Huware: interpreting SaaS Service Management Processes for Efficient Sales, Billing and Reporting Workflows.

What happens when two companies come together, sharing the exact same vision of advanced technology as a tool at the service of people?

Within an extended team, a bond of collaboration and trust is formed. In just a few short months, this synergy leads to the seamless integration of business process management needs with customized ERP solutions.

This is the fertile ground upon which we at Green Tree developed the implementation of Oracle NetSuite for Huware, a cloud consulting firm specializing in corporate digital transformation.

THE HUWARE CASE

Drawing on its extensive experience in cloud computing, data, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, Huware supports companies through a transformation process that puts people and sustainability at the heart of everything we do. Its projects are based on cutting-edge technologies, and it is a premier partner of Google Cloud, Salesforce, LumApps and monday.com.

Huware is a Benefit Corporation committed to fostering a culture of sustainability driven by innovation and people.

The company operates across various industries—including manufacturing, retail, digital-native businesses, and the fashion sector—adopting a tailored approach to meet the specific needs of each client.

This results in the delivery of both consulting services and SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions, which are cloud-based applications accessible via the internet and utilized by users through monthly subscriptions or annual licenses.

When managing the sales and billing workflows for both of these service types, the critical challenges initially reported by the company primarily concerned three aspects:

  1. High variability in profit margins, linked to the development of complex projects, the correct allocation of costs and revenues, and the financial impact of the consulting component;
  2. Difficulty in automating the sales and renewal processes for software subscriptions and licenses (cloud and SaaS);
  3. Poor data integration between the sales and development departments, resulting in the inability to update the actual costs and resources deployed, which is essential for maximizing profitability per individual project/client.

Strategy, Tools and Achieved Results

Following the initial phase where the main areas of intervention were outlined, we at Green Tree mapped the sales and billing workflows. This allowed us to visualize and analyze in detail every step, interaction, and data point involved in the commercial and financial process.

Based on this step, we were able to agree with Huware on which Oracle NetSuite modules and add-ons would be most effective to install. The goal was to provide a more efficient, scalable management system tailored to the company’s needs, enhancing departmental integration, resource tracking, and the monitoring of sales, processing, billing, and reporting phases.

Alongside the Oracle NetSuite Projects and Revenue Recognition modules, we chose to implement SuiteBilling, which is specifically designed to simplify and automate the management and billing of recurring subscriptions and licenses typical of cloud and SaaS services.

To ensure full compliance with Italian fiscal and accounting regulations, the core management modules were paired with the NExIL (NetSuite Extended Italian Localization) extension—dedicated to companies operating in the Italian market—and the Suite+ “advanced bill item receipt” add-on, developed entirely by Green Tree.

With the go-live of the new ERP system, Huware was immediately able to rely on:

1. Cost reconciliation and correct revenue allocation;

2. Complete automation of a complex and repetitive billing process;

3. Seamless integration between the development (Project Management) and sales (Accounting) areas;

4. Project- and client-specific reporting aimed at management control.

What did the mapping and automation of sales, billing, and reporting workflows achieve?

A few months in, Huware has significantly accelerated its management processes. Subscriptions and licenses continue to generate upfront recurring revenues (monthly or annual), but they are now automatically allocated to the correct accounting period.

Project-based, non-recurring consulting services also now benefit from accurate tracking of work-in-progress. This enables the verification of actual costs incurred, protecting and improving profit margins for each individual client and project.

Furthermore, automating invoice issuance—whether for standalone subscriptions/licenses, standalone project-based consulting, or bundled “consulting + cloud/SaaS services”—has substantially reduced accounting processing times and errors. This has also ensured greater control over contractual conditions (such as discounts, extensions, and upselling) and a town of even higher transparency with clients.

Finally, from an internal governance perspective, every project now reports its associated costs (hours, resources, subcontracts) and revenues. This makes it possible to determine the actual profitability per order, per client, per consulting service, or per issued license, allowing for prompt intervention in case of anomalies or inaccurate profit forecasts.

How to Maximize the Potential Integrations of Oracle NetSuite

The integration between Oracle NetSuite and Agicap—a financial planning platform that monitors cash flow and liquidity in real time through automated synchronization with bank accounts and ERP systems—has been crucial in enabling Huware to optimize its financial workflows and make informed decisions for corporate profitability.

On the sales side, a future integration between Oracle NetSuite and the Salesforce CRM (currently used for managing commercial contacts) can also be designed. This integration would achieve a unified view of each lead and client, fostering collaboration among the sales, development, and finance teams, while improving management oversight.

Furthermore, EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) systems already integrated with NetSuite, specifically Planning and Budgeting, could further accelerate financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes.

This is not to mention that future AI-driven features will make it easier to identify trends and anomalies, supporting fast and accurate strategic decisions within companies.

Are there still many innovation opportunities ahead of us?

At Green Tree, just like at Huware, we are certain of it, and we are already preparing to reap the benefits so we can share them with all businesses committed to growing in domestic and international markets.