Setup programme for software agencies

From lead to maintenance contract in one system.

We build software and development agencies a Zoho system that carries enquiry, proposal, sprint and support, with sales, project and maintenance always on the same page.

  • Proposals in a day instead of a week
  • Time and budget run live against every project
  • Support tickets and maintenance contracts in one place, nothing left unbilled
Book a discovery call Open the Workflow Planner Response time: same day
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Transformations

What we changed for real businesses.

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Case study·Remote

AI SaaS

A remote AI SaaS startup wires product, billing, and sales data into a self-running revenue stack.

Pain
  • Plan upgrades were manually pushed into the CRM, days of lag
  • Revenue lived in Billing, pipeline in CRM, no single truth
  • Investor reports were stitched together by hand from spreadsheets
  • Workspace activity stayed invisible, upgrade conversations happened too late
Gain
  • Every payment appears live as a CRM transaction, revenue ops works from one source
  • Trial, paid, and churn stages set automatically by webhooks
  • Cohort analysis surfaces which acquisition channels produce real value
  • Marketing spend defended with data via CAC and cost-per-user reports
Project Duration Ongoing since 2023
Built with
Zoho CRMZoho BillingZoho Analytics
Case study·Germany

Partner Programs

A German B2B provider built a repeatable partner-acquisition program: from LinkedIn outreach through NDA and contract to opened vendor account, everything runs in one CRM flow.

Pain
  • LinkedIn connections leaked into spreadsheets sales never saw
  • NDAs went out by email, PDF attachment, and manual chasing
  • Won events were manually pushed into CRM and into accounting
  • Follow-ups slipped, partner conversations lost their momentum
Gain
  • LinkedIn leads flow directly into the CRM partner pipeline
  • NDA generated in seconds, signed via e-signature, triggers Won
  • Won deals auto-open vendor accounts and kick off the onboarding project
  • Bookings calendar for discovery calls feeds straight into CRM records
Project Duration ~6 months
Built with
Zoho CRMLinkedInZoho SignZoho BookingsZoho WriterZoho Projects
Case study·Germany

Lead Generation

A German lead-generation platform had web leads, bookings and CRM deals running in separate worlds.

Pain
  • Web leads landed in mailboxes and got lost in day-to-day work
  • Bookings appointments without an automatically linked deal
  • Every sales rep invented their own approach
  • No reliable numbers on where conversions actually came from
Gain
  • Every lead becomes a structured deal immediately
  • Standardised process from inquiry to closure
  • Deluge scripts performant, maintainable and documented
  • Marketing ROI clear per source and funnel stage
Project Duration ~2 months
Built with
Zoho CRMZoho FlowZoho Analytics
The problem

Built great software, and run your own shop in chaos?

At software and development agencies the business is scattered across Slack, Sheets and Notion. The workload isn't the problem, it's that none of it connects.

  • Leads & scope in chat

    Enquiries, requirements and decisions live in Slack threads, emails and loose documents. By the time you quote, half of it is lost.

  • Proposals take too long

    Every estimate is rebuilt by hand. Days pass, the prospect cools off or negotiates the price down.

  • Time & budget invisible

    Whether a project is on track or deep in the red only shows up at invoicing, once the hours are already burnt.

The solution

One system for the entire agency process

From enquiry to maintenance, every project follows the same flow. Sales, project and support work off the same status, and nothing gets lost between chat and invoice.

A software developer focused at a clean desk with dual monitors

Leads and proposals in one pipeline

Every enquiry lands in the CRM instead of in chat. Scope and requirements stay attached to the deal, from first contact to signature, nothing loses the thread.

Lead pipelineScope on deal1-click proposal
A small software team at a whiteboard covered in architecture diagrams

Project, time and budget in real time

A won proposal becomes a project with tasks and a budget automatically. Logged hours run against the budget, you see overruns before they hurt.

Auto projectTime trackingBudget alert
A dev team in a relaxed product demo around a laptop

Support and maintenance with a system

Tickets from email and portal land in Desk, linked to the client and their maintenance contract. You always know what's covered and what gets billed.

Ticket deskMaintenance contractsSLA overview
Zoho · configured for software agencies

Your Zoho apps, tailored to the agency process.

No off-the-shelf CRM. We configure every app around your workflow: from lead through proposal and sprint to maintenance contract.

Zoho CRM Search… + Add
Proposal2
PRJ
Portal relaunch Brennecke
€ 48.000
RET
Maintenance Stadtwerke Velen
€ 2.400
Negotiation1
PRJ
Mobile app Lindgruber
€ 72.500
Won1
PRJ
ERP interface Hovestadt
€ 64.000
Zoho CRM

CRM · Agency Pipeline

Every enquiry as a deal: fixed-price project or retainer, proposal value, stage and next step.

  • Pipeline by agency stages
  • Project & retainer separated
  • Scope stays on the deal
Zoho Books Search… + New
InvoiceClientDateAmountStatus
RE-2025-031Brennecke GmbH12.05.2025€ 24.000 Paid
RE-2025-034Hovestadt AG19.05.2025€ 64.000 Open
RET-2025-05Stadtwerke Velen01.05.2025€ 2.400 Recurring
AZ-2025-009Lindgruber03.06.2025€ 36.250 Deposit
Zoho Books

Invoices & Retainers

Project invoices, deposits and monthly maintenance retainers in one place.

  • Deposit & final invoice
  • Retainer billed monthly automatically
  • Open items at a glance
WorkDrive · Sign Search… + Upload
Projects›Portal relaunch Brennecke›Documents
Requirements_spec_v2.pdf 08.05 approved
Proposal_fixed_price.pdf 10.05 signed
Maintenance_contract.pdf 12.05 awaiting signature
API_specification.docx — Draft
WorkDrive · Sign

Specs & Contracts

Requirement specs, proposals and maintenance contracts right on the project, including e-signature.

  • Everything filed on the project
  • E-signature built in
  • Versions & access
Zoho Projects Search… + Add
Sprint planning & backlog Mon
Feature: login flow Tue–Wed
Code review & QA Thu
Deployment & release Fri
Zoho Projects

Sprint Planning

From backlog to release: every sprint task scheduled and assigned.

  • Sprint tasks scheduled
  • Developer assignment
  • Progress live
Program & workflow

How we roll out Zoho One in your agency

We think our way into your workflow and see ourselves as a long-term development partner. Here are the four phases.

  1. AnalysisWe review your workflow from enquiry through project and sprint to support and find your biggest time sinks.
  2. ConceptWe design your processes in Zoho One and plan the Zoho architecture (business process mapping).
  3. ImplementationSetup, configuration, the automations and migration of your client, project and contract data.
  4. SupportTraining for your team, fine-tuning and ongoing support, so the system becomes a fixed part of your everyday work.
Plus AI

More speed with AI, without extra effort.

AI takes over repetitive manual work; decisions and customer contact stay with your team.

  • Specs are combed through by hand.
    Requirement extraction

    RFPs and specs read themselves

    From incoming RFPs and requirement documents, the AI extracts scope, modules and open questions and files them against the deal. Your estimate no longer starts from a blank page.

  • Every estimate is built by hand.
    Proposal drafting

    Estimate and proposal arrive prepared

    Based on scope and your hourly rates, the AI suggests a proposal and estimate draft. Your team reviews and signs off instead of rebuilding every calculation by hand.

  • Tickets are routed manually.
    Ticket classification

    Support tickets land sorted in Desk

    Incoming tickets from email and portal are read, categorised by urgency and routed to the right person with the client and maintenance contract attached, no manual triage.

Contact

Ready to handle more projects with the same team?

Let's find out in a free Zoho system review where your workflow holds the most potential. Non-binding, concrete and tailored to your agency. As an authorised Zoho partner we support you from setup to running operations.

● Free system review · no obligation

Open the Workflow Planner

We use your details only for the call. No spam.

Frequently asked

What you'll want to know before the call.

During a live project, do we see whether the hours still fit the budget, or only at invoicing?

During the project. Logged time runs against the budget in real time, and you get a signal when a project starts to run over, not once the hours are already burned.

When a support ticket comes in, does the system show whether the work is covered by a maintenance contract?

Yes. Every ticket in Desk is linked to the client and their maintenance contract. Your team sees at once what is included in the contract and what is billed separately.

How long does rolling out Zoho One take?

Depending on scope, typically a few weeks to a few months. After our first meeting we give you a rough estimate, and after the requirements meeting a realistic estimate for your specific business.

What does Zoho One cost?

Zoho One costs €37 per employee per month on an annual plan, or €45 per employee with monthly billing. That includes all 50+ Zoho apps. We show you which option fits your business in the consultation, including a comparison with your current tools if you like.

Do we have to re-enter our existing data?

No. We migrate existing customer, quote and job data into Zoho One as part of the implementation, provided it can be exported from your current system.

Can Zoho One connect to our existing tools?

In most cases yes. Google and Microsoft connect easily for email, calendar and drive, as do many other common applications. Beyond that, almost any system can be integrated individually via the Zoho API.

Does Zoho One suit smaller businesses and mobile teams?

Yes. Zoho One works for sole traders as well as growing teams. Your team accesses records, tasks and documents on the go via the app, even when out of the office.

Where is our data stored?

On request in Zoho's EU data centres, GDPR-compliant. Your data stays within the European legal space, an important point for businesses with sensitive customer and project data.

How much time does the project cost us day-to-day?

As little as possible. Your team is only involved at a few clearly agreed points, such as analysing the workflow, providing information and training, so your day-to-day work keeps running.