DSC Billing: 7 costly mistakes (and how to avoid them)
"We thought our margins were fine. In reality, we were losing 8% of revenue each year due to billing errors." — CFO of a 60-consultant DSC
Billing is the lifeblood of any digital services company. Yet it's often the most neglected process... until cash flow problems appear.
Shocking figure: According to our analysis of 150+ DSCs, billing errors represent an average of 3 to 12% loss in annual revenue.
Mistake #1: Unvalidated Activity Reports that linger
The classic scenario: end of month, you chase consultants for Activity Reports, some respond 3 days late, the client takes a week to validate. Result: billing delayed by at least 15 days.
The solution: Automatic reminders D-5, D-3, D-1, mobile validation in 30 seconds, one-click client workflow.
Mistake #2: Misapplied daily rates
Real case: A DSC was billing a senior consultant at €450/day instead of €550. Over a 12-month mission, a net loss of €22,000.
The solution: Centralized daily rate database, automatic alerts, and direct contract/billing link.
Mistake #3: Forgotten reimbursable expenses
On average, 15 to 25% of reimbursable expenses are never billed.
The solution: Mobile app to scan receipts, automatic association expenses → mission → invoice.
Mistake #4: Unprocessed amendments
According to our data: 1 in 5 missions has at least one amendment, and 30% of amendments are not correctly reflected in billing.
The solution: Amendment workflow with automatic billing update.
Mistake #5: Manual monthly billing
Average time observed: 2 to 4 days for a 50-consultant DSC. Estimated monthly cost: €2,000 - €5,000.
The solution: Complete automation. From 4 days to 2 hours.
Mistake #6: No overdue tracking
25% of invoices are paid after 60 days, 5% are never paid.
The solution: Real-time dashboard, automatic reminders, and bank integration.
Mistake #7: No visibility on mission profitability
Do you know which mission is really profitable? Which client costs you money?
The solution: Dashboards with gross margin per mission, margin per consultant, and utilization rate.
Summary: The cost of 7 mistakes
For a 50-consultant DSC, these errors can represent €100,000 to €250,000 in annual losses.
The solution: Digitize and automate
These 7 mistakes have one thing in common: they disappear with the right tools.
- Digital Activity Reports with one-click validation
- Centralized daily rates linked to contracts
- Expenses automatically associated with missions
- Billing generated from validated Activity Reports
- Payment tracking with automatic reminders
- Real-time profitability dashboards