Best of Breed, Integration, Customization, Real Cost
Purchasing software is a complicated process with many implications.  For your unique and specific requirements and business environment, which vendor and product is the best fit?  To what extent must the package be modified?  How will the package integrate with other installed software?  What is the real and actual cost of the solution?  These are just some of the basic questions that must be answered.

Professional Consulting Services, Inc. (PCS) has been involved in the evaluation, selection, implementation, and integration of best of breed software package solutions since its inception.  PCS draws on the business, industry, and technical expertise and skills of its consultants.  With its experience, methodology, best practices, and team approach, PCS is best suited to provide the necessary objective and unbiased skills required to successfully leverage package solutions.

Our Software Solutions Practice offers a full product service offering.  These product services are provided to clients on an individual basis or grouped however necessary to meet the requirements of the client situation.

Business Process Improvement
In order to not only thrive, but also continue to survive in today’s business environment, the modern day organization must be flexible and capable of implementing continual improvement in its internal business processes.  Improving levels of customer service, efficiencies, and productivity are not a one time project effort, but rather a continual process.  PCS has a practical Business Process Management methodology that can be utilized either as a standalone effort or as a project component in the identification and quantification of benefits to be realized from the selection and implementation of the packaged solution. 

Business Requirements Analysis
In addition to the relatively straightforward identification and definition of business requirements, PCS recognizes and emphasizes the need to develop a complete understanding of the business drivers and strategic objectives behind the requirements.  This allows us to formulate and deliver a best-fit software solution. Accordingly, our project teams include individuals possessing the strategic and tactical business skills necessary to identify these elements.

Configuration and Customization
Implementation of a package solution typically requires that configuration, integration, and some degree of customization / modification take place.  PCS maintains a highly experienced staff, knowledgeable with current technologies, hardware and software platforms, database, design and development tools, networking, and web technology.

Contract Negotiation
Selection of a vendor is often predicated on the ability to arrive at a contractual legal arrangement, which is mutually agreeable to both the vendor and customer.  Additionally, financial terms are often negotiable with significant cost savings realizable to the customer.  PCS is skilled at negotiating both terms and financing arrangements and has attained significant savings for its clients over the years.

CRM ( Customer Relationship Management )
Customer relationship management (CRM) is the implementation of a business strategy that places the customer as the focal point of the entire enterprise.  The ability to successfully manage complex customer relationships requires that all aspects of marketing, sales, delivery, and customer service be coordinated and integrated. In support of a CRM centric approach, our consultants are equally adept at identifying and handling organizational, technological, and procedural issues.

Design and Programming
Implementation of a package solution often requires that some integration and interface applications be designed and constructed.  Dependent on the specific technology, PCS has formal development methodologies in place that it applies in the Application Development practices area.  Our technical staff is highly proficient in all aspects of current design and development technologies.

ERP ( Enterprise Resource Planning )
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate and optimize the various business processes found in the typical enterprise.  The benefits derived from a successful implementation are significant: information is timely, readily accessible, and common (shared) across the enterprise.  Because of the multifunctional orientation, implementation of an ERP application is extremely complex and difficult.  PCS consultants have significant experience in installing and successfully implementing ERP applications into the full spectrum of enterprise operations: large, mid-range, and small.

Help Desk
PCS consultants are experts at establishing and maintaining world class ‘Help Desks’. Experience and state of the art knowledge are continually gained as a result of ongoing project efforts in the Enterprise System Management (ESM) service area.  In addition to designing and establishing help desk capabilities for clients as an ongoing service, PCS staffs and operates client help desks for service customers.

Project Management
PCS employs a formal project methodology on all consulting engagements with the level of detail and control scaled appropriately to the magnitude of the project effort.  Each PCS consultant assigned to an engagement is well acquainted with and adheres to all project management processes and procedures.  Different versions of the formal project methodology are utilized depending on the nature of the effort.

RFP Preparation and Evaluation
PCS consultants possess extensive experience in a number of different vertical industries – Financial Services, Insurance, Health Care, Distribution, Logistics, Manufacturing, State and Local Government, and Non-profit Organizations for example.  In addition to the business analysis and technology skills possessed by the project team, this industry experience is utilized in the preparation and evaluation of request for proposals (RFP).  Many industries have unique requirements that have to be considered and potentially included in the solution.

SCM ( Supply Chain Management )
In order to be successful today, you not only have to manage and execute your internal plans, you also have to successfully coordinate your plans with both your customer and supplier plans and collaborate in real time when changes occur to any of the plans.  PCS consultants possess the functional and technical skills required to deal with the organizational, strategic, tactical, and technological issues that are associated with managing an effective supply chain.

Training
A major portion of a package solution encompasses the training aspect.  For complex solutions such as ERP, SCM and CRM, up to 15% of the project budget can be expended on training.  Introduction of significant change into the enterprise necessitates the education and training of the work force.  PCS consultants have years of training experience and are capable of relating to all levels of internal and external customers.

Vendor Selection
In order to properly represent our clients and provide a truly objective and unbiased approach, PCS and its consultants remain completely software, platform, and technology agnostic.  Towards maintaining that position, PCS is not aligned with any major software or hardware vendor.  Many competitor organizations profess a similar objective and unbiased position, but they may also have contractual arrangements with certain vendors or formal alignment agreements wherein they maintain staff possessing specific vendor experience in return for business referrals.