Best Revenue Management Software

Nathan Calabrese
NC
Researched and written by Nathan Calabrese

Companies use revenue management software to match their sales with customer payments and reduce revenue leakage. Accountants leverage these tools to recognize and allocate revenue to multiple business entities. Managers from departments such as sales, marketing, and operations use revenue management software to monitor the performance of products and services sold by the company and to optimize their offerings. Through the use of these tools, revenue data can be evaluated to identify which customers or contracts are the most profitable for the company.

Revenue management software integrates with both accounting software and ERP systems. This type of software can be delivered standalone or as part of a quote-to-cash suite which includes pricing software, CPQ software, and quote management software. When used by sales and marketing managers, revenue management also needs to integrate with CRM software.

To qualify for inclusion in the Revenue Management category, a product must:

Track pricing details for individual or groups of products and services
Provide features for revenue recognition and allocations
Manage different types of revenue, such as recurring and transaction-based
Analyze the performance of special offers, packages, and incentives
Estimate the impact of discounts and rebates on revenue
Monitor revenue per customer, contract, or project
Include best practices for revenue management optimization
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Featured Revenue Management Software At A Glance

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G2 takes pride in showing unbiased reviews on user satisfaction in our ratings and reports. We do not allow paid placements in any of our ratings, rankings, or reports. Learn about our scoring methodologies.

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85 Listings in Revenue Management Available
(4,592)4.1 out of 5
11th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
View top Consulting Services for NetSuite
(4,107)4.3 out of 5
3rd Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
View top Consulting Services for Sage Intacct
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(1,498)4.2 out of 5
10th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
View top Consulting Services for Agentforce Revenue Management (formerly Salesforce Revenue Cloud)
(89)4.6 out of 5
4th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
View top Consulting Services for HubSpot Commerce Hub
(81)4.8 out of 5
1st Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
Entry Level Price:Contact Us
(926)4.4 out of 5
14th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
View top Consulting Services for SAP Cloud ERP (formerly SAP S/4HANA Cloud)
(206)4.1 out of 5
13th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
View top Consulting Services for Workday Financial Management
Entry Level Price:Free
(842)4.7 out of 5
5th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
View top Consulting Services for DealHub.io
Entry Level Price:Contact Us
(65)5.0 out of 5
6th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
Entry Level Price:Contact Us
(83)4.8 out of 5
9th Easiest To Use in Revenue Management software
Entry Level Price:Contact Us

Learn More About Revenue Management Software

What is Revenue Management Software?

Companies use revenue management software (RMS) to match their sales with customer payments and reduce revenue leakage. Accountants leverage these tools to recognize and allocate revenue to multiple business entities. Managers from departments such as sales, marketing, and operations use revenue management software to monitor the performance of products and services sold by the company and to optimize their offerings. Using these tools, revenue data can be evaluated to identify which customers or contracts are most profitable for the company.

What are the Common Features of Revenue Management Software?

The following are some core features within revenue management software that can help users manage revenue and stay compliant:

Revenue recognition: Revenue recognition is a GAAP (generally accepted accounting principle) that determines how and when revenue is to be recognized. This revenue management software feature helps save time by automatically logging customer or sales info into the system and providing accurate calculations quickly, eliminating human error. Usually, revenue can’t be recognized and accounted for until specific criteria, such as a price being determined, collection of payment, and delivery of goods or services, have been met. Once these criteria have been fulfilled, the dollar amount is measurable to a company. The revenue recognition standard, ASC 606, helps maintain a uniform framework for recognizing revenue from customers.

Reporting: Reporting features in revenue management software include revenue from sales, product/customer profitability, pricing details for individual or groups of products and services, as well as analyzing the performance of special offers, packages, and incentives.

Customer management: This feature allows users to create, approve, and track customers across the lifecycle of every contract. Capturing every contractual change creates greater visibility into a customer's behavior, which can help lower future risks of doing business with those customers.

ASC 606/IFRS 15 compliance: ASC 606/IFRS 15 provides a framework for businesses to recognize revenue more consistently. It affects all businesses that enter into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services—public, private and non-profit organizations. Revenue management software can help with these compliances by determining the transaction price, allocating the transaction price, and recognizing revenue when the company performs their contractual obligations, among others.

Forecasting capabilities: When using revenue data from multiple sources, this feature allows companies to forecast future revenue, allowing teams to make more informed decisions for the future. Forecasting also gives insight into the financial impact of changing business models, pricing strategies, and customer contracts.

Integrations: Revenue management software is sometimes delivered as a standalone product, but others can be integrated into accounting software and ERP systems. When used by sales and marketing managers, revenue management must also integrate with CRM software.

What are the Benefits of Revenue Management Software?

Revenue management software has several benefits that help organizations reduce lost revenue and stay compliant.

Minimize revenue leakage: Revenue leakage is a preventable loss of revenue from a company, which can be minimized by eliminating manual data entry, accurately tracking invoices, and attributing the correct costs to the jobs performed, to name a few. Revenue management software can help an organization better manage these tasks, minimizing revenue leakage.

Eliminate manual processes: As mentioned above, manual processes can lead to revenue leakage, human error, and wasted time. Several actions in the revenue management process can be partially or fully automated to save time, reduce human interaction, and minimize the possibility of avoidable errors. Some of these processes are approving invoices or timesheets in real time, flagging invalid data, and tracking invoices.

Stay compliant: The two most prominent frameworks for businesses to manage revenue more consistently are ASC 606 and IFRS 15, which affect all businesses that enter into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services. The higher the volume of contracts and transactions, the more challenging it is for companies to comply with these revenue recognition guidelines. Revenue management software contains tools to help determine the correct contract price, while allocating the price to the correct service/good delivered at the time of completion. 

Who Uses Revenue Management Software?

The following roles will often use revenue management software:

Accountants: Accountants use revenue management tools to recognize and allocate revenue to multiple business entities, track all revenue streams, remain compliant, and verify that payments are received as expected.

Managers: Managers from departments such as sales, marketing, and operations use revenue management software to monitor the performance of products and services sold by the company and to optimize their offerings for the greatest customer value and profitability. This software can provide important insights into which products and services are performing well.

Challenges with Revenue Management Software

Revenue management solutions can come with their own set of challenges. 

Complex sales transactions: The complexity and volume of sales transactions can add their own set of challenges. The most basic of contracts can become challenging if there are hundreds of contracts to manage, while e-commerce transactions can easily be in the thousands every day. A revenue management system must be capable of keeping up with large volumes of contracts and transactions.

Inconsistent data: Tracking and managing revenue requires a variety of inputs. Examples of these inputs include billing overages, pricing, customer support fees, discounts, incentives, and usage charges. To provide the system with accurate data, there needs to be a lot of inter-departmental coordination and communication to accurately support the revenue management process.

How to Buy Revenue Management Software

Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Revenue Management Software

When selecting revenue management software, it is essential to first look at how the business operates and then familiarize oneself with the different types of software available. There are a variety of options when it comes to revenue management software products, including those designed for the business needs of small and medium-sized companies. Some things to consider include the ability to automate complicated revenue calculations, handle different types of product contracts, and monitor revenue per customer, contract, or project.

Compare Revenue Management Software Products

Create a long list

Depending on the industry, the buyer might want to first create a long list of software products designed to help businesses in the particular industry. For example, there are platforms specifically built for businesses in retail, manufacturers, restaurants, hotels, etc.

Create a short list

After reviewing and researching the software on the long list, the buyer can widdle down this list based on the budget. Revenue management software is available to suit all budgets, and some general applications may be downloaded free or bought off the shelf at a lower price.

Buyers must keep in mind, however, that the more specialized a software is, the more expensive it gets. This is the case because the user base for specialized software is usually relatively small. If the company wants something specific to their industry or customized for the business, they should be prepared to pay a premium.

Conduct demos

As a rule of thumb, companies should make sure to demo all of the products that end up on their short list. During demos, buyers should ask specific questions related to the functionalities they care most about. For example, one might ask to be walked through any features for revenue recognition and allocation, forecasting project cost and revenue, and analyzing the performance of special offers, packages, and incentives.

Selection of Revenue Management Software

Choose a selection team

The accountants or managers from departments such as sales, marketing, and operations who will be using this software must be involved in the selection process. Every business is different, and the accountants, or other frequent users, are most likely in the best position to offer an educated opinion about the best choice for the business's particular needs. The accountant may even be able to help the company install and set up the software of choice.

After choosing a software, buyers must remember that they don’t have to be stuck with this selection forever; most platforms allow for add-ons or modifications. However, this decision shouldn’t be made lightly because no matter what software is chosen, it will be a big time and money commitment. To see ROI, buyers can’t change their minds a few months later and switch software again.

Negotiation

Negotiating a software contract is vital to minimize risk, whether in terms of performance protection, security protection, or simply making sure that both parties are in complete agreement with what to expect from the other. If the business has the cash flow, they could ask for a discount in return for an annual upfront payment, and many software providers are happy to make that deal. Other times, a software provider may offer unlimited usage if the buyer pays upfront instead of paying a monthly or quarterly package price.

Buyers should also determine if they need help implementing the software or integrating it with another system. Usually, a software provider's first offer will include some implementation services in a given timeframe. Buyers can ask for these services to be removed if they can manage it themselves or if a third party can do it for cheaper.

They also need to decide for how long they will need this software. If the company will use the software for years, the buyer can negotiate longer terms which sometimes results in more favorable pricing.

Final decision

The final decision should be based on all the information gathered previously. Businesses should try to prioritize needs and select the solution that meets most, if not all, of their requirements. Companies must remember that there isn't a perfect software, but there is one that is best for their business. If possible, buyers should try to conduct a pilot program with a smaller sample size of users to gauge how well the software is received. If the platform gets high marks, they can buy with more confidence. If the tool is found to be inefficient or not performing as expected, it might be time to test another software.