Running a fast-growing professional services business isn’t easy. When things move quickly, it’s all too common for sales, delivery, and finance to end up working in silos—making promises, doing their best to keep them, and trying to make sense of the numbers afterward.
That’s exactly what was happening at Classy Llama, a digital commerce agency experiencing strong business growth but internal operational friction. Sales, delivery, and finance were each operating in isolation, and that lack of alignment was slowing them down.
They didn’t just need better tools. They needed a purpose-built solution—and a partner—to guide them forward.
The Challenge
Growth Fueled by Custom Systems—and Hidden Inefficiencies
Like many fast-scaling organizations, Classy Llama had initially relied on a homegrown PSA system built entirely on-platform. It had served them well in early growth phases, but over time, it had evolved into a patchwork of customizations and rigid data structures.
The leadership team faced a key decision: double down on a custom-built solution with increasing technical debt—or pivot to a best-in-class, purpose-built platform that could scale with their business and eliminate unnecessary complexity.
At the same time, they were feeling the strain of disconnected operations:
- Sales and delivery were managed in separate systems, leading to planning gaps.
- Project resource needs were identified reactively, often after deals were signed.
- Time tracking was manual and burdensome for consultants.
- Project profitability could only be assessed in hindsight.
- Finance teams were slowed down by manual invoicing and paperwork.
Classy Llama knew it was time to shift. They needed a platform that could unify the business—and a partner who could make that transition smooth and strategic.
Solution
From Custom Complexity to Connected Clarity
 Classy Llama engaged A5, a certified Certinia implementation partner, to lead their services transformation. With deep experience in services execution and process design, A5 worked closely with leadership to map out a smarter, scalable approach built on Certinia PSA and ERP.
Here’s what changed:
1. Replacing Custom Complexity with a Proven PSA Platform
Rather than continue building on their custom PSA, Classy Llama adopted Certinia PSA—a best-in-class solution built specifically for services businesses. This allowed the team to eliminate technical debt and accelerate innovation.
2. Rethinking Rigid Data Models
Their legacy system enforced tightly coupled data structures that limited flexibility. With Certinia, they were able to reframe their approach to data relationships, enabling dynamic, real-time insights across Utilization, Forecasting, and Estimate vs. Actuals. This unlocked a new level of strategic visibility.
3. Aligning Sales, Services, and Finance
Certinia enabled unified visibility into project scoping, timelines, and margins—bridging the gaps between functions and improving collaboration across departments.
4. Delivering Projects with Precision
Project managers could now access all key information in one place, enabling proactive resourcing, real-time budget oversight, and better delivery execution.
5. Driving Financial Automation and Agility
Certinia ERP transformed the finance function by automating invoicing and enabling real-time revenue visibility—helping Classy Llama accelerate cash flow and improve margin control.
6. Keeping Technical Teams Aligned
A seamless Certinia-Jira integration ensured that development and delivery teams were operating from the same project plan, enhancing delivery consistency and execution speed.
Results
Faster, Smarter, Stronger
With Certinia implemented by A5, Classy Llama saw measurable improvements across the board:
- Faster quoting and earlier project starts through clearer scoping.
- Fewer last-minute resource bottlenecks with proactive planning.
- Real-time insight into project profitability and execution performance.
- Reduced manual effort across teams.
- Stronger, more consistent client delivery.
“We chose Certinia for its PSA and financial tools and brought in A5 as our implementation partner. Their team didn’t just check boxes—they asked the right questions, helped us rethink our processes, and made sure the system worked for how we actually operate. Thanks to their support, we’re more efficient, more informed, and better equipped to scale.”
A5 Advantage
At A5, we empower services businesses to scale smarter by aligning the systems they use with how they actually work. As a trusted Certinia implementation partner, we bring deep domain experience in PSA and ERP transformation—turning disconnected operations into unified, data-driven decision making.
Whether you’re a growing agency or a global services firm, A5 ensures that your Certinia implementation delivers measurable business impact from day one.
Thinking about what’s next for your business? Let’s build something that scales.
