formerly FinancialForce
formerly FinancialForce
Nextview, a leading Salesforce consultancy in the Netherlands, relied on disconnected systems that hampered their ability to scale. Without integration of their pipeline, utilization, margin, and capacity data, they faced bottlenecks and limited visibility, leading to reactive decision-making. Recognizing their need to streamline operations, the company initiated a digital transformation by adopting Certinia Professional Services (PS) Cloud, Financial Management (FM) Cloud, and Services Estimator. This move produced end-to-end, unified operations that increased Nextview’s efficiency and future-proofed their growth plans.
Industry
Professional Services
Company Size
Small
Headquarters
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Challenge
Disconnected operations limited forecasting and resource planning, impacting scalability and decision-making
Solution
A unified platform that connected sales, project management, and finance, powered by Professional Services Cloud, Financial Management Cloud, and Services Estimator
What Certinia Replaced
Excel and Exact Online
Background
Nextview Consulting needed to digitize their business, as their infrastructure built on Excel and Exact Online could no longer handle the increasing complexities of their operations.
Struggling to connect key areas such as pipeline management, resource utilization, margins, and capacity planning, Nextview teams were left working with fragmented data, making it difficult to collaborate in real time, forecast effectively, manage resources efficiently, and maintain profitability.
This prompted the company to digitize and connect operations by replacing their basic tools with Certinia’s PS Cloud, FM Cloud, and Services Estimator—all of which integrated seamlessly with their existing Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
Operating in a role-based, resource-agnostic estimation framework enables us to formulate optimal proposals while maintaining a focus on margin. Our revenue forecast horizon has extended from 3 months to 12 months ahead.”
Dico Timmerman
Delivery Director, Nextview Consulting
Challenge
Nextview needed precise control over their cash flow, profitability, and resources to support their steady expansion. But with their reliance on Excel and Exact Online, the company faced formidable road blocks:
Solution
Nextview needed a solution that could consolidate operations to improve efficiency and forecasting, and integrate with Salesforce—a core part of their business. They found a solution in Salesforce-native Certinia PS Cloud, FM Cloud, and Services Estimator.
With the help of Certinia’s implementation partner, CBEE Remarkable, Nextview implemented all three in just three months, successfully creating a unified platform that gave them real-time, 360° views of their business.
End-to-end business visibility
PS Cloud, FM Cloud, and Services Estimator connected sales, project execution, and financial performance, creating one centralized hub for business intelligence. This made tracking key metrics easier, such as Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), scheduled utilization, and financial performance.
Reduced meeting hours due to improved efficiency
Operational efficiency improved significantly, seen in the 30% reduction in weekly meeting hours, allowing senior managers and executives to focus on higher-value work.
Improved estimation for smarter management and financial control
Services Estimator bridged the gap between sales and delivery. This alignment promoted a data-driven approach to project estimation, which ensured deals were accurately scoped, properly resourced, and financially sound before moving to execution—a key driver for sustainable growth.
Real-time reports led to better planning
Intuitive reporting tools, such as a comprehensive revenue forecast dashboard and utilization tracker, augmented Nextview’s reporting capabilities. Leadership could now look at real-time dashboards to make data-driven decisions on utilization, margins, and revenue leakage—-unlike before when they had to rely on gut feelings or end-of-month invoices.
Revenue forecasting extended from 3 months to 12 months
Long-term forecasting gave Nextview the necessary data to pursue strategic growth. Empowered by a connected database, the company unlocked enhanced financial visibility, better revenue predictability, proactive profitability management, and smart resource allocation.
Enhanced utilization tracking and planning
With real-time visibility and analytics, Nextview could now forecast resource availability 90 days in advance. This allowed them to become strategic and optimize workload distribution, capacity, and staffing.
Maximized Salesforce functionalities
Since PS Cloud, FM Cloud, and Services Estimator are Salesforce-native, Nextview maximized their CRM’s capabilities, turning it into a single source of truth for operations, finance, project management, and customers. These native apps also feature similar tools and interfaces as Salesforce, minimizing change management efforts.
Increased employee and customer satisfaction
A connected business helped Nextview give their customers smoother project execution, meeting timelines and expectations more consistently. Consultants experienced less frustration from inefficiencies and their feedback was regularly incorporated into the new system. With operations now digital, consultants also gained mobile capabilities that offered convenience.
Results
By integrating Certinia PS Cloud, FM Cloud, and Services Estimator into their business infrastructure, Nextview Consulting gained a unified platform that automated processes, centralized insights, and boosted forecasting capabilities, positioning them for long-term, sustainable success.
According to Nextview’s delivery director Dico Timmerman, their biggest takeaway was gaining a centralized hub for all critical information. With just one click, the Nextview team can now access real-time information—whether they’re looking for data on marketing, sales, utilization, or invoicing.
Empowered by “one source of truth” enhanced with 90-day advanced utilization planning and 12-month revenue forecasting, Nextview can now effectively control their business and bring it to new heights.
Centralized visibility across the business
30% reduction in meeting hours on staffing
90-day advance utilization planning
Increased customer & employee satisfaction
Having worked with Salesforce Sales Cloud and Certinia PS Cloud for over 5 years, our goal was to enhance alignment between Sales and Delivery. With Certinia Services Estimator, we achieved precisely that. By separating estimations from actual staffing in the initial stages of an opportunity, we gained valuable insights into demand, allowing us to staff with greater confidence as deals progress.”
Dico Timmerman,
Delivery Director, Nextview Consulting
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