Professional services businesses — marketing agencies, consultants, cleaning firms, maintenance companies, coaches, lawyers, notaries — all share one thing in common: their product is their time and their expertise. Every minute spent on admin work is a minute that doesn't generate revenue. And yet, many of these businesses still manage their clients with scattered tools.
The specific challenges of services
A services business has different needs than a product business. The sale is relational and built on trust. Sales cycles are long (sometimes 3-6 months). Billing is often recurring (monthly retainers). And post-sale follow-up is crucial for retention. A generic CRM doesn't understand these nuances.
A pipeline built for the services cycle
toncrm.io's Kanban pipeline for professional services follows the stages: prospecting, first contact, needs analysis, proposal, negotiation, signature, in progress, renewal. Each column shows the total value of potential mandates. You know exactly how much revenue is in your funnel.
Recurring GST/QST invoicing
For monthly mandates (retainers), toncrm.io generates and sends the invoices automatically every month with GST/QST calculated correctly. No need to recreate the invoice manually each month. Set it up once, and the system does the rest. Payment reminders are also automatic.
Managing proposals and contracts
You build your services proposal directly in toncrm.io with the mandate details, deliverables, timeline, and fees. When the client is ready, they sign by electronic signature. The signed proposal automatically turns into an active mandate in your pipeline.
Nurturing workflows for long sales cycles
When a prospect isn't ready yet, automated workflows keep the relationship warm: a relevant blog article each month, a quarterly check-in email, an annual industry report. When the prospect is finally ready, you're already top of mind.
Time tracking per mandate
For businesses that bill by the hour, toncrm.io offers time tracking per mandate. You start a timer when you work on a file, and the time is automatically linked to the client and the mandate. At the end of the month, the invoice is generated from the recorded time.
Client portal
Your clients want to see the progress of their projects, access their documents, and view their invoices. toncrm.io's client portal gives them access to all of that without you having to send manual updates. Fewer follow-up emails, more transparency.
What it changes day to day
Caroline, director of a Montreal marketing agency, reports that automated workflows freed up 6 hours a week. Follow-ups run on their own, proposals get signed online, and invoicing is automatic. At $179/month for the Pro plan, it's an investment that pays for itself in a week.
Discover toncrm.io's professional services plan and start your free 14-day trial.
