12 Best Agency Resource Management Software for Smooth Operations

You’ve secured a significant new client, and your team is pumped to start. But then, reality sets in. You have no idea how to manage the project’s scope to ensure it meets the client's needs without overworking your team or going broke in the process. Sound familiar? If you’re running an agency, it probably does. Every new project has a lot at stake, and if you don’t have suitable systems in place, you might just sink the ship.

This is where agency resource management software comes in. This guide will help you get started with the best agency management software to help your team organize and deliver on client expectations while keeping your sanity intact. Once you start looking for agency resource management software, you’ll quickly discover that it’s a function of agency management software.

For example, at Orchestra, we have a solution to help you grow your productized service. Our all-in-one toolkit for agency resource management will help you streamline processes, better understand your capabilities, and optimize project delivery to help you organize and grow your business.

What Is Resource Management Software?

Resource management software is a set of digital tools that help organizations monitor, allocate, assign, and track resources such as employees, finances, and equipment across projects. It allows agencies to complete projects more efficiently by ensuring that the right resources are available to teams as they work to meet project goals.

Importance of Resource Management Software for Agencies

The High Stakes of Resource Management in Agencies

When work feels like a chaotic jumble, poor resource management is a sure sign, clients aren't happy, team members are frustrated, and the risk of burning out your best people is alarmingly high. On the flip side is a well-managed office. In such an environment, projects are completed with time to spare, clients praise the agency, and the team feels a sense of achievement.

Efficient resource management leads to better project outcomes and does so much more. It constructs a low-stress, high-creativity work environment where everyone feels they’re contributing their best. Such an environment builds a self-sustaining workflow that delivers great results today and sets the agency up for long-term success. It’s the difference between thriving in a competitive environment and barely scraping by.

Critical Components of Resource Management in Agencies

While organizing tasks and deadlines is the foundation of resource management in agencies, it’s a bit more complex. Let’s break down the components of agency resource management.

Agency Human Resources: Allocation and Development

The “human resources” in an agency are the people who turn plans into finished projects. As the heart of the business, they must be ready to tackle any task that fits them. However, the task they’re assigned should be something they’re reasonably prepared to do. Therefore, it’s a balancing act. The people don’t simply fit into a spreadsheet slot. You must see each team member as an individual with distinct aspirations and talents.

However, these traits aren’t static, which is why development matters. Encouraging your team to learn and grow is good for them and the agency. While talent and education will prepare them for the role, skills are honed throughout their work life. They must adapt to new circumstances and tools. The development of a skill can take many forms. For example, it could be training sessions, workshops, or giving them the chance to work on new and challenging projects. The more they can step out of their comfort zone, the more they stretch their skills and build resilience. However, don’t push them too far out of their comfort zone to not burn them out.

Individual growth matters for the development of the entire team. When people feel they’re developing professionally, they’re more engaged, motivated, and likely to stick around. And when people stick around and feel a part of something greater than themselves, they create better projects.

Agency Financial Resources: Budgeting and Cost Management

Talking about money might not be the most thrilling part of the day, but it’s likely the most significant. You may have the best people on the team, a wealth of knowledge, and perfect internal organization, but a project may not even get off the ground without sufficient money. Furthermore, the project likely won’t turn out as expected if the money is mismanaged.

Managing an agency's finances means knowing where every dollar is going and spending it in the best way possible. You must set a budget for essentials and smartly maneuver other expenses to avoid overspending unnecessarily. A project manager must know project budgets, operational costs, and unexpected expenses. The sweet spot rests between delivering top-notch work and saving as much as possible. The manager may have to negotiate better rates with suppliers, find cost-effective alternatives to recurring expenses, and cut back when necessary.

Agency Time Management: Scheduling and Deadlines

Time is precious in business. It is a currency. Managing it takes strategy and care. Every task must fit within a schedule as efficiently as possible, but only some tasks will take equal time. You must keep the workflow moving and meet client deadlines without overworking your team. When managing time at an agency, you will make plans but must also be flexible enough to adjust when things are unexpected.

Prioritize tasks, understand your team’s capacity, set realistic deadlines, and perhaps hope for some luck. Time management might be the most demanding part of agency resource management, depending on who you ask. Still, good time management means less stress and happier clients. When every minute counts, count it with care. That way, at the end of the day, you can achieve what you want without doing overtime.

Agency Physical Assets: Utilization and Maintenance

The physical assets of an agency include all the tangible items that workers use to get the job done. For example, this can consist of computers, other devices, furniture, and the office space itself. You might have the latest gadgets and the slickest office layout, but you are responsible for organizing their use and maintenance as a manager. Think of the office space first. Its design, comfort, and accessibility affect how well and comfortably your team can work. Perhaps more significantly, it affects how well they can develop ideas and solve problems. The technological aspect of running an agency rests within the office space – computers, software, and digital tools. All the tools must be in good working order and preferably as up-to-date as reasonably feasible.

The technology should support the team’s work instead of hindering it. If anything isn’t functioning as it should, it needs quick repairs. And if there is a need to upgrade the tools, all team members must be ready to use them adequately. While accounting for office technology, computers and network systems may be the first to come to mind. However, an office isn’t complete without smaller devices, like printers, projectors, or even the coffee machine. These, too, play an undeniable role in the day-to-day functioning of an agency. Keeping them well-maintained means fewer interruptions.

Try Orchestra for Free to Grow Your Productized Service Today

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. Elevate your service with a platform built to grow alongside you. Try Orchestra for free and develop your productized service today!

12 Best Agency Resource Management Software for Smooth Operations

1. Orchestra

Orchestra lets agencies launch productized services using its robust resource management platform. The software's all-in-one growth toolkit includes tools for task management, client communications, real-time analytics, and more. With no coding knowledge needed to customize and launch your productized service, Orchestra is an excellent resource for creative teams to streamline their workflows and grow their business.

2. Productive

Productive is a well-rounded agency management software with robust functionality that gives you the tools and data to keep an 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 tool's 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, salary reports, etc. Productive's integrations include Zapier and Jira, Open API, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Exact.

Pros

Customizable Dashboards: Enhanced customization allows users to tailor their workspace to their needs, providing a more personalized and efficient management experience.
Integrated Financial Management: This feature integrates financial tracking with project management, offering a seamless experience for budget and expense oversight.
Client Portal: Including a client portal sets Productive.io apart, enhancing client engagement and transparency.

Cons

Learning Curve: New users may find the platform slightly complex, requiring time to understand and utilize all its features fully.
Customization Constraints: While customizable, some users might need more customization options for their specific needs.

3. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a simple, highly efficient time-tracking app that pulls no punches. The software automates employee time tracking to help agencies determine how much time teams take to complete different tasks. Hubstaff has Chrome, desktops, and mobile apps, so you can easily keep track of performances. The tool is designed to improve productivity, and with over 40 integrations, it works like a charm.

Hubstaff 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

Affordable enterprise plan
Mobile app
Free version and trial
Screenshots are available even in the free plan
A balanced approach to employee privacy and monitoring

Cons

One-user limit in the free plan
No video screen recording
Many features are only offered via an add-on in lower-tiered paid plans
No add-ons available in the free plan

4. Monday.com

Monday.com is one of the most popular project management tools for marketing agencies. 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.

Status buttons and other presentable options include Gantt charts, maps, forms, Timelines, Calendars, Kanbans, 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 to different tasks and let their AI bots focus on mundane matters, reducing the chances of human errors.

Pros

Forever free plan available for up to two seats
Modern, intuitive, and visual dashboard
Highly customizable
200-plus templates for creating boards and automations

Cons

Confusing pricing plans because of per-seat (user) pricing
Minimum team size of three for paid plans
The free trial is only 14 days, whereas most project management platforms give 30

5. 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 full 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

Unlimited projects in the ee account
Unlimited subtasks with unlimited levels of nesting
Kanban, Calendar, and Table views
Unique customization for marketing/creative teams and professional services
20 free external collaborators

Cons

Gantt chart view is available only in paid plans
An in-app timer for time tracking is only available on Business plans or higher

6. Salesforce

Salesforce Cloud CRM is a fantastic piece of software for agency management. Although it has a wide range of functionality, including many integrations, one of the areas where it truly shines is in managing communications with existing clients. Regarding contact management, Salesforce provides a clear overview of your clients, including activity history, key contacts, customer communications, and internal account discussions.

It’s easy to access critical customer data, such as their communication history, to gain a complete picture of every client. It’s also easy to pull in relevant social data from the likes of LinkedIn and Facebook so your company can gauge customer sentiment. The Salesforce CRM also recognizes that we live in a mobile-first world, and business can be conducted anywhere. That’s why Salesforce Cloud CRM is accompanied by the Salesforce Mobile App, which means you can quickly access critical data before you enter a client meeting - wherever you are.

Pros

Total sales pipeline management.
A high number of integrations are available.
Advanced reporting and customizable dashboards.

Cons

Expensive in comparison to competitors.
Limited customer support.

7. 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 explains how to 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 critical 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

Intuitive Task Management: Kantata simplifies work organization by allowing easy assignment and tracking tasks and subtasks.
Real-time Collaboration: It supports immediate communication and file-sharing among team members, ensuring everyone stays updated.
Robust Reporting: Kantata offers comprehensive reporting features that help users make informed decisions and track project progress effectively.

Cons

Limited Integrations: Kantata doesn’t support many third-party integrations, which may limit its flexibility and usability.
Learning Curve: Some users might find Kantata challenging to navigate initially, requiring time to grasp its functionalities fully.

8. 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

User-friendly interface
Client-centric focus
Strong focus on small businesses
Affordable pricing plans
There is no need to switch between several tools as Bonsai offers an all-in-one approach

Cons

Limited advanced project management features for larger enterprises
Bonsai integrations are fewer compared to some competitors (although Zapier integration expands its possibilities)
The mobile app could be further enhanced with additional features and functionality

9. Scoro

Scoro project management offers a range of features to help you manage your projects and resources. It’s a good option for service-providing businesses looking for a single platform to manage their day-to-day operations, but it can be difficult to onboard. Users like Scoro because it’s good business management software with many features to help teams collaborate and manage tasks. Since it focuses on project management, time tracking, and invoicing, it can be a good choice for businesses looking to automate daily processes.

Pros

Data-focused and detailed, perfect for project managers,
Offers a continuous and logical flow, from quote to project to invoice to final project delivery, suitable for many different business processes,
Provides a good onboarding experience,
Although there’s a lot of data presented, it manages to put the most essential information upfront, like the profit margin for all issued quotes,

Cons

It is a lot to take in, quite overwhelming at the beginning,
Moving to Scoro will take quite a bit of time due to the amount of data will have to transfer and the time it’ll take to introduce our team to Scoro,
The UI, although modern, could use some improvements to package the amount of data it presents or requires better, like in the many numbers we can enter when working on our quotes,

10. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM system designed to help sales teams increase productivity and close more deals. It offers various features that help streamline the sales process, including contact management, email tracking, call logging, lead scoring, sales forecasting, and automated workflows. With Pipedrive, a sales team can quickly organize their leads, contacts, and deals to stay focused on the tasks that matter. The client management app allows users to easily create custom pipelines and automated emails to help nurture leads and increase conversions.

Pros

Segment leads to create personalized, targeted communication
Drag-and-drop interface to quickly update deal statuses
Activity reminders and team collaboration
Customizable web forms
Revenue forecasting

Cons

Limited customization for user permission settings compared to other free client management software
Project scope and document management tools are paid add-ons

11. Teamwork

Teamwork is a project management platform built to help agencies manage the entire lifecycle of their client work in one place. Teamwork provides all the features you’d expect, including integrated time tracking, financial management, robust reporting, and free access for clients to ensure your projects are delivered on time and within budget. Forget crossed wires, unread Slacks, and endless emails.

Collaborate in real-time with your team and clients to get your questions answered. Keep clients, teammates, and leadership on the same page. Centralize your work, communicate easily with your team, and reduce the complexity of collaboration so your team is free to focus on what they do best. Keep your team members and clients in the loop with Teamwork. Communicate with colleagues and clients without having to switch platforms. Update the team, ask for input, and get feedback in context. Working as a team has always been challenging.

Pros

Free forever plan and low-cost paid plans starting at $5.99 per month
Deep level of customization
Easy-to-use automations
Agency-oriented nomenclature and features
Built-in time tracking

Cons

A minimum of three users for the low-priced paid plan
Slower run time once more work gets added
Most features are only unlocked with the Deliver plan or above

12. Screendragon

Screendragon is agency management software designed to manage projects, people, processes, and profitability in one place. It is easy to use and offers powerful customization. The world’s top agency groups, like Omnicom, WPP, and IPG, rely on Screendragon to power their agency operations. Screendragon is seamlessly integrated, offering project management, workflow management, resource management, forecasting, time-tracking, budget management, and asset management.

The highly configurable tool allows users to customize forms, dashboards, templates, workflow rules, permissions, notifications, reports, and even the platform's terminology. Screendragon’s integrated budget module enables users to build SOWs and estimates and forecast future revenues and resourcing needs.

Reviews and approvals are made simple with features for visual proofing, real-time collaboration, version control, and granular permissions. Screendragon’s advanced automation capabilities facilitate the secure and efficient approval of assets and can adapt quickly to support scaling agencies. Intuitive task management allows users to switch between Kanban boards, interactive Gantt charts, and list views.

Pros

Screendragon offers flexibility to deliver a solution fully aligned with the organization’s needs. Brands can create and edit their terminology, templates, forms, workflow rules, notifications, reports, and rates.
It provides an enterprise-class hosting environment and service levels. Moreover, its sophisticated permission controls ensure that the right people see only the right data at the right time.

Cons

Some users encounter occasional system slowness.

7 Practical Tips for Efficient Agency Resource Management

1. Use Orchestra to Manage Resources

Orchestra is a powerful all-in-one agency management software that helps you quickly scale your productized service. This resource management software is designed for creative agencies and freelancers and comes with many features, including task management, client communication tools, and analytics.

Orchestra also allows you to create a client portal to deliver a smooth experience and organize your operations. With Orchestra, you can avoid the chaos of running a productized service. The platform lets you store all of your service’s information in one place and helps you streamline your workflow so that you can quickly onboard clients, manage projects, and track progress.

2. Start with Resource Planning and Data-Driven Resource Allocation

Resource planning and allocation are fundamental steps for efficient resource management. First, resource planning helps you identify what projects need before work begins. The goal is to ensure that the right resources with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience are available to complete the project. This process helps prevent resource overallocation, underutilization, and conflicts.

Next, resource allocation focuses on distributing your resources across tasks. Effective resource allocation ensures that your employees have a balanced workload while being utilized to their total capacity. Here are some rules to follow when allocating people to project tasks:

Prioritize tasks to ensure timely completion.
Consider each employee’s skills, availability, and capacity to increase productivity and minimize workflow disruptions.

3. Plan for Uncertainty

When managing resources, there will always be uncertainty. Large projects or multi-project environments with many human and material resources often face internal and external unknowns that can impact workflow. You can’t avoid uncertainty, but you can prepare for it. Here’s how:

Set priorities between assignments and avoid strict deadlines to reduce employee pressure.
If you must decide under pressure, perform scenario analysis to predict potential outcomes based on current actions or conditions.
Monitor your team’s performance to identify patterns that can help you anticipate future project challenges.

4. Apply Resource Optimization Techniques

Resource optimization techniques come into play when you need to improve resource utilization under constraints. Here are two standard methods:

Resource leveling: This technique helps balance the supply and demand of resources by adjusting project timelines based on the availability of critical personnel. It’s often applied when there’s an overallocation of resources.
Resource smoothing: This technique is used when resources are allocated unevenly, but the project’s critical path cannot be changed. It helps redistribute project tasks to prevent exceeding predefined resource limits.

5. Take Care of Resources’ Workload

Keeping control of resources’ workload aims to ensure that resource capacity corresponds to resource demand and take necessary measures if it doesn’t. Improper workload (overload and idleness) is harmful to a project environment. As a result of overload, employees can become exhausted, disengaged, not committed to their work, have problems with physical and mental health, etc. They make mistakes and become a roadblock for the whole workflow. When some team members are overloaded, and others are idle, an organization prevents intaking on more projects and hampers its growth. So, balancing the workload is essential to ensure employees’ effective contribution to the project outcomes.

6. Manage Employees’ Competences

You need information on all the team members’ competence levels to ensure proper resource allocation. Also, competence management helps identify employees’ skill gaps and facilitate their professional development so that a resource manager can be more flexible when there is a lack of resources. Employees with a wide range of skills can replace each other if necessary; such teams are a valuable asset in the present-day dynamic business environment: thanks to being interchangeable, members of such teams can deliver the work faster.

7. Keep Team Members Engaged

Employee engagement plays an essential role in the quality of work they deliver. It’s supported by motivation (providing the team members with constructive feedback, acknowledging their contribution to the project, supporting their initiatives), giving them room for errors (employees who are afraid of making mistakes are usually lacking initiative), and empowering them to make decisions (delegating responsibility can improve team members’ efficiency).

Try Orchestra for Free to Grow Your Productized Service Today

Launching a productized service can be complicated, especially starting from scratch. Orchestra makes it easy to launch your productized service by providing an all-in-one toolkit. With Orchestra, you can set up a branded, white-labeled client portal, manage tasks, and track real-time analytics without coding. Just connect your Stripe account, and you’re off and running.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, or copywriter, Orchestra streamlines your workflow so you can 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. Elevate your service with a platform built to grow alongside you. Try Orchestra for free to develop your productized service today.

12 Best Agency Resource Management Software

12 Best Agency Resource Management Software for Smooth Operations

What Is Resource Management Software?

Related Reading

Importance of Resource Management Software for Agencies

The High Stakes of Resource Management in Agencies

Critical Components of Resource Management in Agencies

Agency Human Resources: Allocation and Development

Agency Financial Resources: Budgeting and Cost Management

Agency Time Management: Scheduling and Deadlines

Agency Physical Assets: Utilization and Maintenance

Try Orchestra for Free to Grow Your Productized Service Today

12 Best Agency Resource Management Software for Smooth Operations

1. Orchestra

2. Productive

Pros

Cons

3. Hubstaff

Pros

Cons

4. Monday.com

Pros

Cons

5. Wrike

Pros

Cons

6. Salesforce

Pros

Cons

7. Kantata

Pros

Cons

8. Bonsai Agency Software

Pros

Cons

9. Scoro

Pros

Cons

10. Pipedrive

Pros

Cons

11. Teamwork

Pros

Cons

12. Screendragon

Pros

Cons

Related Reading

7 Practical Tips for Efficient Agency Resource Management

1. Use Orchestra to Manage Resources

2. Start with Resource Planning and Data-Driven Resource Allocation

3. Plan for Uncertainty

4. Apply Resource Optimization Techniques

5. Take Care of Resources’ Workload

6. Manage Employees’ Competences

7. Keep Team Members Engaged

Try Orchestra for Free to Grow Your Productized Service Today

Related Reading