Integrated business management software serves organizations of all sizes and segments. From micro-businesses to multinationals, everyone can take advantage of the many benefits and facilities of ERP for services.
This software is adaptable and can therefore exactly meet the needs of your business. It helps the manager manage finances, manage people, monitor purchase and sales orders and much more.
Do you know the best ERP for services? How will this system benefit your company?
If you are an entrepreneur or manager of a service provider company, whether consulting, maintenance, transportation, civil construction, etc., come and learn everything about the service delivery system!
What is a services ERP?
A services ERP is a type of integrated management system that responds to the specific needs of companies that provide services to their clients.
In case you have forgotten, ERP stands for “Enterprise Resource Planning.” This system helps the commercial manager optimize internal processes and integrate the activities of different departments, such as finance, inventory, sales and human resources.
Therefore, using this system is a way to serve these businesses, which have their own characteristics, such as managing projects, contracts, teams, resources and orders.
An ERP for service companies, therefore, allows them to control all these aspects on a single platform, which facilitates access to information, decision making and optimization of results.
What are the benefits of a services ERP?
Having an ERP for service companies means optimizing the action fronts of this type of business. It covers the leadership of the organization, the employees, the methods used for work and the relationship with the consumer.
This means that it manages to provide precision in the pricing of budgets and complete control of the most profitable resources and contracts.
Likewise, manage assigned teams with integration between payroll and operation control systems.
And, of course, it is a solution focused on the profitability of your contracts, and allows complete management of deadlines and expirations.
See below some benefits that ERP for service companies brings to your business:
Process automation
Forget about your processes that were previously done manually or with spreadsheets!
ERP for service providers takes on bureaucratic and repetitive tasks and therefore reduces errors and rework.
You can, for example, issue invoices and receipts in a few clicks, without having to go to the city hall or bank websites.
Optimization of time and productivity
With process automation, you gain more time to dedicate to the strategic activities of your business. But this is only the first point.
The manager can also monitor the performance of his team and outsourced employees through the online system.
Do you know how many hours they produce, invoice and dedicate to rework? By looking at the software, you will be able to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement in your team management.
Flow monitoring and demand forecasting
An ERP for service providers allows managers to monitor the flows of their projects and contracts in real time.
You can quickly see all the statuses of contracted services in one place and find out which ones are in progress, due or completed. This makes it easier to plan your deliveries and forecast future demand.
Automatic updates
Another benefit of an ERP for service providers is that it stays up to date with changes in tax and fiscal legislation in their segment. This prevents you from getting into trouble with the tax authorities or paying improper taxes.
It is also worth mentioning automatic software updates that aim to improve it and/or address new security measures.
Personalization
Finally, another relevant advantage is the customization of the software. In other words, it is the possibility of adapting the system to the needs and particularities of each company.
The administrator can choose the modules to use, enable the functions they want, define the configuration and even create new solutions within the ERP.
Thus, you will have a system that precisely addresses your processes and demands, without wasting resources or time on functionalities that are not useful for your business.
Now that you know more about one of the most important types of ERP, how about you better understand its features?
The main functionalities of an ERP for service providers
The best ERP services is one that has functionalities appropriate to your business.
In any case, it must offer resources that facilitate the management of the company’s projects, contracts, equipment, resources and administrative and financial processes.
To check:
Team management
One of the most important features of an ERP for service companies is team management. With it, the manager can:
- generate management reports;
- track hours worked and billed;
- consult the availability and capacity of each professional;
- control the assignment of your employees to projects and contracts;
- evaluate team performance and productivity (individually and collectively).
Team management allows you to optimize the use of your human resources, which prevents idleness or overload and increases the satisfaction and motivation of your employees.
Contract management
Contract management is an essential feature in the service delivery system.
This is because it automates the recording of all contract data with clients, such as amounts, terms, scope, payment and renewal terms.
In addition, you will be able to monitor the progress of contracted services, issue invoices and receipts, control receipts and generate profitability indicators.
This management also allows you to have a complete view of your commitments to clients and helps you monitor calls and tasks.
Resource management
The resource management functionality allows the manager to control the material and financial resources used in their projects and contracts, such as equipment, materials, travel expenses and reimbursement.
Helps plan the resources needed for each service, including checking the availability and cost of each and generating cost-benefit reports.
Based on this functionality, the services ERP optimizes the use of its resources to avoid waste or shortages that could compromise the deadline or the quality of services.
Automation of administrative/financial processes
With ERP for service providers, you can automate your company’s administrative and financial processes, such as:
- Cash flow;
- Bank reconciliation;
- Accounts payable and receivable;
- Administrative agenda for the control of activities and obligations;
- General and segmented financial management reports to support decision making.
With optimized financial management, it becomes easier to have a long-term and sustainable business. And this also depends on compliance with certain bureaucracies, such as the issuance of invoices.
Invoice issuance
An indispensable feature of a service system is the issuance of electronic invoices. With it you will be able to issue your invoices quickly and easily, without having to access the city council websites or fill out forms manually.
Additionally, you can integrate your invoices with your sales orders, contracts, invoices, and accounting.
Issuing invoices allows you to comply with your fiscal and tax obligations, avoid fines and tax evasion and have more security and agility in your billing.
Purchasing and stock management
Good purchasing and inventory management is important for the sustainability of the service company.
To do this you need to control the purchase of materials and supplies for your services, record orders, supplies, suppliers and prices.
The service delivery system has this functionality and even helps with eventual merchandise inventory control, which avoids shortages or excesses and higher operating costs.
Tax obligations
A valuable feature of the service delivery system is tax obligations.
Additionally, it is possible to calculate and collect taxes owed by your tax regime. It is the best way to keep your company up to date with the Treasury, avoid sanctions and fines.
Business Intelligence
Finally, Business Intelligence (BI) It is a feature with which the manager can extract and visualize strategic information from the ERP through graphs, tables, dashboards and personalized reports.
It is also possible to apply data analysis techniques, such as mining, modeling and statistics, to obtain insights and trends about your business.
It is, therefore, a feature that helps managers have a broad and deep view of their performance and make smarter and more informed decisions.
How to choose the best ERP for services?
To choose the best ERP for services, you must first understand the specific profile and challenges of your business.
There are several options on the market and not all of them can meet your expectations and needs, right?
Therefore, when choosing your ERP, you should take into account some important criteria, such as:
- The profitability of the investment in the system;
- The reputation and experience of the ERP provider;
- The support and updating offered by the ERP provider;
- Ease of use and integration of the software with other tools;
- The adherence of the system to the processes and particularities of your company;
- The flexibility and scalability of the program to keep up with the growth of your business.
With that in mind, conduct market research, compare available options, ask for demos and testimonials from other customers, and test the system before hiring it.
A good option is the largest technology company in Brazil: TOTVS!
TOTVS technologies for service providers
If you are looking for a complete, reliable, flexible and customized ERP service for your segment, you should know TOTVS solutions for service providers.
With more than 2,000 clients, we have specific modules that cover the services segment, which include HR, fixed assets (leased) and the entire backoffice.
It is worth mentioning that the ERP can be contracted in an on-premise and on-cloud model.
It is a complete solution for companies that provide general services, such as consulting, maintenance, cleaning, security, leasing, transportation, technical assistance, telecommunications and much more.
With ERPs for TOTVS services, you will be able to manage your activities in an integrated and efficient way, from planning to execution and billing.
Learn now about all TOTVS solutions for service providers!
Conclusion
In this article you learned what a services ERP is, what its advantages and characteristics are and how to choose the best system for your business.
This software can make a difference in the management of your company. With it you can automate and integrate your company’s processes, optimize your team’s time and productivity, monitor the flows and results of your projects and contracts, and much more!
If you want to take your services business to another level of management, don’t waste time and invest in a services ERP.
And if you want to have the best technology on the market, choose TOTVS solutions for service providers. They are complete, reliable, flexible and customized for your segment!
