In a nutshell…
- Project Management
- Reporting & Analytics
Whitney Consulting wished to streamline their projects to ease the workload of their principal consultant, maintain workflow consistency across all jobs and access key business insights. Squirrel Business Solutions designed a CRM encompassing Whitney Consulting’s entire job process, incorporating software integrations to automate client intake and invoicing, sync calendar and file storage and generate business analytics.
“I was worried about forgetting to send an invoice, and I also needed to get business analytics and data on how much it was costing us to do each of our jobs…I didn’t have that oversight” – Tara Whitney, Principal Consultant and Business Owner
Whitney Consulting
Whitney Consulting is a Perth based business assisting clients to secure grants by providing business case development and grant writing services. Their experienced team has a keen focus on regional community projects, and counts stWhitney Consulting is a Perth based business assisting clients to secure grants by providing business case development and grant writing services. Their experienced team has a keen focus on regional community projects, and counts state government agencies, not-for-profit organisations, small businesses and start-up enterprises as clients.ate government agencies, not-for-profit organisations, small businesses and start-up enterprises as clients.
The brief
Whitney Consulting needed a CRM system to integrate all aspects of their work process. They were using an application to track some tasks but were experiencing the hassle of a fragmented workflow, almost forgetting to complete important tasks like invoicing, and had no access to analytic job data. They needed a system which could incorporate all aspects of their workflow, automate and ensure all tasks were completed as efficiently as possible, and provide key insights for business growth.
The solution
- Google Workspace
- Mailchimp
- Xero
- Zoho Analytics
- Zoho CRM
- Zoho Forms
- Zoho One
- Zoho Projects
- Zoho Writer
- Zoom
The Squirrel team implemented Zoho CRM with a Zoho Projects integration as a central home for Whitney Consulting’s work, to automate and encompass their entire job process. In addition, Zoho Analytics was set up to provide business data insights via reports and dashboards.
Squirrel also identified where further programs and integrations were needed and implemented two-way integrations between Zoho and Xero, Zoho and GSuite, to solve specific challenges Whitney Consulting faced.
Zoho CRM with two-way integrations for Zoho Projects and GSuite
The Zoho CRM and Zoho Projects implemented by Squirrel streamlined and optimised Whitney Consulting’s work and jobs process in a number of ways, including:
- Automated sales pipeline management – two online start-up forms specially designed by Squirrel in Zoho Forms are automatically emailed to new clients on intake, and on submission the client data is automatically pushed back into the CRM and corresponding contact and job records are updated. Marketing and lead emails are automatically sent to relevant clients via a Mailchimp integration.
- Automatic workflow and task creation – for each lead converted in Zoho CRM all data is synced to Zoho Projects and used to generate a job workflow including automated checklists, email and PDF templates of relevant documents, task reminders and due dates assigned to appropriate team members.
- GSuite integration – Relevant drafts and client documents are stored within Google Drive in customer specific folders and accessible via Zoho. Google Calendar, Gmail, and Zoom are integrated within Zoho, allowing seamless communication and helping the team to schedule in line with workflow timelines.
- Creation of accurate business data – based on data pushed from Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, and other integrated programs, Zoho Analytics automatically calculates and provides reports regarding job profitability, resource allocation, and time use.
Zoho CRM to Xero integration two-way integration
Squirrel implemented a two-way integration between Zoho and Xero, ensuring invoices and timesheets were automatically sent.
- Zoho to Xero – after an invoice is created in Zoho CRM, it is pushed automatically to Xero for approval.
- Contact identification or creation – pushed invoices are automatically allocated to corresponding contacts in Xero. If a contact is not found, a new contact is automatically created in Xero for the invoice.
- Xero to Zoho – after an invoice is assigned and approved in Xero, it is emailed to the client. Invoice status is updated in the CRM based on corresponding actions in Xero when invoices are sent and subsequently paid.
The benefits
- Optimal process consistency as a result of an automated and centralised workflow including template automation, task allocation and checklist creation.
- Elimination of human error due to high level of automation and syncing across external software integrations, ensuring important tasks, such as invoicing, are not forgotten.
- Generation of key business insights and analytics providing insight into resource allocation, budgeting, and job profitability, aiding in forecasting and business growth.
Now the whole big picture integrates in the CRM and I’ve been able to see what our profit is on each job…It’s helping me to see which jobs end up being worth my staff allocating extra time which I couldn’t see before
Tara Whitney
Principal Consultant and Business Owner
Whitney Consulting
Ask Squirrel
Could your business benefit from a similar solution? We’d be happy to help you find one. Book a free consult today.
Squirrel Business Solutions implements and integrates CRM and other cloud-based systems, and provides training and support, for small and medium-sized businesses all over Australia, including Melbourne, Bendigo, regional Victoria, Tasmania, Sydney and Brisbane. This empowers them to automate their processes and improve their efficiency.
Squirrel Business Solution’s founder, Kylie Harker, is a Melbourne based consultant who assists business owners find and implement the best fit CRM and other systems for their business. Squirrel focus on four core principles: integrating your systems, streamlining your processes, enhancing your customer experience, and unlocking the value of your data.