ERP service company: the right software to boost your business
Design offices, engineering companies, architects and consultancies are increasingly turning to an ERP service company (Enterprise Resource Planning) to address their specific business issues.
By equipping yourself with specialist business management software, you can take advantage of a host of features that radically change the way you manage your business.These include easier quotation generation, automated recurring invoicing and more streamlined business monitoring.
Appvizer analyses ERP solutions for service companies, so you can choose the tool best suited to your projects. ✨
Why use an ERP for service companies?
Functionalities tailored to the sector
In order to continue to grow with peace of mind, these companies need to be able to answer the following questions in particular:
- What is the cost price of a business or project?
- What is the break-even point?
- What is the precise history of a project that spans several months?
- How can you monitor the progress of a long project?
- What are the related costs?
- How can I track the invoicing stages?
- Am I able to estimate my cash flow and each budget in real time?
Without reliable tools, companies waste precious time, have no control over the key figures linked to their business, have poor visibility and are holding back their development.
Business ERP solutions are the preferred choice of service companies, because they offer all the functions needed to manage multiple projects, while at the same time managing day-to-day operations.
Within a management software package, different modules complement each other and communicate with each other to make use of the same information, which is updated in real time. The different modules offer functionalities that enable you to manage your entire business from a single interface, such as :
- project management
- invoicing
- employee management,
- CRM tool for customer relationship management,
- purchasing management, etc.
Benefits for the business
Companies can model their management processes, automate certain tasks, and rely on monitoring and analysis tools to make the management of their business operational on a day-to-day basis.
The benefits to the business are many and varied:
- considerable time savings
- qualified, and therefore profitable, sales prospecting
- the ability to anticipate future projects,
- efficient, automated invoicing
- optimised cash flow thanks to easier collection,
- control over risks and costs,
- smoother communication between departments,
- identified profitability,
- clear visibility of business volume and revenue generated.
💡 Make sure you make the right choice and discover the 9 criteria you absolutely need to know when choosing your ERP, by downloading our free White Paper co-written with Karanext, ERP experts for service companies.
Selection of 11 ERPs for service companies
We have selected 11 ERPs with the most essential functionality for service companies.
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 Akuiteo |  Axelor |  BoondManager |  Fitnet Manager |  Odoo |  OpenConcerto |  Stafiz |  VSActivity (vsa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with more than 50 employees | For companies with more than 50 employees | For companies with more than 1 employees | For companies with more than 1 employees | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For companies with 1 to 250 employees | For all companies |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Akuiteo | Learn more about Axelor | Learn more about BoondManager | Learn more about Fitnet Manager | Learn more about Odoo | Learn more about OpenConcerto | Learn more about Stafiz | Learn more about VSActivity (vsa) |
Akuiteo: keep pace with your growth
Akuiteo is excellent business management software for design offices, but also for architecture agencies, audit and consultancy firms, and software publishers.
The software is a strategic choice for entrepreneurs who want recurring visibility and financial stability, while freeing themselves from infrastructure management.
🛠 Some features :
- accounting,
- CRM,
- project management,
- cash-flow monitoring with several integrated currencies,
- analysis of actions on an interactive dashboard.
✅ Advantages :
- rich functional coverage,
- scalability according to needs thanks to modules,
- certified NF203 by AFNOR.
🤔 Disadvantages:
- not suitable for small businesses.
Akuiteo
Axelor: a scalable open source ERP
Axelor is an Open Source ERP that's perfect for any type of service company, since it includes more than thirty business applications, from invoicing to CRM and automated job management.
But above all, the software's big strength is its integrated low-code BPM platform. Thanks to it, you can create your own business applications and customise them in line with your processes. All without having to get your hands dirty with code.
In short, with Axelor, every service company, whatever its sector of activity, has a solution that's perfectly tailored to its needs, helping to improve business productivity and capable of evolving with its future requirements.
🛠 Some features :
- invoicing
- accounting,
- CRM,
- production,
- stock management
- project management,
- HR.
✅ Advantages :
- the software's considerable flexibility,
- very broad functional coverage, 30 turnkey modules at no extra cost,
- ergonomic solution focused on the user experience.
🤔 Disadvantage: although Axelor is very easy to deploy and use, it does require some technical skills.
Axelor
BoondManager: the specialist ERP for ESNs, consultancies and engineering companies
BoondManager is an all-in-one ERP designed for ESNs, consultancies and engineering companies. It centralises the management of your projects, from recruitment to invoicing and employee follow-up.
Adapted to the specific needs of service companies, this intuitive, collaborative tool in SaaS mode streamlines and customises your management across all your operations.
🛠 Some features :
- project management and staffing,
- sales management with integrated CRM,
- automated invoicing,
- recruitment and HR management tools,
- time collection (CRA).
✅ Benefits :
- fully customised processes with tool reliability and reputation
- ergonomics and intuitiveness thanks to ease of use and responsive design,
- versatile tool designed exclusively for ESNs and consultancies.
🤔 Disadvantage:
- the interface is less modern compared to other ERPs.
BoondManager
Everwin GX: flexible ERP customisation
Everwin GX has developed software tailored to the needs of SSIIs, ESNs, engineering companies and advertising and communications consultancies, for whom management software is particularly recommended.
The software enables small and medium-sized businesses in particular to structure their business management with a high degree of parameterisation flexibility .
🛠 Some features :
- business and budget management,
- project management and planning,
- document management
- accounting,
- reports and decision queries.
✅ Benefits :
- permanent visibility over the entire customer portfolio (internal resources, deadlines, and profitability of the deal, etc.),
- complete tracking of a project, from file creation to final invoicing,
- numerous customisation options.
🤔 Disadvantage:
- Requires you to have the technical skills for in-house development and maintenance, or to use a service provider.
Fitnet Manager: the specialist ERP for consultancy firms
Fitnet Manager is an intuitive, easy-to-useFrench ERP solution that supports service and consultancy companies in managing their administrative processes.
A true all-in-one tool, the software covers all project, business and training management processes via collaborative and customisableautomation functionalities .
🛠 Some features :
- comprehensive, intuitive HR management: time management, expense reports, leave, overtime and payroll,
- collaborative planning and project management: customisable Gantt charts, real-time planning of employee schedules, resource management, etc,
- invoicing management using automated tools: automatic editing and prioritisation of invoices according to status, monitoring of payments and reminders, deadline planning, etc,
- efficient purchasing management: automatic planning of recurring purchases, supplier portfolio and contract management, personalised purchase orders, etc.
✅ Advantages :
- its ISO 27001 certification and over 10 years' expertise, giving you the benefit of a secure ERP that is an expert in its field,
- all-in-one solution that gives you centralised, 360° control over your entire business,
- access to your information even via your smartphone using an application,
- unlimited, responsive support.
🤔 Disadvantage:
- ERP is specifically designed for service companies (consultancies, ESNs, design offices, architects, etc.), which makes it unsuitable for other sectors.
Fitnet Manager
Karanext: the ERP, CRM and HR suite for service companies
Karanext is a complete, intuitive and easy-to-useERP, CRM and HR suite in SaaS mode , designed for SMEs looking to improve their performance and manage their business.
Particularly well-suited to service companies, it's a truly all-in-one tool, modular and scalable , that digitises all the processes involved in your business. volutive tool that digitises all your company's processes and gives you a 360° view of your business, using advanced, customisable automation functions .
🛠 Some features:
- An all-in-one solution with customisable, centralised functions to manage all aspects of your business:
- an ERP module: back office management, automatic generation of contracts, automation and dematerialisation of accounting entries, etc,
- an HR module: employee portal, intranet, leave and timesheet management, recruitment, etc,
- a CRM module: customer and partner management, database classification using personalised criteria, etc.
- Reporting tools that enable you to make informed decisions, based on figures that are updated in real time:
- overheads reporting
- reporting by customer
- reporting by supplier, etc.
✅ Advantages :
- its all-in-one side, enabling you to manage your entire business in a centralised and personalised way,
- its many functions for automating low value-added tasks to save you time,
- RGPD certification, with data hosted in France for complete security,
- its ease of use, ergonomic interface and fluid operation.
🤔 Disadvantage:
- the solution is aimed at SMEs with a price tag that can be high for smaller structures, so beware of small budgets.
Odoo: a complete, modular ERP solution
Odoo is an all-in-one solution designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. With 45 modules divided into 8 categories, Odoo is one of the most comprehensive ERPs on the market.
Every business is different, which is why the solution adapts to the specific features and needs of each one. So Odoo can be used by sole traders and SME managers alike!
🛠 Some functionalities :
- Finance: accounting management, invoicing, expense reports, etc.
- Marketing: includes email and SMS marketing, events, marketing automation, etc.
- HR : employee and expense management, centralises all human resources information, etc.
- Website: creation of an ecommerce website, with the option of integrating a blog, forum, online chat, etc.
- And many more categories to discover.
Please note: these categories may or may not be selected individually.
✅ Advantages :
- a tailor-made tool thanks to a customisable interface that really meets your needs,
- the level of automation offered by the tool saves you a considerable amount of time and helps you avoid numerous errors,
- Collaboration between the various contributors is facilitated through the platform,
🤔 Disadvantage:
- Support is only available in English, which may scare off the most novice users or those who need support in French.
Odoo
OpenConcerto: free business management software
OpenConcerto is free business management software, or almost free. It is free open source software that offers all the possibilities of a modern ERP and connects easily to other tools.
There are many ways of automating repetitive actions and tasks.
🛠 Some features :
- commercial management,
- customer relations
- payroll
- accounting,
- business and project management.
✅ Advantages :
- it's open source, so you can adapt it to your specific business needs,
- there's a module for creating your own extensions,
- free updates.
🤔 Disadvantages:
- requires you to have the technical skills for in-house development and maintenance, or to use a service provider.
OpenConcerto
Pythagore: for intellectual service providers
Pythagore is a business management tool designed specifically for engineering companies, design offices and consultancies, to enable them to manage their entire business efficiently in a single tool.
Backed by 20 years' experience in the sector, this comprehensive ERP offers numerous modules for strategic and operational management, and regularly evolves in line with its customers' needs.
🛠 Features include :
- preparation of estimates and provisional budgets for projects, and monitoring of workload plans,
- project planning (estimates and contracts, invoicing, subcontracting),
- issuing invoices (price revisions, amendments, co-contracting, Chorus Pro compatible) and customer reminders,
- monitoring of time spent on projects, profitability analysis with statistical sorting, planned/actual comparisons,
- HR tool (expense claims, leave, employment contracts, monitoring of salary changes).
✅ Advantages :
- accessible and suitable for all sizes of company (from VSEs to large groups),
- offers several methods for valuing studies in progress that cannot yet be invoiced (IFRS-compliant),
- tailored to a core business, with numerous enhancements based on user suggestions.
🤔 Disadvantage :
- no general accounting module (but it does interface with the main software packages on the market).
Stafiz: the complete management and staffing solution
Stafiz is an ERP for service companies operating in project mode (consultancies, ESNs, agencies, software publishers, integrators, etc.).
"All-in-one" and modular at the same time, the tool covers all the needs of these companies, from pre-sales through to invoicing, with the main strengths being complete digitalisation of the staffing process and visibility of performance to improve project management.
🛠 Some features :
- staffing : skills mapping, candidate management, search and assignment of profiles according to requirements, workload management, etc,
- project management: monitoring of costs, margins and progress (Gantt, alerts), analysis of deviations, monitoring of employee tasks, etc,
- CRM: tracking opportunities, creating quotes, forecasting workloads, centralising data, etc,
- reporting and analytics : analysis of past performance, forecast management, load rate reports, Power BI connector, etc,
- Invoicing, leave and expense management: automated invoicing, reminders, filling in of expense claims (with mobile application and OCR), validation circuits, etc.
✅ Advantages :
- its powerful staffing functions, integrated with resource planning and project management, make it a powerful integrated management tool,
- Greater collaboration, accountability and communication, both internally and with external service providers,
- greater visibility of all your costs and operations, thanks to the monitoring of steering indicators updated in real time,
- the software's high degree of automation, enabling teams to save 20% time on their daily tasks.
🤔 Disadvantage:
- Pre-accounting management but no full accounting module. Data must be transferred via API to the accounting software.
Stafiz
VSActivity: a powerful, adaptable, multi-entity ERP solution
Aimed at ESNs, consultancies, engineering companies and software publishers, VSActivity is a comprehensive, scalable ERP perfectly adapted to the specific problems of these sectors.
With its extensive functional coverage, VSActivity has been developed to optimise the execution of your internal processes, from steering your activities to sales operations, via HR and financial management. The result: you work more efficiently, while keeping a tight rein on your costs and profitability.
🛠 Some of the functionalities :
- employee time tracking: simplified entry of activity reports and absences, management of mission orders and tracking, automation of validation workflows, etc...,
- invoicing: simplified invoice preparation, automated invoicing flows (including reminders), factoring, reporting, etc,
- CRM and prospecting: management and tracking of sales opportunities, receipt of customer orders, history of your sales cycles, etc,
- financial management: generation of financial reports with up-to-date data (operating results, PCA/FAE, etc.) and real-time budget monitoring,
- HR management: recruitment, personnel management, preparation of payroll, freelance administration, etc.
✅ Advantages :
- its ability to adapt to your specific features, management rules and processes, but also to handle all your entities centrally,
- the scalability of the solution (the publisher uses user feedback to enhance the software),
- the possibility of setting up a company portal dedicated to employees, incorporating tools such as announcements, alerts, task management and absence and request tracking,
- an easy-to-use platform for all the company's business lines.
🤔 Disadvantage:
- No integrated payroll software, but a connection with standard payroll solutions on the market.
VSActivity (vsa)
Business management software, the driving force behind your competitiveness
By choosing ERP software, you can address all your business management concerns on a project-by-project basis.
The added value of this system is tried and tested: the range of modules responds to the rigour of data processing by exploiting unique, and therefore reliable, data. What's more, you save a considerable amount of time! 🔥
The most successful service companies have clearly understood the challenges of competitiveness and are now exploiting the full potential of their business management software to develop their business on a long-term basis.
Article translated from French