Client relationships
Connect client contacts and organisations to a practical opportunity pipeline.
For accountants, legal teams, advisors and consultants
CRM for professional services
Win engagements, agree scope and keep every client request answered, without chasing it across inboxes and spreadsheets.
Inquiry3Advisory engagementA$1,850 · JLBilling queryA$2,400 · JL
Discovery2Ongoing supportA$4,200 · SRAdvisory engagementA$640 · SR
Scope agreed1Client requestA$960 · AK
Proposal3Document requestA$7,300 · MP
- Free plan
- Up to 2 people
- Industry setup
- Professional, A$39
- Card to start
- Not needed
- Data stored in
- Sydney
Sound familiar?
Track clients, engagements, scope and important dates.
Scope gets lost between the call and the proposal
What the client asked for lives in someone’s notes, so the proposal misses it.
Retainers renew quietly
Nobody notices a retainer is up for renewal until the invoice bounces.
Client requests arrive everywhere
Document requests and billing questions come by phone, email and text.
How it works for professional services
A typical week with the Professional services setup. Every name below is exactly what you’ll see in the app.
Enquiries arrive with the right details
Records are named the way you talk: clients, organisations and engagements. Each new engagement has room for engagement start and scope summary. There are also fields for service interest and referral source on clients and billing model on organisations.Engagements move through your pipeline
- Inquiry
- Discovery
- Scope agreed
- Proposal
- Engaged
Quote it and win it
Build quotes from your price list with GST worked out, send them for acceptance and keep the accepted version on the engagement.Clients ask for help
- Client requestWork or information a current client has asked for.Normal
- Document requestA client needs a copy of, or changes to, a document.Low
- Billing queryQuestions about fees, invoices or payment.Low
Reply in a click
Ready-made replies come with it: “Request received” and “Work complete”. Each one fills in the person’s first name and can be edited before it’s sent.Follow-ups happen on their own
- Follow up with a new client. Create a next-day task linked to the new client.
- Qualify every new prospect. Create an immediate high-priority task linked to the new client enquiry and notify the team.
A worked example
From first contact to finished work
A referral becomes a Client with their referral source recorded. The engagement moves from Inquiry to Discovery, the agreed scope goes into Scope summary, and the proposal goes out as Proposal. Once Engaged, the retainer is tracked with its monthly value, included hours and renewal date. Later the client asks for a document; it arrives as a Document request with an owner and a “Request received” reply.
What the starting point sets up
Choose Professional services when you create your workspace, or apply it later from Customisation. Everything below is created for you and stays editable.
Engagement handoffs
Use suggested engagement records and ownership fields to keep the next step clear.
Review follow-up
Give the team shared views for work that needs a human review.
- Your records are called
- Clients, Organisations and Engagements
- Pipeline stages
- Inquiry → Discovery → Scope agreed → Proposal → Engaged
- Extra fields
- Service interest (client), Referral source (client), Billing model (organisation), Engagement start (engagement), Scope summary (engagement)
- Retainers register
- Monthly value, Included hours, Renewal date, Status
- Request types
- Client request, Document request, Billing query
- Ready-made replies
- Request received, Work complete
- Automations
- Follow up with a new client; Qualify every new prospect
Questions about NovaSoft One for professional services
Still unsure? Read every question or start free and look around.
Can we track retainers and included hours?
Yes. The starting point adds a Retainers record with monthly value, included hours, renewal date and status, linked to the client.
Does it handle time billing or trust accounts?
No. NovaSoft One tracks clients, engagements, quotes and requests. Use your practice or accounting system for time billing and trust accounting.
Can clients send requests through a portal?
Yes, on Starter and above. Client requests, document requests and billing queries can be raised from the customer portal, which shows only what you share.
Can I change what the professional services setup creates?
Yes. Stages, fields, record names, saved views and automations are a starting point. Rename, add or switch off anything in Customisation, and your records stay where they are.
Can I bring my existing customers across?
Yes. Import a spreadsheet of contacts, companies or leads in the Data Hub, map the columns, check the preview and commit. Possible duplicates are flagged before anything is created.
What does it cost?
Free for up to two people with the core CRM. Industry starting points come with Professional at A$39 per user per month, excluding GST, billed monthly with no lock-in.
Good to know
Use a suitable records system for confidential client material and formal engagement records. Industry starting points use NovaSoft One’s existing customer records, pipelines, tasks, saved views and custom records, and are included on Professional plans and above.
Read the guide
Practical advice for professional services, whichever CRM you use.
Try NovaSoft One for professional services.
Start free for up to two people today. Switch on the full industry setup with Professional whenever you’re ready.