Services
CRM Solutions for Professional Services Firms
Strategic CRM Implementation Built Around How Your Firm Actually Works
We don't start with the software. We start with your strategy. That one decision — strategy before technology — is what separates a CRM your team actually uses from one that collects dust after go-live
Serving management consulting, executive search, recruiting, accounting, and aviation consulting firms — with a methodology built for how professional services firms actually operate.
Whether you're a management consulting firm, a recruiting or executive search practice, or an accounting and advisory firm - STE Tech Edge has a defined service path for where your business is right now. Whether you need a foundational sales pipeline, a full client lifecycle system, a self-service client portal, or a strategic assessment before you invest - every engagement begins with discovery and every solution is built around how your firm actually operates. Not how a software vendor thinks it should.
ALREADY KNOW YOUR SCORE?
If your checklist result shows you're
Implementation Ready — book a
strategy conversation directly.
STRATEGIC CRM IMPLEMENTATION
SERVICE 01
Salesforce or HubSpot —
we'll recommend the right fit for your firm
We implement CRM systems for management consulting, recruiting, accounting, and professional services firms, using a strategy-first approach that ensures the system is built correctly from day one and gets used long after go-live.
Our engagements begin where your internal preparation ends. Before configuration begins, your firm's business requirements and approved workflows need to be documented and signed off internally. We do not facilitate stakeholder alignment, conduct business process mapping workshops, or engage in change management activities. That work belongs to your team before our engagement begins.
What we bring to that foundation is strategic implementation expertise. We review your approved requirements end to end, identify gaps or ambiguities that would affect the build, and create a strategic implementation plan aligned to what your firm has defined and approved. Then we build.
This approach protects you as much as it protects us. Firms that enter an implementation without approved requirements, or change requirements mid-project face timeline extensions, budget overruns, and systems that never quite fit. We have structured our engagements specifically to prevent that outcome.
TIER 1
PIPELINE FOCUS
Platform: Salesforce Sales Cloud
Pipeline Focus
Best For:
Firms that need a powerful, streamlined sales pipeline without the complexity of service or delivery management. Ideal as a first CRM implementation for firms currently managing pipeline through spreadsheets, email, or disconnected tools.
What's Included:
-
Lead and opportunity pipeline management built around your actual sales stages
-
Email and calendar integration (Gmail or Outlook)
-
Custom dashboards and pipeline forecasting reports
-
Workflow automation and email templates that eliminate manual follow-up
-
Role-based knowledge transfer and documentation so your team can maintain the system independently
-
30 days post-launch support
Timeline: 10-14 Weeks
Every implementation includes a built-in contingency buffer for data complexity, integration configuration, and client review cycles. The 10-week floor assumes strong client availability, approved requirements documentation in place, and no significant data migration. The 14-week ceiling covers the majority of Tier 1 engagements with standard complexity. What can extend the timeline past 14 weeks: large contact or account data requiring migration, multiple user groups requiring separate training tracks, or integration requirements that surface during the requirements review phase. Any of these scenarios is addressed transparently in the scoping process before work begins.
TIER 2
FULL CLIENT LIFECYCLE
Platform: Salesforce Sales + Service Cloud
Full Client Lifecycle ⭐ Most Popular
Best For:
Firms managing the complete client journey, from initial lead through active engagement delivery, project tracking, and invoicing. The right choice when pipeline management alone is not enough and you need your CRM to support how work actually gets done after the deal closes.
What's Included:
-
Everything in Tier 1
-
Project and engagement tracking with resource allocation visibility
-
Case management and service workflows for consistent client delivery
-
QuickBooks integration for seamless invoicing and billing visibility
-
Billable hour recovery through automation of manual administrative tasks
-
Role-based knowledge transfer and documentation
-
30 days post-launch support
Timeline: 12-16 Weeks
Service workflow complexity and QuickBooks integration configuration are the primary variables that determine where an engagement lands within this range. The 12-week floor applies to firms with approved, clearly documented service workflows and clean existing data. The 16-week ceiling is the standard expectation for most Tier 2 engagements and should be the baseline used in client conversations. What can extend the timeline past 16 weeks: approved service workflows that are more complex than initially scoped, complex QuickBooks data structures, or large team sizes requiring extended training. Any complexity identified during the requirements review phase is addressed before configuration begins, not discovered mid-project.
TIER 3
ADVANCED SERVICE OPERATIONS
Platform: Salesforce Service Cloud — Advanced Configuration
Advanced Service Operations
Best For:
Professional services firms with high-volume, complex service operations, particularly where intelligent case routing, telephony integration, and omni-channel support are required to manage client service at scale. This tier is typically the right fit for firms that have outgrown Tier 2 or are building a service function that needs to handle significant volume without adding headcount proportionally.
What's Included:
-
Everything in Tier 2
-
Telephony integration (Amazon Connect, RingCentral, or equivalent platform)
-
Advanced case routing and escalation rules based on client tier, issue type, or team availability
-
Omni-channel support configuration (email, phone, chat, portal — unified)
-
SLA tracking and entitlements ensuring service commitments are met and visible
-
30 days post-launch support
Timeline: 16-20 Weeks
Telephony integration introduces third-party vendor dependencies that are the primary driver of timeline variability in this tier. Platform provisioning, API configuration, and testing across telephony and Salesforce environments add complexity that cannot always be compressed regardless of team availability. The 16-week floor assumes a single telephony platform with a clean integration path and fully approved technical requirements. The 20-week ceiling covers multi-system environments and complex routing logic. What can extend the timeline past 20 weeks: multiple telephony vendors, multi-site or multi-team routing complexity, or approved technical requirements that are more complex than initially scoped. These scenarios are identified in the requirements review phase and handled through a phased rollout plan agreed before configuration begins.
Hubspot
HUBSPOT CRM IMPLEMENTATION
Platform: HubSpot CRM
HubSpot for Professional Services Firms
Best For:
Professional services firms, including recruiting and executive search firms, and small businesses that want a client-focused CRM with integrated marketing automation and a more straightforward setup path than Salesforce. HubSpot is the right fit when simplicity, marketing automation, and team adoption are the primary requirements and Salesforce-level configuration complexity is not needed.
How we decide: During the requirements review and scoping process we assess your firm's size, workflow complexity, integration requirements, and growth trajectory. We recommend the platform that is genuinely the right fit, not the one with the higher implementation fee.
What's Included:
-
Client company and hiring manager or contact database built for professional services
-
Client company and hiring manager or contact database built for professional services
-
Opportunity or job order pipeline with custom stages matching your actual sales process
-
Email marketing sequences and templates for systematic nurture and follow-up
-
Meeting scheduling automation eliminating back-and-forth calendar coordination
-
Light ATS integration where applicable (API availability confirmed during scoping)
-
Client health scoring and revenue forecasting dashboards
-
Team training and leadership reporting dashboards
-
30 days post-launch support
Timeline: 10-14 Weeks
HubSpot implementations move faster than Salesforce configurations at equivalent scope, but the same strategic requirements review and implementation planning process applies. The timeline floor assumes a straightforward pipeline and contact structure with approved requirements documentation in place. The 14-week ceiling accounts for ATS integration complexity, marketing automation sequence builds, and larger team training requirements. What can extend the timeline past 14 weeks: complex ATS integration requiring custom API work, large contact databases where data has not been cleaned and prepared for migration prior to engagement start, or marketing automation sequences with significant content development requirements.
INVESTMENT
Every engagement is scoped individually based on your firm's size, team structure, workflow complexity, and platform. We provide a specific, accurate investment range after a requirements review and discovery conversation.
CLIENT PORTAL IMPLEMENTATION
What's Included:
-
Salesforce Sales + Service Cloud foundation (existing or concurrent implementation, see note below)
-
Branded client portal designed to your firm's visual identity, logo, colors, and layout
-
Self-service case submission with real-time tracking so clients always know where their request stands
-
Secure document library with controlled access by client and matter
-
Project or engagement status visibility for active client work
-
Knowledge base with FAQs and support articles reducing routine inquiry volume
-
Unlimited client user provisioning
-
Mobile-responsive portal design confirmed across iOS and Android
-
Security review, external user permissions locked down before go-live
-
45 days post-launch support including portal administrator training and end-user guide
Timeline: 12-18 Weeks
Client portals are built on top of an existing or concurrent Salesforce Sales + Service Cloud implementation. If Service Cloud is not yet in place, we scope both engagements together as a combined implementation. Portal design, configuration, content population, client user testing, and security review are all included within this timeline.
What Can Extend the Timeline Past 18 Weeks:
Complex portal design requiring significant custom CSS or branded component development beyond standard Experience Cloud theming. Large document library requiring structured content architecture and permissions mapping across multiple client matters. Knowledge base with a high volume of articles requiring content creation or migration. Multiple portal user types with different access levels requiring separate permission set configuration. Concurrent Tier 2 implementation where Service Cloud configuration is not complete before portal build begins. Any of these scenarios is identified in the requirements review phase and addressed in the scope and timeline before configuration begins.
SERVICE 02
Salesforce Experience Cloud
For professional services firms ready to give their clients a structured, branded self-service experience, a well-built client portal fundamentally changes the relationship between your firm and the people you serve.
We implement Salesforce Experience Cloud portals that reduce ad hoc email traffic, create consistent service delivery, and scale your support capacity without adding headcount. Clients get 24/7 visibility into their projects, cases, and documents, on their schedule, without needing to email your team to find out where things stand. Your team gets fewer interruptions, fewer status update requests, and more time for billable work.
Every portal engagement begins where your internal preparation ends. Approved portal requirements, client user access specifications, and content structure must be documented and signed off before design or configuration begins. This ensures the portal we build reflects exactly what your firm and your clients need, not a revised version of it discovered mid-project.
In Addition to the Standard BRD Requirements That Apply to All STE Tech Edge Engagements, a Portal Implementation Specifically Requires the Following From Your Team Before Design Begins:
✅ Portal use cases documented and approved:
What will clients use the portal for? Case submission, document access, project visibility, knowledge base, or a combination, this must be defined and signed off before any page is designed.
✅ Client user structure documented:
How many client users will access the portal? Are there different access levels by client type or matter? Which clients will be onboarded at go-live versus phased in after?
✅ Brand assets prepared and approved:
Logo in PNG and SVG format. Brand color hex codes. Any existing brand guidelines document. Font specifications. These must be received before portal design begins, waiting for brand assets mid-project is the most common cause of portal timeline delays.
✅ Content inventory confirmed:
What knowledge base articles, FAQ content, and documents will populate the portal at launch? Who is responsible for creating or supplying this content? Content that is not ready at the time of portal configuration cannot be included in go-live scope.
✅ Security and data access requirements confirmed:
Which internal Salesforce records should external portal users be able to see? Which should they not? This must be explicitly defined and approved before configuration, not adjusted after the portal is live.
If any of these prerequisites are not in place, the portal engagement cannot begin. Attempting to configure a portal without approved content structure, brand assets, and user access specifications is the primary cause of portal project overruns and redesign cycles.
Foundation Requirement Note:
Salesforce Experience Cloud portals run on top of Salesforce Service Cloud. If your firm does not currently have a configured and stable Service Cloud implementation in place, we scope the Service Cloud implementation (Service 1 Tier 2) and the portal together as a combined engagement. We do not build portals on top of unconfigured or unstable orgs.
If you already have Salesforce Service Cloud configured, we review your existing configuration as part of the requirements phase to confirm it provides the foundation the portal requires. If gaps are identified, these are scoped and addressed before portal configuration begins.
CRM OPTIMIZATION & SUPPORT RETAINER
What This Covers:
-
Structured current state audit, every object, field, automation, integration, and user permission reviewed and documented
-
Gap analysis comparing your current configuration against your operational requirements
-
Strategic reconfiguration plan produced and approved before any changes are made
-
Reconfiguration executed in sandbox before any changes go to production
-
User adoption assessment, identifying which team members are not using the system and why
-
Targeted adoption support and role-specific training where gaps are identified
-
Ongoing monthly improvements and enhancements scoped at the start of each month
-
Priority support for system issues and questions
-
Monthly system health report covering configuration changes, usage indicators, and recommended next-month focus
Best For:
Firms that implemented a Salesforce or HubSpot CRM 6–24 months ago and are experiencing one or more of the following:
-
Low or inconsistent team adoption, the system exists but people are working around it
-
Pipeline data that does not reflect reality, deals stuck in wrong stages, stale records, missing information
-
Automation that is not running correctly or was never fully configured
-
Integrations that have broken or drifted since the original implementation
-
A system that was configured by a previous vendor or internal resource without adequate documentation
-
Growth or operational changes that have made the original configuration obsolete
-
No dedicated Salesforce or HubSpot administrator internally, no one owns the system
Also ideal for firms that completed a Tier 1 or Tier 2 implementation with STE Tech Edge and want ongoing strategic support as the business and the system continue to evolve.
What to Expect From the Initial Audit Sprint:
Before the monthly retainer cadence begins, every optimization engagement starts with a focused 3–5 week audit and reconfiguration sprint. This is not a discovery conversation, it is a systematic technical review of your existing org.
The sprint produces three outputs:
First: a written audit report documenting what exists, what is working, and what is not. Every finding is prioritized by impact so you know exactly what to address first and why.
Second: a reconfiguration plan outlining the specific changes needed, in the specific order they should be made, with the rationale for each. This plan is reviewed and approved by your decision maker before any changes begin.
Third: an initial reconfiguration sprint where the highest-priority items from the audit are addressed in the sandbox, tested, and deployed to production with your sign-off.
The monthly retainer begins after the sprint is complete.
What Changes Mid-retainer are Handled:
Any change to the agreed monthly scope is treated the same way as any other scope change across STE Tech Edge engagements, through a written Change Order that outlines the impact on the monthly allocation and any additional investment required before work begins. Requests that consistently exceed the monthly allocation are addressed by upgrading the retainer tier rather than absorbing additional hours silently.
Timeline:
3–5 week initial audit and reconfiguration sprint, followed by an ongoing monthly retainer with no fixed end date.
Sprint timeline note: The 3-week floor assumes a straightforward existing configuration with accessible documentation and a responsive point of contact. The 5-week ceiling applies to larger or more complex orgs where the configuration has accumulated significant undocumented changes, technical debt, or broken automation that must be assessed before reconfiguration planning can begin.
SERVICE 03
Already have a Salesforce or HubSpot system that isn't performing the way it should —- or that your team has quietly stopped using?
You're not alone. Most CRM implementations underperform not because the technology failed but because the strategy layer was skipped at the start. The system was configured around assumptions rather than documented, approved workflows, and over time the gap between how the CRM was built and how the business actually operates becomes wide enough that adoption collapses.
Our optimization retainer is designed for firms with an existing system that needs strategic reconfiguration, improved adoption, or ongoing enhancements as the business evolves. We begin with a structured audit of what you have, assessing your current configuration against your actual operational needs, identifying what is working, what is not, and what needs to change. Then we fix it, without scrapping what you have built or starting from scratch.
What we do not do in this engagement is redefine your business requirements or facilitate internal alignment on what the CRM should do. If your team does not yet agree on what the system needs to accomplish, that conversation needs to happen internally before the optimization work begins. What we need from you is clarity on the gaps you want closed and approval from your decision maker to proceed. We handle the rest.
RETAINER TIERS:
Three retainer levels are available based on your firm's system complexity and required support level. Specific investment ranges are provided after the initial audit, not before. Retainer scope and tier are confirmed based on what the audit reveals, not estimated before we know what we are working with.
TIER A
LIGHT SUPPORT
for firms with a stable system needing minor monthly improvements and priority support access.
TIER B
STANDARD SUPPORT
for firms with active system development needs, regular workflow enhancements, and ongoing adoption support.
TIER C
INTENSIVE SUPPORT
for firms with complex systems, multiple ongoing improvement tracks, or high-volume support requirements.
CRM STRATEGY & READINESS ASSESSMENT
What's Included:
-
Pre-assessment intake, review of any existing documentation your firm has (process notes, prior CRM configuration, system lists, workflow descriptions) before sessions begin
-
Structured assessment sessions with your key decision makers and operational leads, conducted remotely
-
Five-layer operational assessment covering Traffic and Visibility, Entry and Capture, Qualification and Routing, Pipeline Management, and Delivery Handoff
-
Platform assessment, Salesforce versus HubSpot evaluated against your firm's size, workflow complexity, integration requirements, budget range, and growth trajectory
-
Gap analysis identifying which layers are implementation-ready and which require work before a build begins
-
Written assessment report delivered to your leadership team, structured as an executive summary, findings by layer, gap analysis, platform recommendation with rationale, and a prioritized roadmap
-
30-minute debrief and Q&A call to walk through findings and answer questions
-
50% of the assessment fee credited toward your full implementation investment if you proceed within 60 days
What This Assessment Does Not Include:
Business process mapping or workflow facilitation. If your firm does not have documented workflows, the assessment will identify that as a gap and recommend what needs to be created before implementation begins. Creating those workflows is your team's responsibility.
Stakeholder alignment or internal change management. If decision makers at your firm are not aligned on what the CRM needs to do, the assessment will surface that as a risk. Resolving it is an internal conversation your team needs to have before implementation begins.
Technology selection beyond the Salesforce versus HubSpot recommendation. We do not evaluate every CRM on the market. We assess the two platforms we implement and recommend the one that is the right fit for your firm.
Implementation work. The assessment is a standalone engagement. Any implementation that follows is scoped and contracted separately.
What the Assessment Produces:
The written assessment report is the primary deliverable. It is a specific, honest, and actionable document, not a generic slide deck. It tells you:
-
Where your firm is implementation-ready right now across the five operational layers.
-
Where your firm is not ready, and specifically what needs to change before a CRM implementation will hold.
-
Which platform is the right fit and why, with enough rationale for your leadership team to make a confident decision without needing to evaluate multiple vendors independently.
-
What a realistic implementation scope looks like for your firm, timeline range, what would be included, what would be out of scope, and a rough investment range so the financial conversation can begin with accurate expectations.
-
What to do if you are not yet ready, a specific, prioritized list of internal preparation steps that will get your firm to implementation-ready, with an honest estimate of how long that preparation should take.
Best For:
Firms evaluating CRM for the first time and wanting to make a confident, informed decision before committing to a significant investment.
Firms whose previous CRM implementation failed, stalled, or was abandoned, and who want to understand why before trying again.
Firms that have requirements they believe are documented but want an independent review to confirm the documentation is complete and implementation-ready before signing a Statement of Work.
Firms that have been given a CRM proposal by another vendor and want a second opinion on whether the scope, timeline, and approach are realistic.
Firms that scored below 15 on the STE Tech Edge CRM Readiness Checklist and want a detailed breakdown of what the score means for their specific situation.
Timeline: 4-6 Weeks
The assessment is a focused sprint, not a long-term engagement. The timeline begins when the pre-assessment intake materials are received and the first session is scheduled. The 4-week floor applies when STE has a single primary decision maker, existing documentation to review before sessions begin, and stakeholders who are available and responsive throughout the engagement. The 6-week ceiling applies to firms with multiple stakeholders across different functions, limited existing documentation, or decision makers with constrained availability during the assessment period.
SERVICE 04
Not sure if your firm is ready for a CRM implementation, or why the last one didn't stick?
The answer to both questions almost always comes down to the same thing: the strategy layer was missing. Either the implementation began before the business had clearly defined and approved what it needed the system to do, or it began before the operational foundation was in place to support it. The technology gets blamed. The real issue was sequencing.
The CRM Strategy and Readiness Assessment is a focused engagement that gives your firm the clarity it needs before any implementation decision is made. We review your current operational state across five defined layers, identify the specific gaps that would cause an implementation to underperform or fail, and deliver a prioritized roadmap showing exactly what needs to happen, and in what order, before technology is introduced.
This is not a workshop. We do not facilitate stakeholder alignment sessions, run internal change management activities, or help your team decide what the business needs. What we do is assess what you currently have against what a successful CRM implementation requires, and tell you honestly where the gaps are and what to do about them.
Most firms that complete the assessment move into a full implementation within 60–90 days with significantly greater clarity, more realistic expectations, and a documented foundation that protects the implementation from the scope changes and timeline extensions that derail most CRM projects.