Selecting the right online software for your virtual creative agency

Whether employees at your agency are all located in the same office, across the country or around the world, web-based time tracking, task and workflow management software can help keep your work on-track and profitable. Gone are the days of tracking your projects in Excel or requiring physical job-jackets; everyone on your team needs to have real-time access to critical project information when they’re in the office, at home or travelling.

If you’re reading this blog-post, you’ve probably already come to this realization and are looking for the right software to adopt for your team. Function Point is obviously one of the options you can look at (and I won’t lie, I hope you do) but we know that there are other great products out there and want to help you make the right decision for your team.

The most expensive software that you can choose is the software that your agency doesn’t use. It will cost you both in terms of the fees you pay, and the opportunity cost of the missed effeciencies that a solid workflow management tool can bring to your company.

Here are a few things to think about when you go about your search for an agency management system:

1. Don’t make the mistake of only looking at monthly or yearly fees – also ask about deployment, training and support.
   • Think about ROI, not just cost.
2. Talk to any prospective vendor about your business to see if they have the expertise to really help.
3. Think of your workflow management software vendor as a business partner.
   • The real reason you want to adopt any new software or process is so you can focus on billable work.
   • You want a partner that doesn’t just think of themselves as software providers, but as consultants to your business.
4. Look beyond the bling.
   • You will obviously want a solution that has an easy-to-use interface, but make sure you look past the shiny buttons to ensure you will really get value from the system.

For more valuable information about selecting a workflow management tool I suggest downloading this Second Wind newsletter that they have so kindly allowed us to make available for our prospects and clients.