Cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) provider FinancialForce announced the launch of ERP Summer ’14, featuring enhancements in Professional Services Automation (PSA) and financial management.
Built on the Salesforce1 platform, FinancialForce ERP also adds a new level of mobility to the applications, and the updated versions more closely align ERP processes around customer touch points to create a more unified, informed view of the customer journey.
The new functionality was added to enable stronger cross planning between sales, services, HR and finance departments.
Pricing is based on a per user, per month subscription starting around $100, depending on the chosen application.
FinancialForce PSA Summer ‘14 helps to extend the reach and visibility of professional services organizations (PSOs) by enabling both “bottom-up” and more forward looking resource planning.
Additionally, PSA Summer ‘14 allows professional service organizations to weigh resource requests against opportunity close probability percentages.
Finally, the latest version of the PSA platform introduces new resource and project planners, providing a dynamic, visual cockpit view of resource availability and project staffing, across regions, practices and groups.
The company’s Financial Management Summer ’14 release leverages the mobility and flexibility of Salesforce1 by allowing businesses to utilize one mobile app to review the spectrum of CRM and financial processes including service cases, payment history, and order status.
“Mobile technology is breaking down traditional barriers between departments both geographically, as organizations now work as virtual teams irrespective of location, and also from a process perspective, where mobile applications can pull together all relevant data from the front and back office into a single mobile app,” Kevin Roberts, general manager of platform and alliances, told eWeek.
Roberts noted mobile technology also enables quicker and more accurate decision making, as workers can participate in workflow and approval processes on-the-go with all of the relevant supporting information they need to make informed business decisions.
Additionally, the latest release expands capabilities for companies operating in multi-entity environments, particularly those that need to report under GAAP and IFRS. Enhancements include improved cash flow reporting, multi-currency handling and support for Australian GST.
“Today’s customers are more informed, more connected and have more influence than ever before. They are armed with all of the latest information on your product and service, they share experiences via reviews and social networks, and they now have the tools to turn a poor customer experience into an international incident,” Roberts said. “As a result, companies are scrambling to improve their customer service performance and ability to respond to issues when they when arise.”