4 Concerns of Adopting a Creative Project and Time Management Software

When people start looking at creative agency project management and time tracking software, there are some common questions that come up. Here are four of them:

1. Setup and training is labor intensive. This is true, getting up and running can take a lot of your key staff’s time and energy. For this reason, it is important to have a good deployment plan. It’s also essential to remember that the agency management system will save your agency significant time over the long run if you put in the effort during deployment. Making sure the software company offers you enough training for your users and unlimited technical support will also reduce this risk.
2. Errors may occur. Agencies are often concerned that using a new system to automate processes such as billing may cause errors to go unnoticed. While this is rare and any errors that do occur are typically easily fixed, it is a legitimate concern. Avoiding any errors means paying close attention to detail during setup and for the first few months of use. Again, service is crucial.
3. Data security and backups. Agencies are always concerned about the security of their data when considering a new system, as they should. Reviewing the security and backup routines for the agency management system you are considering should put your mind at ease. Any of the major systems available will have very tight security, so make sure you get one that is both recommended and has a good track-record in the agency market.
4. Staff adoption. A common concern is that staff won’t adopt and use the system for it’s intended purpose, making it pointless to contract a software firm. If the staff people feel that the system is difficult to use or that it takes too much of their time and focus off of their actual work, they may not use the system correctly. It is important to choose a system that is easy to use and has a seamless integration with other softwares. For example, fp. has total integration with the most popular accounting systems, such as Quickbooks. Once you’ve made your decision, it’s important to communicate with your staff the importance of the agency management system and to work with them and the system’s support staff to make their work easier, not more difficult.

If you have more concerns beyond the ones presented above, please leave your comment or contact us and we will happy to suggest alternative ways to avoid such risks.