Editors' Review by the Professional Services Automation (PSA) Software Review Team
CrossConcept Continuum is a cloud-based software solution for professional services automation (PSA) that integrates budgeting, forecasting, expenses, timesheets, sales pipelines and CRM tools into a single unified system. It provides small and medium-sized businesses with the capability to streamline and enhance the management of projects and invoicing, monitor resource allocation, as well as track time and expenses.
The software enables the delivery of real-time insights regarding an organization’s accounting projects, simplifying and creating a structure to bring about business success. CPAs will be able to work more efficiently and accurately.
Businesses can benefit from the time-tracking, resource management, project-based spreadsheets capabilities of the software solution, improving profit and reducing costs. The customizable dashboard projects the real-time state of the business, an aspect that marketing and creative firms need to have constant access to. CrossConcept allows these firms to manage projects while keeping track of finances and seeing it through to completion.
CrossConcept Continuum helps management consulting firms to get a bird’s eye view of a project by managing resources, profitability and activities. It also aids in the improvement of processes and procedures of legal firms, by centralizing everything from CRM, billing and resources, to time tracking and expense tracking.
The automation of CrossConcept Continuum’s professional services such as project management, time tracking and billing allows an organization to maximize its potential. The software’s features make it particularly effective in improving ROI.
This feature will help management spend less time on administrative tasks and more on completing projects efficiently and on time, something that will come in handy to an organization with a mobile workforce. The system can track billable time, allowing for accurate project invoicing and expense management.
This feature allows project management managers to work efficiently and quickly identify the resources needed for projects. It also helps procurement or resource managers to locate resources using the module. It is user-friendly and assists the managers in assigning the workforce to their projects.
This module helps project managers organize workflows and track the progress of projects from start to finish. The projects can be accessed and monitored in real-time by the stakeholders and managers to lessen the need for constant follow-ups and requests for updates.
It also specifically helps managers forecast finances and manpower, ensure achievement of targets, keep track of man-hours consumed, monitor expenses and aids in creating invoices for submission to clients.
The dashboard generates real-time analytics that allows for customization of information that can be included in it. There is no need to produce manual reports as it already provides a comprehensive view of the organization including its finances and project progress.
The CRM feature stores customer data that includes leads, contact details and service history. All information is uploaded to the cloud for easy access when needed. This system feature is set up in a way that the manager or the sales team can view several portfolios at a time to multi-task.
The CrossConcept Continuum mobile application enables the workforce to track their time while on fieldwork. This is an aid for the organization to produce correct timesheets and ensure man-hours registered in the billing statements and invoices are accurate.
The software solution is integrated with QuickBooks to help monitor the organization’s payables and receivables, as well as manage all aspects in relation to its finances. The integration with Quickbooks also enables the organization to collect from clients using integrated invoicing. It allows the finance team to efficiently verify timesheets against billing statements and expenses. Project managers can quickly review invoice drafts and sign off when approved. Additionally, the sales team can coordinate with clients with ease.
The accuracy and efficiency of the solution’s project management capabilities help to ensure an organization’s success in each project. Expenses are controlled and possible issues are prevented as managers get real-time updates on a project’s progress. As the software is easy to use, the team maximizes work hours on tasks that are more important. All expenses are captured on the dashboard based on all data entered.
The capability to access multiple service portfolios at one time minimizes client waiting time during simultaneous calls. The CRM module is integrated with the other modules, ensuring client history and information can be easily accessed. This helps the sales team have a flowing conversation with clients.
A complete set of step-by-step guides in the form of online videos is available to support the software users throughout the implementation of the systems and processes. Product guides are provided to introduce the software to the users, while a consultancy team will be supporting the organization beginning from introduction to full implementation.
The technical support team can configure and implement the systems and tailor solutions according to the user’s business requirements. Technical and project consulting can ease the implementation difficulties in the organization by providing best practices and configuring solutions that would suit their business processes.
The PSA system information will then be interfaced with the different business processes such as CRM, payroll, general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, help desk and human resources. They can help migrate all the information in the PSA system to another system to save time doing a manual transfer.
CrossConcept offers a 14-day free trial package. After the trial period, users can sign up for either a Small Business Deployment package or Enterprise Scale Deployment.
Small Business Deployments provides access to pre-recorded training videos and consulting support upon request. The package includes complete PSA access and functionality, standard reporting and out-of-the-box interfaces and integrations. Billing will be per user per month and pricing based on three modules: Base, Professional and Enterprise. An Enterprise user license is required for administering and configuring the system.
The Enterprise Scale Deployment package covers everything the Small Business Deployment package has and adds training and validation sessions, live solution design, data migration from the organization’s legacy system, reports and dashboards, custom interfaces, and functionality extensions or customizations. Services offered under this package are on a case-to-case basis; however, volume license discounts are available.
The Base License module is intended for the field workers and those who are assigned tasks. It is priced at $15 with the following inclusions: time management, expense management, basic report usage and attachments.
The Professional license is meant for project and resource managers. The module includes everything covered by the Basic license plus project management, resources management and CRM. It is priced at $25.
The Enterprise license module is priced at $35 and is intended for an administrator or those who require full access to the software’s functionality. The package includes everything that is covered by the Professional license plus administrative permission, finance management and report management.
CrossConcept Continuum is a pay-as-you-go software solution that is helpful for not only the managers of an organization but the field workers and stakeholders as well. The customizable dashboard and the user-friendliness of the system create seamless workflows and processes within the organization. The system addresses issues on the redundancy of features and complicated processes and setups. It also focuses more on the front lines of a business as opposed to some solutions that focus solely instead on the back-office processes.
