5 Ways Center Gives Professional Services Businesses an Edge
Professional services businesses succeed because of their reputations. It’s true across industries. Professional services businesses like legal, accounting, consulting, financial services, advertising and marketing, real estate, and more all depend on their reputations to build trust with their clients.
Companies with the best relationships show their customers they’re adaptable, tapping into new tools and tech to stay in tune with emerging needs and trends. The Center team analyzed the top trends affecting professional services businesses, and how Center can help them stay ahead and stand out. Here’s what we’re seeing.
1. Work smarter with automation and AI
Businesses in nearly every industry need to harness the power of automation and artificial intelligence to minimize time spent on manual, repetitive tasks. Working smarter means teams have more time for high-value work, including deeper data analysis that can unlock valuable new insights and more-efficient workflows.
Center is a trusted expert in using technology to streamline processes. We save teams time so they can move away from manual tasks, which helps firms get quick wins by containing costs and simplifying the month-end process.
“With Center, we quickly saw the improvement and contrast between our former setup. Within days of implementation, folks were already commenting on how easy it was to use. It’s nice to have a program appreciated by everyone across the bank for the difference it makes. I love an immediate result that just makes you feel like you did the right thing.” —Sean Buckley, VP/Controller, Webster Five Cents Savings Bank
2. Real-time data and analysis
The one constant in business is change. The economy is dynamic and challenging across industries. Smart firms stay ahead of the economic headwinds with timely data and insights. With real-time information at hand, businesses can contain costs, hit budgets and identify ways to optimize their course.
We know the challenges better than anybody. Center’s role is to help forward-looking teams have all the right tools and information they need to take action. Our customers value being able to pull accurate, up-to-date reports any time they need them, as well as real-time visibility into all expenses as they happen.
3. Scaling up in a hybrid/remote work environment
Many of the professional services businesses we work with have multiple office locations, or hybrid/remote work environments. Team members are increasingly working from anywhere, which means firms face new challenges with staffing and collaborative tools.
For firms that are scaling or managing complex environments, technology needs to be intuitive and truly collaborative. CenterCards are easy to use and administer for any team members incurring business expenses, including contractors and freelancers. Center’s self-service portal gets distributed teams up to speed quickly, and integrated workflows and notifications keep teams on the same page about budgets. In addition, our built-in policy rules and cost codes are easy to customize so firms can track expenses by location and project.
“As a multi-entity company with 23 locations across the United States, it was essential to find a solution that could show us where most of our costs are happening. My favorite feature with Center is the insights reporting—I can visibly see where our spend is being used.” —Taylor Mercer, Senior Accountant, PGM of Texas
4. Focus on finding value
There’s always a way to find more value. Professional services firms continue to move toward focusing on ROI as they embrace new revenue models that don’t simply charge an hourly rate to clients for services. Keeping an eye on the bottom line is always important, and insights into expenses are a must.
Center delivers exceptional value to our customers as a result of our unique business model, which eliminates card and software fees for good. There’s zero upfront investment—no deployment costs, integration fees, or ongoing card or licensing fees.
“With Center, we didn’t check off one box; we checked off half a dozen. Now, cash flow is better, and employees are less frustrated. And, it’s easy for staff out in the field to use.” —Albert Cuisinot, CFO, Environmental Sciences Associates
5. Attract top talent
Employees expect technology to simply work. Many workers have grown accustomed to simple, intuitive platforms in their day-to-day lives; why should the technology at work be any different? They’re not willing to tolerate clunky tools and outdated technology. Legacy software negatively affects team engagement, retention and recruitment as firms compete in the talent marketplace.
Center’s user-friendly mobile app and web portal deliver what workers expect: technology that works as promised. Travelers and finance teams alike love Center’s user-friendly mobile app and web portal. And automating time-consuming manual tasks is a great way to guard against employee burnout and turnover while boosting productivity.
Ready to learn more?
Your business needs a modern expense management solution that’s configured to your unique requirements. We partner with your business to deliver a seamless rollout with quick wins. Center keeps your time investment to a minimum, with no out-of-pocket costs.
Read more about Center’s best-in-class customer rating and recent accolades for usability and user satisfaction on G2. And if you’d like to find out more about how modern spend management tools can empower your team to do more, schedule a personalized demo today.