Consulting setup programme

From lead to retainer in one system.

We build your consultancy a Zoho system that carries enquiry, proposal, project and billing, with no breaks between pipeline and invoice.

  • Leads and proposals in one pipeline, not your inbox
  • Every consultant hour billed end to end
  • Utilisation, forecast and retainers at a glance
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Transformations

What we changed for real businesses.

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Case study·Germany

Consulting

A German management consultancy wanted to run on a fully integrated Zoho One platform from day one.

Pain
  • Multiple logins for every app in the daily workflow
  • Project billing required manual Excel mapping
  • DATEV handover ran on email attachments and follow-ups
  • Historical projects sat unlinked outside the CRM
Gain
  • One password unlocks the whole Zoho One ecosystem
  • Timelogs in Projects flow automatically into invoices in Books
  • Receipts move via auto-BCC to the tax advisor with no detour
  • Excel timelog mapping imports the legacy project history into CRM
Project Duration ~7 months
Built with
Zoho OneMicrosoft AzureZoho CRMZoho ProjectsZoho BooksDATEV
Case study·Germany

Coaching

A German business-coaching provider running multiple programs, multiple sites and Meta ads needed a complete lead-to-coaching machine.

Pain
  • Leads from Meta, multiple sites and WhatsApp landed in separate inboxes
  • Quotes were assembled manually per program
  • Coaching completions stayed scattered in email threads with no file
  • Forgotten follow-ups left pipelines cold
Gain
  • One lead pool across all channels with clear source tracking
  • Dynamic quotes at the push of a button, program- and client-specific
  • Coaching-complete automatically files the Workdrive folder
  • Reminder and follow-up sequences keep every lead warm
Project Duration ~13 months
Built with
Zoho CRMMetaWhatsAppZoho ProjectsZoho BooksZoho Writer
The problem

Fully booked and still flying blind?

At consultancies the process usually breaks between proposal, project and billing. The workload isn't the problem, it's that everything runs by hand and across too many channels.

  • Leads & proposals ad hoc

    Enquiries and proposals live in inboxes, spreadsheets and people's heads. No one sees what's open or where to follow up.

  • Proposals take days

    Every proposal is reassembled from scratch out of boilerplate, references and rate cards instead of generated at the push of a button.

  • Time & billing leak

    Logged hours, fixed fees and expenses don't line up. Billable work slips through on every invoice.

The solution

One system for the entire consulting process

From enquiry to invoice, every engagement follows the same flow. Nothing gets lost between the pipeline and the invoice.

Management consultants in a strategy session at a glass wall covered with sticky notes and diagrams

Lead and proposal in one pipeline

Every enquiry lands in the CRM with a stage, follow-up date and value. You always see what's open and which proposal needs to go out next.

Lead captureProposal pipelineFollow-up reminders
A consultant presenting to a client across a table in a modern meeting room

Proposals at the push of a button

A document-merge generator with your boilerplate, references and day rates, a complete proposal in about an hour, not half a day.

Proposal generatorReusable blocksPDF in 1 click
A confident handshake closing a successful consulting engagement

Utilisation and billing in view

Project time flows straight into invoices and forecast. You see utilisation per consultant, outstanding fees and which retainer is up for renewal.

Time to invoiceUtilisation dashboardRetainer overview
Zoho · configured for consulting

Your Zoho apps, tailored to the consulting process.

No off-the-shelf CRM. We configure every app around your workflow: from lead and proposal through to billing and renewal.

Zoho CRM Search… + Add
Proposal2
STR
Strategie Reuter Maschinenbau
€ 28.500
UMS
Zoho-Rollout Brandt Logistik
€ 19.800
Negotiation1
STR
Prozessberatung Keller & Söhne
€ 34.000
Won1
UMS
Digitalprojekt Stadtwerke Velbert
€ 72.000
Zoho CRM

CRM · Engagement Pipeline

Every enquiry as a deal: strategy or delivery, proposal value, stage and next step.

  • Pipeline by engagement stage
  • Strategy & delivery split out
  • Proposals in hours, not days
Zoho Books Search… + New
InvoiceClientDateAmountStatus
RE-2025-031Reuter Maschinenbau12.05.2025€ 28.500 Paid
RE-2025-035Brandt Logistik19.05.2025€ 9.600 Open
AZ-2025-009Stadtwerke Velbert02.06.2025€ 36.000 Deposit
RE-2025-040Keller & Söhne05.06.2025€ 12.400 Draft
Zoho Books

Fees & Billing

Project invoices, day rates and deposits in one place, from fixed price to retainer.

  • Fixed price & day rate
  • Deposit & final invoice
  • Outstanding fees in view
WorkDrive · Sign Search… + Upload
Engagements›Reuter Maschinenbau›Documents
Consulting-Proposal.pdf 12.05 signed
Concept_Phase1.pdf 15.05 awaiting signature
Consultant-Contract.pdf 16.05 signed
Final-Report.docx — draft
WorkDrive · Sign

Documents & Contracts

Proposals, concepts and consultant contracts right on the engagement, including e-signature.

  • Everything filed on the engagement
  • E-signature built in
  • Versions & access
Zoho Projects Search… + Add
Analysis & current state Wk 1
Concept & roadmap Wk 2
Delivery & support Wk 3
Review & handover Wk 4
Zoho Projects

Project Phases

From analysis to handover: every phase scheduled and assigned to a consultant.

  • Scheduled project phases
  • Consultant assignment
  • Progress live
Program & workflow

How we roll out Zoho One in your consultancy

We think our way into your workflow and see ourselves as a long-term development partner. Here are the four phases.

  1. AnalysisWe review your workflow from enquiry through the project to the invoice and find your biggest time sinks.
  2. ConceptWe design your processes in Zoho One and plan the Zoho architecture (business process mapping).
  3. ImplementationSetup, configuration, the automations and migration of your client and project data.
  4. SupportTraining for your team, fine-tuning and ongoing support, so the system becomes a fixed part of your everyday work.
Plus AI

More speed with AI, without extra effort.

AI takes over repetitive manual work; decisions and customer contact stay with your team.

  • Every enquiry is sifted by hand. Some sit forgotten in the inbox.
    Lead qualification

    Enquiries arrive pre-sorted in the pipeline

    Incoming enquiries are read, scored for fit with Zoho Zia and routed to the right consultant. You immediately see which lead takes priority, without manual triage.

  • Every proposal is written by hand, every time from scratch.
    Proposal drafting

    Proposals draft themselves first

    From scope and day rates, the AI suggests a proposal draft in your consultancy's tone. Your team reviews, adjusts and signs off instead of starting every proposal from scratch.

  • Notes are written up by hand after every call.
    Call summarisation

    Discovery calls summarised in seconds

    Long call notes and email threads are condensed into key points and next steps and filed against the deal. Nothing gets lost between scoping and project start.

Contact

Ready to handle more engagements with the same team?

Let's find out in a free Zoho system review where your workflow holds the most potential. Non-binding, concrete and tailored to your consultancy. As an authorised Zoho partner we support you from setup to running operations.

● Free system review · no obligation

Open the Workflow Planner

We use your details only for the call. No spam.

Frequently asked

What you'll want to know before the call.

Can we run several client engagements at once without losing sight of each consultant's utilisation?

Yes. Each engagement runs as its own project, and logged time feeds a utilisation dashboard. You see per consultant who is tied up where and where capacity is still free.

What happens when a project rolls into an ongoing retainer, does billing start over from scratch?

No. The retainer is kept as a recurring agreement on the client; logged time runs against the agreed allowance, and you see in good time which retainer is up for renewal.

How long does rolling out Zoho One take?

Depending on scope, typically a few weeks to a few months. After our first meeting we give you a rough estimate, and after the requirements meeting a realistic estimate for your specific business.

What does Zoho One cost?

Zoho One costs €37 per employee per month on an annual plan, or €45 per employee with monthly billing. That includes all 50+ Zoho apps. We show you which option fits your business in the consultation, including a comparison with your current tools if you like.

Do we have to re-enter our existing data?

No. We migrate existing customer, quote and job data into Zoho One as part of the implementation, provided it can be exported from your current system.

Can Zoho One connect to our existing tools?

In most cases yes. Google and Microsoft connect easily for email, calendar and drive, as do many other common applications. Beyond that, almost any system can be integrated individually via the Zoho API.

Does Zoho One suit smaller businesses and mobile teams?

Yes. Zoho One works for sole traders as well as growing teams. Your team accesses records, tasks and documents on the go via the app, even when out of the office.

Where is our data stored?

On request in Zoho's EU data centres, GDPR-compliant. Your data stays within the European legal space, an important point for businesses with sensitive customer and project data.

How much time does the project cost us day-to-day?

As little as possible. Your team is only involved at a few clearly agreed points, such as analysing the workflow, providing information and training, so your day-to-day work keeps running.