Systems for agencies and media companies
We set up new-business tracking, project management, time recording and billing for agencies, so every hour worked is planned, recorded and invoiced.
What makes media and advertising different
An agency sells time and ideas. Its profit depends on winning the right work, delivering it within the hours quoted and invoicing everything that was done. Most agencies lose margin in the gap between those three.
New business pipeline
Pitches and proposals are tracked informally, so forecasting is unreliable.
Project overruns
Without time recorded against estimates, overruns are discovered after the fact.
Unbilled work
Extra requests are carried out and never invoiced.
Client reporting
Clients expect regular, clear reports on what was delivered.
What we set up
These are the parts of the system that matter most in this sector.
Pipeline and proposals
Opportunities, pitches and proposals tracked from first conversation to signed work.
Projects and tasks
Work broken into tasks with owners, deadlines and estimated hours.
Time recording
Hours logged against projects and compared with the estimate.
Billing
Invoices raised from recorded time, retainers and expenses.
Which platform fits
The right platform depends on the size and shape of your operation. This is how we usually see it.
Zoho
Our usual recommendation: Zoho CRM for new business, Zoho Projects for delivery and Zoho Books for billing, often as Zoho One.
Odoo
A good fit for agencies that want projects, timesheets and accounting tightly integrated in one system.
Microsoft
Suits larger agencies and media groups that run on Microsoft 365 and want Power BI reporting.
Common questions
Can we see whether a project is profitable while it is running?
Yes. Recorded time and costs are compared with the estimate throughout the project.
Can retainers be handled?
Yes. Recurring retainers, hours used against them and any overage can be tracked and billed.
Will the team actually record time?
Adoption improves when time entry is quick and tied to tasks people already use. We set it up that way and include it in training.
Explore further
Projects and delivery in this sector
Marketing in this sector
Finance and accounting in this sector
Doing work that never gets invoiced? Talk to us.
Tell us how projects and time are tracked today. We will show you where the margin is leaking.