Between demanding client projects and day-to-day administrative tasks, in-house consultants often struggle to find a balance. Activity reports to fill out, expense reports to enter, leave requests to submit…
These essential tasks eat into valuable time that could be spent creating value.
How can we lighten this burden so that consultants can focus on their core business?
Discover 5 best practices to implement in your company and hear from consultants who have reduced their administrative workload by following these tips.
Administrative Burden: The Invisible Daily Reality for Consultants
Activity report, expense reports, absences: time-consuming but essential tasks
In IT services companies or consulting firms, the consultant is at the heart of value creation. However, a significant portion of their time is spent on recurring administrative tasks:
- The activity report:: This mandatory document details the time spent on each assignment. It is essential for initiating client billing.
- Expense reports: travel, meals, lodging… Every month, consultants have to collect, enter, and get their receipts approved.
- Leave requests —including paid time off, compensatory days off, and sick leave—require careful tracking of leave balances.
- Travel authorizations: These are documents required by the Syntec collective bargaining agreement prior to every business trip.
Even today, too many IT services companies and consulting firms manage these processes using Excel spreadsheets—or even paper forms. This is a major source of errors, delays, and frustration for everyone. As the number of projects and expenses increases, processing them becomes increasingly time-consuming.
The Impact on Consultants’ Productivity and Well-Being
The time spent on administrative tasks is not insignificant, as it often means:
- Loss of productivity: Every minute spent filling out an activity report is one minute less for the customer.
- Additional stress: Consultants must deal with the fear of forgetting to enter data, losing a supporting document, or missing a deadline.
- Increased mental workload: The consultant must juggle the client’s requirements, their employer’s tools, and sometimes those of the client company
According to Numeum, the digital sector employs more than 530,000 people in France, with a turnover rate ranging from 15% to 22%.
What are some of the contributing factors?
A lack of consideration and the daily annoyances, including administrative burdens.
Be aware of the risk of losing touch with the company
Consultants working on-site at a client’s location face a paradox: they represent their employer but work every day in an environment that is not their own. This situation can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection.
Without the right tools to maintain that connection, consultants may feel “forgotten” by their employer, which affects their engagement and, ultimately, their loyalty. A study on consultant retention in IT services companies confirms that a sense of belonging depends in large part on tools that facilitate communication and access to information.
5 Best Practices for Reducing the Administrative Burden on Consultants
1. Centralize all processes in a single tool
In your opinion, what is the main source of friction for a consultant?
It’s the proliferation of tools.
Activity report in Excel, expense reports via email, vacation requests in another program…
This fragmentation leads to duplicate entries, inconsistencies, and a considerable waste of time.
The solution: an industry-specific ERP system designed for consulting firms. It allows you to centralize:
- Time Entry and the Generation of Activity Reports
- Expense Report Management with Digital Receipts
- Tracking Leave and Absences
- Travel orders in accordance with the Syntec agreement
“I use VSActivity to track my assignment orders. The interface is so simple that it makes the tool very effective.”
Steven Richard, a consultant at Efor Group, one of the world’s leading life sciences consulting firms.
2. Automate repetitive tasks
Automated workflows can drastically reduce processing time:
- Pre-filled activity reports’ forms: The projected schedule is automatically populated in the activity report.
- Automated approval workflows: Requests are forwarded to the appropriate contacts without manual intervention.
- Alerts and reminders: Automatic notifications reduce data entry oversights and help foster better relationships between consultants and the sales administration team.
3. Simplify mobile data entry
Consultants are mobile by nature. They need to be able to handle their administrative tasks from anywhere: while commuting, between meetings, or from their assignment location.
Here are some key features:
- Native mobile app for tracking time and expenses
- Scan receipts by taking photos and using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to automatically pre-fill expense reports
- One-click verification from your smartphone
“I’m saving time and working more efficiently when managing all my HR documents.”
Steven Richard, consultant at Efor Group
4. Streamline the approval processes
An unapproved activity report means an invoice that hasn’t been issued and a negative impact on cash flow. Approval times are often the weak link in the process.
Best Practices:
- Establish clear validation rules (manager, project manager, client)
- Enable electronic signatures to speed up approvals
- Set up dashboards to track pending activity reports
At IT services companies where automation has been implemented, invoicing can be initiated within 48 hours after the monthly close, compared to several weeks with a manual process.
5. Maintain a connection with the company despite the distance
Beyond simple administrative management, the tool should serve as a bridge between the consultant and his or her employer:
- Customized Dashboard: Access to press releases, internal documents, and company news
- Collaborative Space: Sharing Information with HR, Sales, and Management Teams
- Career Insights: Tracking Skills, Training, and Interviews
“VSActivity helps maintain the connection between headquarters and consultants on-site at client locations.”
Sandrine Vianello, consultant at AJR Conseil
Testimonials: How Consultants Have Transformed Their Daily Work with the VSActivity ERP System
Simplified Administrative Management
For Hamdi Debbebi, a consultant with the INTM Group who has been on assignment with an end client for the past five years, the adoption of a dedicated tool has been a game-changer:
“I can easily handle administrative tasks with VSActivity. I particularly appreciate how simple and fast it is to manage leave requests and activity reports.”
Hamdi Debbebi, consultant at the INTM Group
Anthony Mathon, a consultant at Efor Group for more than three years, confirms:
“This software makes it easier for me to handle all the tasks I need to do for my company. VSActivity now saves me a considerable amount of time when it comes to searching for and signing documents, logging hours worked, requesting time off, submitting expense reports, and more.”
A tool that is constantly improving
What sets a sustainable solution apart from a simple tool is its ability to evolve with users’ needs.
“I’ve been using VSActivity for several years, and it just keeps getting better.”
Anthony Mathon, consultant at Efor Group
An agile and centralized solution
According to Hamdi Debbebi, three features sum up the tool’s value:
“VSActivity is an agile, centralized solution. I can access company press releases and documents in VSA as soon as new ones are available.”
And as Anthony Mathon points out: “Information is no longer lost!”
VSActivity, the ERP system designed for consultants’ day-to-day work
Features tailored to the consulting industry
VSActivity (VSA) is a SaaS ERP system designed specifically for IT services companies and consulting firms. It meets the day-to-day needs of consultants:
What Users Are Saying
Sandrine Vianello sums up her experience in three words:
“VSActivity in three words? Effective, Practical, Intuitive.”
Conclusion: Freeing Up Time to Create Value
Administrative burdens aren’t inevitable. With the right tools, consultants can focus their energy on what really matters: supporting their clients, developing their skills, and contributing to their company’s success.
In an industry where employee turnover remains a major challenge, making consultants’ day-to-day work easier is no longer a luxury but a strategic necessity. Companies that invest in the right tools strengthen their teams’ engagement and set themselves apart in a tight job market.
Key Takeaways
- 530,000 employees work in the digital sector in France
- The turnover rate at IT services companies ranges from 15% to 22%
- An optimized activity report process enables invoicing to be initiated within 48 hours
- Centralizing tools reduces duplicate data entry and errors
- Maintaining social connections is a key factor in retaining consultants
How do you manage the balance between client projects and administrative tasks?
VSActivity is the all-in-one SaaS ERP developed by Veryswing, an expert in IT services companies and consulting firms. ISO 27001-certified, it allows every employee to focus on their core responsibilities.
