Assistance Software
Comprehensive Professional Services Automation

Today, information workers need to stay at the front end of their application landscape, to move quickly from an email to an opportunity to a project, and onward to resource planning, invoicing and financials. “A unified user interface bridges the void between front and backend of a CRM solution and facilitates seamless business processes,” says Martijn van der Hoeden, Founder and CEO of Assistance Software. With a vision to enable project managers to multi-task in the front end of their application landscape, Naarden, The Netherlands-based Assistance Software leverages Microsoft Dynamics365 to develop and deliver unified and professional service automation solutions. “Microsoft has broken down the walls between their products such as the Dynamics CRM, revamping and renaming it as Dynamics 365 to include Sales Automation, and capabilities like Services Automation and Marketing Automation,” points out Martijn.

One of the first ISVs to have built a full Professional Services Automation (PSA) solution on Dynamic CRM, Assistance Software offers “funnel to cash solution” for the professional services industry. Martijn emphasizes, “The people we focus on are project managers who are really information workers and not book-keepers.”

Assistance Software caters to professional service organizations with a dedicated PSA Suite—that is “embedded in Microsoft Dynamics365”. Assistance PSA Suite is an end-to-end solution designed to augment operations and provide greater insights into the major key performance indicators within an enterprise. The PSA Suite is an “all-in-one solution” that provides full capabilities for project management, project planning, resource management, time and expenses and project accounting revenue recognition. Equipped with a user-friendly dashboard, the PSA solution allows enterprises to access real-time information about the utilization, productivity, efficiency, and billable rates of their resources. “Our clients can push an opportunity in CRM directly into a project in PSA where they can start estimating the number of hours and resources they need for a project,” informs Martijn.

Our clients can push an opportunity in CRM directly into a project in PSA and estimate the man-hours and budget required for it

Additionally, the firm has designed a Fast Track implementation methodology to enable small businesses to activate the PSA Suite. With the Fast Track Implementation methodology, it takes a few steps to prepare a blueprint, set up projects, start time and expense entry, invoicing, and connect financials. “For enterprise businesses, we have activation trail methodology, a potent combination of onsite consultancy, and online training sessions and workshops,” explains Martijn. In one instance, Assistance Software implemented the PSA Suite for RSM US—a global network of audit, tax, and consulting firms. The firm has successfully implemented the PSA Suite for the client's consultancy practice and is preparing to reiterate the deployment for their tax and audit practice. The flexibility offered by a unified solution allowed the client to have a unified view of all components—the resources, utilization of those resources, and the time spent on engagements and the opportunities—to augment their productivity and utilization by one to five percent.

“By delivering a singular solution with specific functionality built into it for diverse industries, Assistance Software is changing the way people work on an ERP or CRM solution. The firm’s current focus is on leveraging the common data model and creating self-driven applications. “Self-driven applications like our PSA Suite—with an artificial intelligence layer—are the key to optimize resources and enhance productivity levels,” affirms Martijn.