choose should be customizable. Some mobile apps can be customized when you buy subscriptions. Others can be customized later on.

However, you must make sure that it fits your business so that you don't have to buy multiple software tools.

Scalability

The size of your company and client base may fluctuate. As a result, the business consulting software that you use must keep up.

Look for business tools that allow you to make customizations in the process. For example, you may need billing and invoicing software that reaches international businesses. The best accounting, management, or proposal software should let you change the business process.

Flexibility

Every client had different requirements, so good project management software should allow you some creative space. The tools you receive must be adaptable to your professional services.

Superior Customer Support

Make sure the accounting software you use has a good personal support system. As a business owner, customer relationship management is important for you.

If they are difficult to reach, then it may not be as important to them as it is for you. Make sure that they can be contacted 24/7 through several channels such as live chat, phone calls, or email.

Easy to Use Interface

An app for your consulting business should be easy to use, with an intuitive interface. The user should also know how to find the information that they need in an instant.

Speed

Some programs such as proposal software will act as a bridge to your customers. You must be able to create comprehensive proposals in a matter of minutes or seconds and templates can be very helpful to improve speed.

Automation

Automation saves a lot of time during your consulting work, such as your proposal process. Automation remembers your settings and may act upon a prompt so that the entire proposal process may take only a few seconds.

Visibility

A good CRM software should have a comprehensive reporting functionality so that you can see reports of the finished projects. So, look for software that lets you track proposals that were seen, sent, or signed.

The Bottom Line

A consulting business may seem quite challenging to run. Still, with the right app, things can become much easier.

Some apps focus on expense management, some focus on proposals, while others integrate more features. Do your research and find the best CRM software that caters to the needs of your business and the services you wish to provide.

Try Bonsai, the best software for business consultants for free here.
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