Top 5 Types of Software Tools for Growing Your HR Consulting Business

As an HR consultant, your time is your most valuable asset. Between managing client relationships, tackling compliance issues, and developing new business, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Trust me—I’ve been there. Early in my consulting career, I spent countless hours juggling client tasks, responding to emails, and manually tracking my time, all while trying to grow my business. It wasn’t until I started leveraging software tools that I was able to regain control of my time and scale my services.

The right software can streamline your processes, free up your time, and help you focus on what really matters: growing your business and delivering value to your clients. In this guide, I’ll walk you through five essential software tools that have transformed the way I work and can do the same for you.

Why Efficiency is Key to Growth in HR Consulting

As consultants, we wear many hats: HR expert, project manager, marketer, and more. Efficiency is the secret to balancing these roles successfully. The more streamlined your workflow, the more time you have to focus on revenue-generating activities—like attracting new clients and expanding your service offerings.

For me, investing in the right time-saving software tools made the difference between constantly feeling overwhelmed and confidently scaling my business.

Here are five essential tools that have saved me hours of work each week, allowing me to focus on strategic business growth.

1. Project Management Software

One of the first challenges I faced was staying organized. With multiple clients, each at different stages in their projects, trying to manage everything through spreadsheets and email threads quickly became chaotic. That’s when I discovered project management software.

Why You Need It

Balancing multiple projects is common for HR consultants—whether it’s creating employee handbooks, conducting compliance audits, or developing leadership training programs. Project management software allows you to:

• Keep all projects organized in one place
• Set deadlines and track progress efficiently
• Prioritize tasks to ensure nothing falls through the cracks

Recommended Tools

Monday.com

Monday.com is a visual project management tool that allows you to create workflows tailored to your specific needs—whether tracking client onboarding, HR audits, or compliance projects.

Asana

Asana is a powerful tool that breaks larger projects into manageable tasks. I’ve found Asana particularly useful for structuring long-term client projects, such as rolling out performance management systems.

Trello

Trello is a simple, drag-and-drop board-based project tracker. Perfect for visual thinkers who like seeing project stages at a glance.

{{cta}}

2. Client Relationship Management (CRM) Software

As HR consultants, client relationships are the foundation of long-term success. In the beginning, I used to track client communications in my email inbox and a spreadsheet—but as my business grew, this approach became unsustainable. That’s when I switched to using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool, and it completely transformed how I managed client interactions.

Why You Need It

A CRM helps you keep track of all your client communications, follow-ups, and notes in one central location. This means you’ll never forget a client’s question or lose track of where you are in a project. Plus, many CRM systems automate routine tasks like sending follow-up emails or scheduling check-ins, saving you even more time.

Recommended Tools

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is a free, user-friendly CRM that helps track emails, store client notes, and monitor interactions—ideal for consultants just starting out.

Dubsado

Dubsado is a specialized CRM for service-based businesses, perfect for managing contracts, invoices, and onboarding. One of my favorite features is the ability to automate client workflows—saving hours on repetitive tasks.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a robust tool that allows customized pipelines for different client projects, plus automation for repetitive tasks like sending follow-up emails.

3. Time Tracking and Billing Software

One of my biggest challenges early on was tracking billable hours accurately. I often underestimated my time, leaving money on the table, or overestimated and had to justify my hours. Time-tracking software eliminated these problems.

Why You Need It

Accurately tracking your time is essential, especially if you bill clients by the hour or offer retainer services. Time-tracking tools help you ensure that you’re being compensated fairly for all the work you do, and many of these tools also include billing features so you can invoice clients directly.

Recommended Tools

Toggl

Toggl is a simple, intuitive time-tracking tool that integrates with project management platforms.

Harvest

Harvest is a time-tracking and invoicing tool combined. I’ve used Harvest to streamline my billing and cut down invoicing time each month.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks is an all-in-one financial management tool with built-in time-tracking and expense tracking, making it ideal for consultants who want a centralized system.

4. Document Management and e-Signature Tools

HR consultants deal with a ton of paperwork—contracts, compliance documents, handbooks, and training materials. Manually handling these files and chasing signatures wastes valuable time. Using digital document management and e-signature tools has been a game-changer.

Why You Need It

Keeping documents organized and easily accessible not only saves time but also makes you look more professional to your clients. E-signature tools, in particular, speed up the process of getting important contracts signed, without needing to print or scan anything.

Recommended Tools

DocuSign

DocuSign is the industry standard for e-signatures. It allows you to send contracts and documents for signature quickly and easily. I use DocuSign for client contracts, and it’s drastically cut down the time I spend waiting on signatures.

Google Drive

For document storage and collaboration, Google Drive is an excellent tool. It is a cloud-based storage solution for easy file sharing, real-time collaboration, and document organization.

PandaDoc

PandaDoc is a versatile tool that not only handles e-signatures but also provides contract templates and tracking features.

5. Automated Marketing Software

Marketing is crucial for growth, but manually handling it while managing clients can feel overwhelming. Marketing automation tools allow you to generate leads, nurture prospects, and maintain an online presence—without it taking over your schedule.

Why You Need It

Marketing automation tools help you generate leads, nurture prospects, and maintain a consistent online presence—all without requiring your constant attention. By automating certain tasks, you can grow your business while focusing on your core consulting work.

Recommended Tools

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a beginner-friendly email automation platform perfect for newsletters and follow-up sequences. I use it to automate my onboarding email series, saving me hours.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign offers more advanced automation features, including email funnels, CRM integration, and lead scoring. It’s perfect for consultants who want to go beyond basic email marketing and create detailed marketing campaigns that run on autopilot.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a social media scheduling tool that lets you plan content in advance. I use Hootsuite to schedule LinkedIn posts weeks ahead, freeing up time for client work.

The #1 Software for HR Consultants

Juggling multiple tools to manage clients, projects, and finances can be overwhelming. Most software solutions aren’t built for HR consultants, forcing you to piece together different systems to get everything done. That’s where Shrlock comes in.

Shrlock is the first all-in-one platform designed specifically for HR consultants, combining client management, project tracking, and invoicing tools with HR-specific features like an Employee Handbook builder, AI-powered compliance research, and client payroll integrations. Instead of switching between different tools, you can manage your entire business from one centralized system—saving time, reducing errors, and making it easier to scale.

If you’re tired of juggling multiple platforms, Shrlock helps you streamline your workflow so you can focus on what really matters—serving your clients and growing your business.

{{cta}}

Conclusion: Save Time and Focus on Growing Your Business

The right tools can save you hours of manual work each week and give you more time to focus on what matters most—growing your HR consulting business. From project management to automated marketing, these tools have been essential in helping me streamline my operations.

Start by identifying where you’re spending the most time, and choose a tool that addresses that pain point first. Before you know it, you’ll have more time to invest in client relationships, expand your services, and scale your business.

With the right systems in place, you can spend less time on admin work and more time doing what you love—helping businesses thrive through better HR practices.

‍