Consider you're juggling multiple client projects, and the stress of staying organized and on top of each task is overwhelming. If you’re like most marketing agency professionals, you can relate to this scenario all too well. Project management tools can help reduce the chaos of agency life by streamlining repetitive processes, organizing team tasks, and keeping clients in the loop. If you’re looking to improve your marketing agency operations, you may want to consider the agency project management tools that can help you create and grow your productized service efficiently.
One solution that can help you achieve your objectives, like creating and growing your productized service effectively, is Orchestra’s grow your productized service. This tool will help you implement effective processes for your productized service to reduce chaos, improve service delivery, and keep your clients happy.
Benefits of Project Management Tools
1. Effortless Project Planning
Years of managing projects have shown enterprises that the time spent planning project management goes to waste. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Project management software has moved forward to get you accurate AI predictions of when projects can be completed, capturing constraints like cost, scope, and schedule. The key benefit of advanced project management solutions is automation when it comes to project planning and scheduling.
Such platforms help experts establish a solid project foundation and provide tools to scope out the milestones, key deliverables, and roles before executing. They’ll keep plans up to date and help to track progress against your baseline. Ten years ago, we could only dream about cutting down on planning overhead. Project management software can take the guesswork out of estimations and automatically allocate the best resources available.
2. Balanced Resource Management
Experienced project managers know that to deliver projects successfully, they’ll need an effective resource management strategy to keep their teams in tip-top shape without overbooking them with work or vice versa. The importance of resource planning should not be underestimated, as it encourages healthier work standards. Project and resource management tools have the best features to spot resource bottlenecks and insights on when to bring more people onto the team, like the following heatmap that provides visibility into the workloads of the entire portfolio of resources.
Resource management is crucial at professional services companies that manage multiple projects. As an agency, we are constantly working on various projects at once. With real-time resource management, keeping tabs on everyone’s workload is much easier. We’re continually ensuring that a project’s timeline and resources do not conflict with another project’s needs.
Our calendars feel like a game of Tetris. That’s why it was so important to us that our project management software provides real-time resource management. It allows us to update project plans quickly when a deadline moves up, the scope changes or another team member frees up and can suddenly pitch in. - Elena Valenzuela-Stookey
3. Pipeline Forecasting
More often than not, the role of a project manager implies managing multiple projects. Companies become more competitive and profitable by taking in more initiatives and leading them in parallel. However, what often comes together with multi-project management is the lack of visibility into how multiple projects progress and resources are allocated.
Project management software provides everyone with an overview of finished, running, and planned projects so all kinds of bottlenecks can be prevented before they lead to a disaster. This is also important for planning team capacity and knowing when to hire new employees.
4. Improved Team Collaboration
Beyond various resource management benefits, project management solutions are designed to improve team collaboration. People frequently designate tasks that are part of a more significant project the whole team tries to complete. Project management software allows employees to collaborate on projects by discussing tasks, timelines, dependencies, outstanding work, etc.
5. Real-Time Project Budget Management
Budgets are among one of the most critical items in controlling your projects. The way forward for any business depends on how well you can deliver within the budget provided. Project management software helps control the budget from the initial statement of work to the final delivery.
6. Solid Up-to-the-Minute Reporting
Monitoring work progress is essential for long-term success for just about any business. Dedicated software plays a vital role in monitoring the stages of projects and can provide insights into whether things will be completed on time. This is achieved through daily time registrations that feed directly into the reporting mechanism. Project management software solutions can then assist you in making the right decisions as you have all the details in one designated place.
7. Effective Internal & External Communication
Project management software develops a funnel for internal communication concerning tasks and projects for the team and externally for your clients and other stakeholders. For instance, document sharing, whether inside the tool or in an integrated 3rd party system, enables people to find comprehensive information that allows transparency and communication.
In addition to internal communication, companies should be able to talk to and collaborate with clients and suppliers from the same place. Using project management software, they can allow their clients to log in and view only project data relevant specifically to them. This way, clients can provide direct feedback, make edits, and review project progress in the same place.
8. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
Another frequently cited benefit of project management software is enhanced customer satisfaction. When you get a project done promptly and under budget, the client walks away with a smile on their face - and a satisfied customer is one you will see again. Innovative project management software offers the tools that allow this customer/supplier relationship to carry on. Applying fundamental project management software strategies will narrow your focus, achieve your goals, and improve your deliverability and success rate.
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9 Tips for Efficient Project Management for Agencies
1. Put Orchestra to Work for You
Orchestra helps agencies scale their productized services and launch them with ease. The all-in-one growth toolkit comes equipped with a white-labeled client portal, task management features, and real-time analytics so you can deliver and manage your service professionally from day one.
Use Orchestra to streamline your workflow, enhance your service, and collaborate with clients seamlessly while maintaining a private workspace with your team. You can customize your setup with integrations like Slack and webhooks for a fully branded experience. Try Orchestra for free today and see how it can help you grow your productized service.
2. Get a Signed Scope of Work Before Starting Any Projects
The first step to effective project management is to ensure the work's scope to be completed is clearly defined and thoroughly documented. This includes descriptions of project deliverables, milestones or checkpoints, realistic timelines, and sign-off dates, project budget, processes for handling changes and amends, roles and responsibilities, acceptance criteria, and your communication plan.
Next, share your scope document with key stakeholders, schedule meetings to review it, and get formal sign-off to confirm their understanding of and agreement with the project scope. This stage is key to managing client expectations and preventing misunderstandings later. It keeps everyone on the same page and allows better communication and collaboration.
3. Check for Upcoming Holidays
One of the reasons projects can overrun on time is not factoring in people’s annual leave. This is true for internal resource planning when your creative and account teams have time off scheduled, and those in the client team are responsible for giving feedback, signing work off, and keeping things moving. Of course, not all time off is scheduled. Therefore, good agency project planning always includes contingency plans or allows a little extra time.
4. Schedule Client Reviews at Key Stages
Communication is vital to good creative project management, so you’ll want to schedule regular client reviews to gather feedback and ensure the work is aligned with their expectations. It makes sense to time these reviews to coincide with key milestones, such as completing a significant deliverable or project phase. As mentioned above, don’t forget to check if stakeholders are available.
5. Estimate Accurately (i.e., Realistically)
Most of us will underestimate the complexity of a project and the time needed to complete it, at least in the beginning. This is often due to optimism bias – a tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive outcomes and underestimate the likelihood of negative ones. While this sounds like a good trait, it’s rarely realistic and can lead to broken promises later.
Instead, a better approach is cultivating a healthy degree of pessimism, factoring in complexity, risk, your track record with that client, and the number of stakeholders. Learn from past projects and talk to creatives to get their input. You should also add a contingency in case of unforeseen issues or changes to the project scope.
6. Define Amends Vs Changes
These two tricky words can cause many problems in creative project management. An amendment may involve minor adjustments, but a change can affect the thought process, timelines, and budget. Tweaking a line of copy is an amendment. Deciding you want a 20-page brochure instead of an 8-pager is a change and a significant departure from the original brief. In your scope document, be clear about the difference between a change and an amend, and establish and document a process for dealing with both.
7. Break It Down Into Clear Milestones
Break your project into phases with clear milestones, and obtain sign-off after each phase before you move on. This is a sensible way to stay on track, manage risks, and keep everyone working toward a common goal.
8. Allow Extra Time
Not just from a costing point of view but also to ensure your timelines are realistic and achievable. Again, consider complexity, availability of resources, and potential challenges, plus contingency to allow for delays or issues. The worst that could happen is you end up delivering the project early.
9. Keep Communication Channels Open
Establish consistent communication with internal teams and clients to help everyone stay informed and engaged. As well as scheduled status meetings or progress reports, encourage team members and clients to communicate openly with ad hoc updates, feedback, and concerns. This way, you’ll be able to identify potential issues sooner and, hopefully, resolve them swiftly.
10 Best Agency Project Management Tools for Enhanced Productivity
1. Orchestra
Orchestra is a comprehensive toolkit designed to help you launch your productized service easily. Built for creatives ready to scale, Orchestra boasts a white-labeled client portal, task management features, and real-time analytics, with no coding required, just your Stripe account. Whether you’re a designer, developer, or copywriter, Orchestra streamlines your workflow.
The platform allows you to collaborate with clients seamlessly while maintaining a private workspace with your team. You can add integrations like Slack and webhooks to customize your setup and deliver a branded experience. Enhance your service with a platform built to grow alongside you. Try Orchestra for free to develop your productized service today.
2. Productive
Productive is a well-rounded agency management software with robust functionality that provides the tools and data you need to keep your agency running smoothly. The tool was built by a team with a decade of experience in founding, managing, and scaling a software development shop, so it's especially well-suited to digital agencies. The features fully satisfy my criteria for agency management tools.
You’ll find client and prospect management in the Sales Pipeline (manage deal flow, get sales organized). The Resource Planning feature, time tracker, and task collaboration tools fit the resource and project management criteria I look for in an agency tool or platform. Billing and invoicing can also be managed straight from the tool, along with valuable reports on profitability and costs to help with finance management.
The reporting feature goes beyond that, with real-time reports on margins, utilization, and much more, including reports on individual employees' or contractors' history with the company. Productive's integrations include Zapier and Jira, Open API, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Exact.
Pros
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Customizable Dashboards: Enhanced customization allows users to tailor their workspace to their needs, providing a more personalized and efficient management experience.
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Integrated Financial Management: This feature integrates financial tracking with project management, offering a seamless experience for budget and expense oversight.
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Client Portal: Including a client portal sets Productive.io apart, enhancing client engagement and transparency.
Cons
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Learning Curve: New users may find the platform slightly complex, requiring time to thoroughly understand and utilize all its features.
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Customization Constraints: While customizable, some users might find the extent of customization options insufficient for their specific needs.
3. Asana
Asana can be a perfect solution for cross-functional teams that work with agile methodologies, such as website project development companies. However, agencies with more robust needs might find that certain features, especially regarding budgeting and financial performance, could be more developed.
Pros
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It offers a free plan. Asana, as a project management software, is primarily concerned with helping small and medium-sized businesses. However, it is not limited to it. Thanks to its free plan, small teams on a tight budget can still have access to affordable project management software.
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Several integrations. This feature more than makes up for Asana's lack of some features. Several third-party apps and software can be integrated with Asana, including Salesforce, Slack, Dropbox, Google Calendar, and more.
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Time tracking. The Asana app also helps companies and teams see where their time is spent. Jobs, tasks, and responsibilities are all sorted into different projects, ensuring you won't overlook anything.
Cons
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We know new users have a hard time understanding the Asana interface. With new users in mind, we've created an online tutorial to help guide users through the software and ensure they aren't intimidated by the interface.
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Asana is not ideal for small teams or single projects: Its overloading features overwhelm an elementary project. When you add new features, you have to balance the complexity of the application, and that’s where the problems start to happen.
4. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a simple, highly efficient time-tracking app that pulls no punches; it's the ideal way to determine how much time teams take to complete different tasks. There are apps available for Chrome, desktops, and mobiles, so you can easily keep track of performances. Hubstaff is designed to improve productivity, and with over 40 integrations, it works like a charm.
It automates team management and frees your time, thus allowing you to focus on things that matter. You no longer have to worry about check-ins, and you will receive detailed activity reports for each employee. It’s one of the most popular marketing agency management software programs. You can easily plug in money leaks by checking profit margins for different projects. It’s an excellent tool for project management.
Pros
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Affordable enterprise plan
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Mobile app
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Free version and trial
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Screenshots are available even in the free plan
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A balanced approach to employee privacy and monitoring
Cons
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One-user limit in the free plan
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No video screen recording
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Many features are only offered via an add-on in lower-tiered paid plans
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No add-ons available in the free plan
5. Monday.com
Some of the biggest companies in the world, like Hulu and NBC, use Monday.com, and there’s no reason why your agency shouldn’t give it a whirl, either. Monday streamlines workflows and task visualizations. It’s an excellent agency management system tool. You can create boards or visual tables to sync items and updates in real-time.
There are status buttons and other presentable options, including Gantt, maps, forms, Timeline, Calendar, Kanban, and more. Available on Android and iOS, this highly responsive agency management software tool allows you to manage and collaborate with remote teams easily. You can assign owners for different tasks and let their AI bots focus on mundane matters. This also reduces the chances of human errors.
Pros
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Forever free plan available for up to two seats
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Modern, intuitive, and visual dashboard
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Highly customizable
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200-plus templates for creating boards and automations
Cons
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Confusing pricing plans because of per-seat (user) pricing
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Minimum team size of three for paid plans
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The free trial is only 14 days, whereas most project management platforms give 30
6. Notion
Used by giants like Verizon, McDonald’s, Pixar, and The Wall Street Journal, Notion is a robust agency management software program that you should also be using. It is the ultimate workspace organization app designed to empower your teams and give them unprecedented collaborative control when dealing with different projects. From creating product roadmaps to codifying processes and building CRMs, Notion has it all. You can use it to create content calendars, prepare notes and documentation, decide on participants, send out meeting invites, and integrate with other apps.
If you are using multiple B2B lead generation strategies, you can also track performance with Notion. Many leading tech giants have also introduced their Notion integrations, so if you use other apps like Slack, you can integrate them with Notion to track your data across multiple apps. It’s one of the best ways to collaborate with teams, which is why many web design agencies worldwide are already using Notion. It’s one of the best creative agency management software tools out there.
Pros
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Great note-taking capabilities
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Very easy to use and customize
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Affordable pricing
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Forever Free plan has enough features for solopreneurs
Cons
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Lacks advanced project management features
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Keeping multiple projects can get tedious
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Poor security features
7. Harvest
Harvest is an easy tool to use to track time and expenses. It provides clear reports on time spent on a project and the agency’s billable hours. Harvest’s integration capabilities make integrating with your current workflow and tech stack easy.
Pros
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Clean interface and easy navigation
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Option to generate invoices and share them with clients through email
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Comprehensive integrations (50+)
Cons
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Per-user pricing can be costly for larger teams
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Customization and reporting capabilities are limited
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The software seems too basic for larger enterprises or those with complex project management needs
8. Wrike
Wrike is a powerful work management platform built for teams and organizations looking to collaborate, create, and exceed daily. Wrike's solution for agencies creates a central hub that allows teams to monitor all client projects and resources in one place, improve workflow, and track progress. Key features include real-time collaboration, time tracking, cross-tagging for complete visibility, proofing and approvals, resource management, insights, and analytics. Wrike is where agencies unite to delight their clients by completing more projects in less time.
Pros
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Unlimited projects in a free account
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Unlimited subtasks with unlimited levels of nesting
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Kanban, Calendar, and Table views
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Unique customization for marketing/creative teams and professional services
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20 free external collaborators
Cons
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Gantt chart view is available only in paid plans
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An in-app timer for time tracking is only available on Business plans or higher
9. Bonsai Agency Software
Bonsai Agency Software is an all-in-one agency management tool that simplifies agencies' lives. It handles everything from project management to client collaboration so that you can focus more on the creative side and less on admin headaches. This integrated approach makes it easy to organize tasks, track progress, collaborate with both your team and clients, and give you a clear idea of how your agency is performing.
Bonsai also includes time tracking, client onboarding, resource management, and automated workflows to keep your operations running smoothly, ensuring projects stay on schedule and within budget. It offers various visual tools like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and list views to help you stay organized and see everything at a glance.
Real-time reporting gives insights into profitability, resource utilization, and your agency’s overall health. Additionally, Bonsai simplifies the process of managing agency finances. You can track expenses, send invoices, and handle budgeting in one place. Bonsai is a solid pick if you’re looking for a tool to streamline your agency’s operations and boost productivity.
Pros
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User-friendly interface
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Client-centric focus
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Strong focus on small businesses
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Affordable pricing plans
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There is no need to switch between several tools as Bonsai offers an all-in-one approach
Cons
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Limited advanced project management features for larger enterprises
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Bonsai integrations are fewer compared to some competitors (although Zapier integration expands its possibilities)
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The mobile app could be further enhanced with additional features and functionality
10. Kantata
Kantata is an agency management system that can manage everything from client relationships to workflows and project tracking. This highly customizable tool allows agencies of all sizes to streamline operations and increase profits. This guide will explain how you can use Kantata for successful agency management. Kantata has various features designed specifically for agencies, including tools for client onboarding, project planning, time and resource tracking, invoicing, contracts, communication management, and more.
With these features in place, you can easily monitor your team’s progress against deadlines or budgets and track the status of clients or projects at any given time. You’ll also have access to key performance data such as team utilization rates or revenue forecasts. Kantata's core function is to provide users with comprehensive data management solutions.
It allows you to store customer information, generate reports, manage tasks and projects, track expenses, collaborate with colleagues or partners remotely, and share information organizationally. Additionally, it offers real-time insights into customer trends and market conditions so that you can make informed decisions quickly. This makes Kantata an excellent solution for businesses that need to stay ahead of the competition by utilizing data-driven insights.
Pros
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Intuitive Task Management: Kantata simplifies work organization by allowing easy assignment and tracking tasks and subtasks.
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Real-time Collaboration: It supports immediate communication and file-sharing among team members, ensuring everyone stays updated.
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Robust Reporting: Kantata offers comprehensive reporting features that aid in making informed decisions and tracking project progress effectively.
Cons
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Limited Integrations: Kantata doesn’t support many third-party integrations, which may limit its flexibility and usability.
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Learning Curve: Some users might find Kantata challenging to navigate initially, requiring time to grasp its functionalities fully.
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How to Choose the Best Agency Project Management Tools
1. Assess Your Agency's Needs
Before choosing a project management tool, take stock of your agency's requirements. What does your team need to improve project management and operations? Start by evaluating the size of your team and how it’s structured. Choose tools that will scale with your team’s size and accommodate remote or hybrid setups. Next, look at the nature of your projects.
Identify project types (e.g., creative, marketing, software development) to ensure tool compatibility. Finally, define your goals. What do you want to achieve by using project management software? Typical objectives include better time tracking, streamlined communication, and improved task delegation.
2. Key Features to Look For
Next, research the essential features of project management software. Look for tools that include:
Task Management
This should consist of task assignments, deadlines, and prioritization.
Collaboration Tools
Built-in chat, file sharing, and comment threads help streamline communication.
Resource Allocation
These tools manage team workloads and availability.
Time Tracking
Monitoring hours spent on tasks helps with billing and productivity analysis.
Reporting and Analytics
Gain insights into project progress and performance.
Client Collaboration
Look for the ability to share updates or provide client access for transparency.
3. Ensure Seamless Integration
Next, you’ll want to ensure the project management tool integrates well with your existing software. Look for tools that work with your agency's current systems (e.g., CRMs, design tools, or email platforms). Also, consider APIs; find options with robust APIs for custom integrations.
4. Usability
No matter how powerful a software tool is, it won’t do your agency any good if no one can figure out how to use it. Look for project management tools with intuitive user interfaces that minimize onboarding time. Also, consider mobile access for on-the-go project updates. Finally, find software with customization options to adapt workflows and dashboards to your agency’s needs.
5. Evaluate Budget and Pricing
Next, evaluate your options based on budget. Start by looking at cost structures. Understand whether the pricing is per user, flat rate, or feature-based. Then, take advantage of free trials or freemium models to test functionality. Finally, compare features versus pricing across multiple tools to find the best value for your agency.
6. Popular Tools for Agencies
While you can find dozens of project management tools on the market, some are more popular with marketing agencies than others. Here are a few options to consider:
Trello
Visual task boards are best for simple workflows.
Asana
Flexible task management with advanced reporting.
Monday.com
Highly customizable with a broad range of integrations.
Wrike
Great for agencies needing advanced collaboration features.
ClickUp
An all-in-one tool with extensive customization options.
7. Support and Training
Once you’ve selected a few project management tools that meet your needs, examine their support and training options. Customer support is essential. Check for accessible and responsive support teams. Next, look for learning resources like tutorials, webinars, or active community forums. Some tools even provide dedicated account managers with the ability to assist agencies during onboarding.
8. Get Feedback
Before choosing a project management tool, get feedback from your team. Involve your team in the decision-making process to ensure adoption. If clients will use the tool, consider their expectations as well.
9. Test Before Commitment
Finally, once you’ve narrowed your options to a few project management tools, run a pilot program before committing. Use the tool on a smaller project to evaluate its fit. Measure the impact to assess how well the tool improves efficiency and meets your goals.
Streamline Your Processes with Orchestra
Launch your productized service effortlessly with Orchestra's all-in-one growth toolkit. Designed for creatives ready to scale, Orchestra provides a branded, white-labeled client portal, task management, and real-time analytics, with no coding needed—just your Stripe account.
Whether you’re a designer, developer, or copywriter, Orchestra streamlines your workflow, letting you collaborate with clients seamlessly while maintaining a private workspace with your team. Add integrations like Slack and webhooks to customize your setup and deliver a branded experience. Enhance your service with a platform built to grow alongside you. Try Orchestra for free and develop your productized service today!
Try Orchestra for Free to Grow Your Productized Service Today
Orchestra improves the agency project management experience for both clients and team members. With Orchestra, you can create a branded client portal to help you quickly productize your service and manage client projects.
This white-labeled portal enables you to deliver a customized experience for your clients so they can get familiar with your processes before you even start working together. You can also use Orchestra to manage tasks and projects, track time, and analyze performance features to help you and your clients stay organized and on track.
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