Generated report · unedited content
Kantata → Slalom · Competitor: AsanaMeeting Game Plan
Understand how Slalom manages consultant allocation, project delivery, utilization and profitability; identify relevant opportunities and agree on an appropriate next step.
Use Kantata PSA as Slalom’s delivery control tower for ERP/CRM and CX programs, with AI agents to automate staffing, status, and risk workflows.
- 1.Where do utilization and margin forecasts live today, and how confident are you in them?
- 2.Which delivery workflows would you automate first with AI agents?
- 3.What systems must PSA integrate with for a pilot (ERP, CRM, HRIS, data lake)?
- 4.How are delivery best practices captured—docs or embedded in tools?
Slalom is prioritizing AI as a growth lever and evolving operating models to scale emerging tech in delivery.
- Purpose-built PSA unifying delivery economics
- Embedded AI agents for services workflows
- Enterprise-grade integrations
- Focus on profitable growth for PS firms
Acknowledge Asana’s easy start. Shift to PSA depth: unified staffing, time/expense, and financial governance with AI in the flow of delivery.
"Thanks for the time, Alex. You’ve been vocal about AI as a growth lever and shifting operating models. We thought it would be useful to focus on how Kantata PSA can tighten utilization, staffing, and margin control—and use AI agents to speed the day-to-day delivery work you run on ERP/CRM programs."
Book a working session to map KPIs, integrations, and 2 AI-agent use cases, then confirm a 4–6 week pilot scope.
PotentialADVANCECustomer priority · Path visiblePlanning signal: 58%
Lead with PSA control of delivery economics and resourcing, then layer in AI agents for faster planning and fewer manual handoffs. Map to Slalom’s AI operating model themes and omnichannel program needs.
Conversation stays at generic task management where Asana looks simpler; we must shift to services delivery governance, utilization, forecast accuracy, and integrations.
Slalom
Kantata Professional Services Automation
Slalom prioritizes AI as a growth lever and operating model change. ERP/CRM programs are complex; teams that automate and standardize delivery win on speed and margin. Kantata PSA unifies project, resource, time/expense, and financials with strong integrations and AI agents (Expertise Engine, Agent Studio) to codify repeatable work. Asana offers approachable, tiered packages but is general work management. Our edge is PSA depth for utilization, margins, forecasting, and embedded AI in delivery.
Value Proposition
Kantata PSA gives Slalom a single system to run services delivery—staffing to financials—with AI agents automating repeatable work and enterprise integrations reducing handoffs.
Single source of truth for delivery economics
Centralize scope, staffing, time/expense, and project financials so leaders can trust utilization and margin forecasts.
AI-in-the-flow to speed planning and reduce manual work
Use Expertise Engine and Agent Studio to build agents that automate staffing suggestions, status rollups, and risk flags.
Enterprise integrations for clean handoffs
Connect PSA with ERP/CRM/HRIS and data platforms to eliminate swivel-chair work and speed billing and reporting.
De-risk complex ERP/CRM and CX programs
Use PSA governance to keep scope, resources, and budgets aligned so large programs stay on track.
Productize repeatable services work
Codify best practices into PSA workflows and AI agents to onboard faster and deliver more consistently.
Why Us / USPs
Purpose-built PSA that unifies project, resource, and financial management
Why it matters: You get one place to govern utilization and margins across programs.
Customer value: Cleaner month-end, higher forecast confidence, fewer surprises.
AI agents embedded in delivery workflows (Expertise Engine, Agent Studio)
Why it matters: Automation sits where teams work, not in side tools.
Customer value: Faster staffing and status cycles; consistent execution.
Enterprise integration ecosystem
Why it matters: ERP/CRM/HRIS connectivity reduces handoffs and errors.
Customer value: Less rework, faster time-to-value, better data continuity.
Positioning for profitable growth in PS organizations
Why it matters: Delivery insights drive both margin and scale.
Customer value: Supports growth without losing control of economics.
Industry Insights
ERP initiatives are complex and risk-heavy
Impact: Leaders need proven delivery tooling to control resources and budgets.
Automation/digitization are the next ERP value wave
Impact: Teams that productize repeatable work will protect margins.
CRM trends push unified data and omnichannel engagement
Impact: Cross-functional visibility across people and budgets is crucial.
Slalom highlights AI as a growth lever and operating model shift
Impact: Embedding AI in delivery can unlock new services and speed decisions.
Where We Can Create Value
Unify delivery economics for ERP/CRM programs
Leaders need clean utilization, margin by project, and forecast accuracy in one place.
Embed AI agents to automate planning and status work
AI in the flow reduces cycle times and creates consistency.
Reduce swivel-chair work with enterprise integrations
Tighter handoffs speed billing, reporting, and decisions.
Discovery Questions
Build on their interest in Kantata Professional Services Automation: understand the workflow, desired outcome, and most useful next step.
"Where do your ERP/CRM program managers reconcile scope, staffing, time/expense, and project financials today?"
Listen for: Multiple tools and spreadsheets; manual month-end close; delayed visibility into margin/utilization
"Which delivery workflows would you automate first if you had safe, configurable AI agents?"
Listen for: Staffing suggestions, status rollups, risk flags, SOW-to-plan mapping
"What systems must your delivery data touch—ERP, CRM, HRIS, data lakes—and where do handoffs break down today?"
Listen for: Swivel-chair work, duplicate entry, delayed billing, API/connector needs
"How do you measure success on CX or contact center transformations—cost-to-serve, NPS, revenue impact—and who owns those metrics?"
Listen for: Cross-functional KPI ownership, data fragmentation, governance needs
"What is your utilization and margin forecast cadence, and how confident are you in the numbers?"
Listen for: Forecast accuracy gaps, lagging visibility, rework at month-end
"How are delivery best practices captured today—documents, playbooks, or already embedded in tools?"
Listen for: Tribal knowledge vs. embedded workflows; appetite to codify
Competitor Battlecard
Clear, tiered packaging and an easy way to start small with familiar work management.
Published, tiered packaging simplifies initial purchasing and pilots with small teams.
Sources & context
Sources: M5S4
Unified PSA for project-resource-financials to govern utilization and margins.
Sources & context
Sources: M5S3
AI agents embedded in delivery workflows (Expertise Engine, Agent Studio).
Sources & context
Sources: M3S2 · M3S3
Enterprise-grade integrations across ERP/CRM/HRIS and more.
Sources & context
Sources: M5S5 · M5S2
Customer priority
Tight control of utilization, margin by project, and forecast accuracy
Competitor position
Asana focuses on tasks and collaboration, not unified delivery economics
Our advantage
Kantata unifies project-resource-financials with PSA governance
Evidence: PSA core centralizes delivery and financial data
Question to ask
Which margin/utilization metrics do you need in one place, and how are they produced today?
Customer priority
Embed AI into day-to-day delivery (staffing suggestions, status rollups, risk flags)
Competitor position
General AI usage outside delivery flows
Our advantage
Expertise Engine + Agent Studio for in-flow services agents
Evidence: AI agents built via plain language for delivery tasks
Question to ask
Which delivery tasks would you automate first with in-tool agents?
Customer priority
Reliable enterprise integrations across ERP/CRM/HRIS
Competitor position
Work management connectors may not cover PSA-grade data flows
Our advantage
Enterprise integration emphasis for services delivery
Evidence: Documented focus on integrations for heterogeneous stacks
Question to ask
What are your must-have integrations and data sync frequency?
Ask to verify: Current Slalom delivery tool stack (PSA, PPM, work management, time/expense)
Ask to verify: Where utilization, margin, and forecast metrics live today and who owns them
Ask to verify: Systems to integrate during a pilot (ERP, CRM, HRIS, data lake)
Ask to verify: Top 2–3 delivery workflows Slalom wants to automate with AI first
"Do you need to manage utilization, staffing, time/expense, and project financials in one system with auditability?"
Sources & context
Sources: M5S3 · M5S4
"How important is it to embed AI agents directly into delivery workflows rather than in separate tools?"
Sources & context
Sources: M3S2 · M3S3
"Which systems must the delivery platform integrate with, and where do handoffs fail today?"
Sources & context
Sources: M5S5 · M5S2
Intro / Opening
"Alex, great to meet. You’ve been leaning into AI as a growth driver and shifting operating models. We’d like to focus on the delivery side—how you staff, forecast utilization and margins, and keep ERP/CRM and CX programs on track—and show how Kantata PSA plus AI agents can help."
"Before we show anything, where do utilization, staffing, and project financials live today, and what’s the friction you want to remove first?"
Sales Pitch
"When utilization, time/expense, and project financials sit together, you get real-time margin by project. Kantata centralizes that so finance and delivery stay in lockstep."
Connects to: Unified project-resource-financials with auditable time/expense
Business value: Cleaner month-end and higher forecast confidence
"We can spin up agents for staffing suggestions and status rollups using plain language. It lives where PMs and resource managers already work."
Connects to: AI embedded in delivery workflows
Business value: Faster staffing and status cycles; consistent delivery
"Kantata acts as the delivery hub—connects to ERP/CRM/HRIS so data flows without swivel-chair work."
Connects to: Reliable integrations with ERP/CRM/HRIS
Business value: Fewer errors, faster billing/reporting, better visibility
"Let’s take your highest-impact playbook and turn it into an agent that guides steps and automates the admin around it."
Connects to: Codify playbooks into tools
Business value: Shorter onboarding and consistent outcomes
Objection Handling
Asana is already familiar and easy to buy.
Totally. Where you need unified utilization, time/expense, and financial governance, a PSA is the right tool. We can still integrate with your stack and start with a focused pilot.
Sources & context
Sources: M5S4 · M5S3
AI is handled by another team/tool.
Makes sense. The gain here is putting AI in the flow—agents that handle staffing suggestions, status rollups, and risks right inside PSA.
Sources & context
Sources: M3S2 · M3S3
Closing Strategy
Recap the top delivery frictions, align them to PSA unification and 2–3 AI-agent use cases, and propose a short pilot plan.
Great—let’s book a 60–90 minute working session next week with delivery ops, resourcing, and finance to map KPIs, integrations, and pilot scope.
Sounds good—what would you want to see proven first: forecast accuracy, faster staffing, or fewer handoffs? We’ll tailor a pilot plan around that.
Understood. Beyond task management, where do month-end close or margin surprises still cause rework? If nothing urgent, we can share a brief overview and reconnect when priorities shift.
Next Best Action
Secure a cross-functional working session and define a pilot with 1–2 programs, minimal integrations, and 2 AI-agent use cases.
Moves from interest to a concrete proof path tied to utilization, margin control, and automation goals.