Encoder Technologies

Professional Services

Internal platforms for firms whose product is billable time

Client records, time capture, approvals, invoicing and utilisation reporting for agencies and consultancies.

Problem

Timesheets filled in on Friday from memory, scope changes agreed verbally, and utilisation known a month too late.

Software

Fast time capture on desktop and mobile, versioned scopes with recorded approvals, and live utilisation reporting.

Result

Higher recorded billable time, out-of-scope work identified when it happens, and staffing corrected in the same week.

In a services firm the inventory is time, and it is the least reliably recorded asset in the business. Time captured days late is estimated time, and estimated time under-bills. The systems that work make capture almost costless at the moment the work happens.

We build these platforms around client, engagement and activity: who the work is for, what it belongs to, and what was done. Invoicing, utilisation and profitability then become views over that data instead of separate exercises.

The second half is approvals and documents — proposals, scopes, sign-offs, and the audit trail that resolves a disagreement about what was agreed six months earlier.

What breaks in professional services

  • Time recorded from memory

    Weekly timesheet catch-up systematically under-reports. Capture has to be available where the work is, in seconds.

  • Scope drift with no record

    Without versioned scopes and recorded approvals, out-of-scope work is discovered at invoicing, when it is hardest to charge for.

  • Utilisation known too late

    If utilisation is a month-end report, staffing corrections always happen a month after they were needed.

  • Client information scattered

    Contacts, contracts, deliverables and invoices spread across drives and inboxes make handover between staff expensive.

What we build

  1. 01

    Clients and engagements

    Client records, engagements or matters, contacts, contracts, rates and deliverable tracking.

  2. 02

    Time and expense

    Fast capture on desktop and mobile, approval flows, billable classification and expense handling.

  3. 03

    Billing

    Invoices generated from approved time and fixed-fee milestones, with credit notes and payment tracking.

  4. 04

    Reporting

    Utilisation, realisation, engagement profitability and pipeline visibility for the people staffing the work.

Other industries

FAQ

Professional Services — questions

Do we need custom rather than an off-the-shelf PSA tool?

Not always. If your engagement model matches a mainstream tool, buy it. Custom pays off when rate structures, approval rules or client reporting obligations make configuration a permanent workaround.

Can it integrate with our accounting software?

Yes. Invoices and payments can post to an existing accounting package through its API so finance keeps one set of books.

Have a product in mind?

Tell us what you're building, improving or automating. We'll help turn the idea into reliable software.