RSMUS.comResearch suggests that professional services firms are struggling with digital transformation. Only 12% of firms have completed their transformation, and the majority (57%) haven’t even started. The reasons why are interesting and important. For the purposes of this blog, however, we want to propose a solution.
Why aren’t companies getting on board with digital transformation?
It starts by simplifying the core concept. When we frame digital transformation as dozens of advanced technologies working in complicated coordination, it sounds overwhelming. But in professional services (and many other industries for that matter), the digital transformation formula is much simpler than it seems.
It boils down to this: one system handles service delivery and another handles business management that work in sync with each other. With just those two pieces in place, professional services firms have an interconnected digital foundation to handle almost everything they do, which is the ultimate goal of digital transformation.
Valuable as knowing the formula may be, the desired outcome rests on putting the right software components in place. They must be robust in their own right. Equally important, they must be able to communicate and collaborate with each other in ways that are extensive yet resilient. Very few solutions check all those boxes – with the exciting exception of one pairing in particular.
Sage Intacct + Kantata
Sage Intacct is a cloud-based accounting and financial management solution with tools for everything from accounts payable and receivable to billing, general ledger, and much more. Equal parts intuitive, innovative, and powerful, Sage Intacct makes financial management more efficient than before thanks to integration and automation, yet also more insightful thanks to accessible reporting and analytics capabilities.
Kantata offers purpose-built software for professional services through the cloud, including solutions to manage resources, finances, and projects along with tools for business intelligence, team collaboration, and workflow automation. The deep and customizable offerings in the Kantata Cloud for Professional Services make every single client engagement more effective.
As of 2022, these two solutions natively integrate with one another thanks to a collaborative agreement between the developers. In practice, that means real-time project data moves automatically from Kantata into Sage Intacct, and payment and purchase data moves in the other direction. Transferring this data automatically saves time and prevents errors compared to moving data between systems manually. The integration is maintained by Kantata so no costly development work needs to be done. Most exciting of all: that’s the least of the advantages.
When Professional Services Works in Sync
The real benefit of having two best-of-breed systems like Sage Intacct and Kantata integrated together is that neither system ever faces an information deficit. Instead, both have the accurate, updated, comprehensive data they need to make the most of the powerful tools within each solution.
For example, when project data flows effortlessly into Sage Intacct, firms can use the intuitive analytics tools we mentioned above to develop accurate revenue forecasts. Similarly, when service providers can reference updated financials, they can improve engagement with clients. These are just a few of the many ways in which moving data more freely through a firm solves long-standing problems and unlocks new business opportunities. The integration can also be customized to your liking and is quite flexible. Whether you would like to invoice in Kantata and send invoices to Sage Intacct or send timesheet entries to Sage Intacct and invoice there, the possibilities are infinite.
Sage Intacct and Kantata also both have native integrations with Salesforce so you can quickly turn marketing leads into billable projects on your Gant chart and start invoicing immediately. Prebuilt integrations help create internal controls so you can keep your sales team in Salesforce, project managers and resources in Kantata and accounting staff in Sage Intacct.
That Most Important Choice of All
When a professional services firm stands on two legs of technology, it’s vital to have the right implementation partner putting those systems in place. RSM’s Sage Intacct team has successfully implemented Sage Intacct for over 500 clients. Our Kantata team can help get Kantata set up and integrated with Sage Intacct. Then our business consultants, including experts in both accounting and professional services, can provide a knowledge transfer to our clients on how to leverage best practices for maximum advantage.
Take a closer look at what Sage Intacct and Kantata can do together. Contact RSM for a demo, or learn more about our Sage Intacct and Professional Services Automation practices.
