How a Professional Services Firm Unified Operations in Four Countries with 1,200+ Services

Shehan Gamage, Chief Operating Officer @ SRP International

1,200+ services
managed across multiple departments
3+ expansions
supported internationally
50% of workforce
empowered with automated tools
“Before SmartSuite, we were using Airtable and spreadsheets just to survive. With SmartSuite, we’re thriving—everything is connected, automated, and clear.”
Shehan Gamage, COO @ SRP International

Problem

Scaling Global Operations Without the Overhead

A global BPO and corporate services provider with operations in Sri Lanka, Dubai, Singapore, and the UK, was scaling fast—managing over 1,200 services across HR, finance, and company secretarial functions. But internal systems weren’t keeping up. Airtable proved too complex, Google Sheets too manual, and Monday too costly for the scale and adaptability required.

Bottlenecks surfaced across nearly every department. Client onboarding, task tracking, payment approvals, and leave management lacked cohesion, leading to skipped steps, inconsistent execution, and constant data-chasing. Teams struggled to follow processes without a centralized system to guide and automate handoffs.

Leadership needed a flexible, easy-to-use platform that could consolidate operations, reduce friction, and scale with the business—without the overhead of building out a full-time IT department.

Q1

Solution

Connecting Teams Through a Single Platform

SmartSuite was introduced as the firms centralized business platform. Implementation began with a custom-built CRM solution that acted as the entry point for all services. From there, SmartSuite connected workflows across finance, HR, and operations. Each department received its own view and automation rules, ensuring clarity, accountability, and cross-functional alignment.

Automation played a key role. Once a client was marked “active,” all relevant teams were notified with clear instructions and attached documents. Finance was able to manage bank payment approvals and track expenses through custom forms and approval logic. HR systems were built in parallel, enabling employee leave tracking, IOU request approvals, and onboarding dashboards—all within SmartSuite’s native tools.

The firmcavoided external integrations or third-party tools by using SmartSuite’s dashboards, forms, and document management capabilities. A digital company intranet was even built on SmartSuite, giving new employees access to policies, calendars, org charts, and software links from day one.

Q2

Results

Centralized Control for Confident Scaling

SmartSuite has become the backbone of the firms operations. By centralizing critical functions and eliminating manual work, the company dramatically increased visibility and control across departments. The client CRM now drives every internal workflow, from invoicing to HR action plans.

The finance team streamlined payment approvals and expense tracking, allowing faster decisions and fewer delays. HR teams shifted from Google Sheets to SmartSuite-based systems for tracking leave balances, conducting performance reviews, and managing recruitment. A previously time-intensive onboarding process is now digital and standardized.

About 50% of the firms 60-person staff are active SmartSuite users—mainly department heads and back-office teams. The result is faster workflows, reduced errors, and a more connected organization that can confidently scale its global client base.

Download Customer Story PDF

Customer Name

Consulting Firm – Global

Industry

Professional Services

Team

Service

Region

Oceania

Company size

Mid-Market

Pain point

Fragmented systems hindered scalability and visibility

Products replaced

Airtable, Google Sheets, Monday

About the company

A worldwide professional services firm providing consulting and training in leadership development and organizational effectiveness.