ManyRequests is a client portal and client requests management software for creative services.
Are you a creative agency professional looking to optimize your workflow and increase productivity while managing multiple clients and projects?
If this is you, you're in the right place because in this article, I'll show you (amongst other things) how to do just that.
So how shall we proceed?
The Roadmap
I won't waste your time, I promise. This is a piece on boosting productivity after all. It'd be a crime if we dilly-dallied.
We'll look at what productivity means for creative teams and agencies. Then we jump (head first) in the thick of action to look at unique, actionable ways creative agencies and teams can boost productivity.
Ready?
What does productivity mean to creative agencies and teams?
Productivity Through the Eyes of a Creative Agency or Team
The working world is filled with teams which think they do meaningful work when in fact, they're only spinning their wheels.
Huffing and puffing all day with little or nothing to show for it in the end.
You have teams wasting precious hours on unproductive meetings, and feel-good talk shops that should never happen in the first place.
On the other hand, meaningful work actually moves the needle — measurable results.
Highly productive agencies and teams get results with the least possible effort.
So what does productivity mean for a creative agency or team?
Creativity, strategy and artful execution.
Working in a creative team can sometimes feel like a pressure cooker — an endless stream of requests and client demands (some downright bizarre) that must be met all within tight deadlines.
The creative team has to somehow maintain its creative edge and pull off these miracles. Not once, not twice. Almost on a daily basis.
To perform at this level, every creative agency or team must have 3 things in its arsenal. Let's call them the pillars of creative productivity.
A quick look…
Pillars of Creative Productivity
1. Organizational Efficiency
This is the bedrock of productivity (for creative agencies) on which the other pieces are built. It involves resource management, time allocation and optimizing other processes. This guarantees that tasks are executed smoothly without losing quality.
For a creative agency to perform at a very high level, organizational efficiency must be dialed in. Let's see how it's done.
Streamlined Workflows
A streamlined workflow is one without bumps or bottlenecks. A workflow which ensures that projects are executed faster.
It's also one where repetitive tasks like client onboarding, task assignments and approvals, reminders, and progress tracking are standardized or automated to eliminate errors and hasten things.
Get the Right Tools
It's said a worker is only as good as their tools. Boosting organizational efficiency is much easier with the right tools.
They make management of team members, resources, deliverables and deadlines easy.
Two sets of tools are a must for creative agencies — creative tools (industry dependent) — Adobe Creative Cloud or Figma and project management or client portal software — ManyRequests and Wrike.
Clearly Defined Roles
Make sure the roles are clearly stated with crystal clear boundaries.
Be sure that every team member knows and understands what's expected of them and what they're accountable for.
Do away with overlaps to avoid confusion. A team without cohesion is a confused team. And a confused team is an unproductive one — poorly understood workflows, missed deadlines, dissatisfied members, low morale.
Seamless Communication
To boost organizational efficiency (by extension, productivity), team members must be on the same page and up to date.
This requires fluid communication. This is way easier when all conversations happen in one place. No need checking emails every time even for the smallest of updates.
ManyRequests is perfect for this. Conversations take place inside the client portal. This makes collaboration fast and easy.
Nothing hurts a team as much as poor communication. It's the chief reason for poorly executed projects and missed deadlines. So make sure the channels of communication are open and clear at all times.
One where every team member has access to key decision makers. Hubspot does this quite well with its "no-door" policy.
Speaking of decision making...
Data-Based Decision Making
The last thing you want to do is make blind decisions. It's practically the kiss of entrepreneurial death in this day and age. No, your decisions should be backed by data.
So gather and study data. Look for inefficiencies and inconsistencies.
Can project timelines be optimized further? What about the budget? Where are you bleeding cash? Why's that happening and how do you plug the flow?
Did your agency just complete a monster of a project? By all means, celebrate but when the euphoria subsides and you're back from cloud nine, do well to study the data. Fiigure out why it was so successful and what you could have done better.
Not every project will be a home run. So don't run away from colossal failures.
In fact, you'll learn more from them than from your successes. Study them too to see how you can do better on the next project.
Data hardly lies. Keep your eyes on it.
Know Thy Team
Paraphrasing Socrates’ famous words, know your team. How well do they get along with one another (team dynamics)?
And how quickly do they put out fires especially when they're spread thin and stressed out (problem solving)?
How quickly do they call a truce and mend fences when the sparks begin to fly (conflict resolution)?
How much work can they handle in a given time without burning out (capacity planning)?
Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your team helps a lot with task assignment.
All right, let's move to the second pillar of creative productivity...
2. Creative Flow
Okay, you've laid the foundation for your team or agency to operate optimally. You know your team members to a tee. You've given them state-of-art tools such as ManyRequests.
You didn't stop there.
You also made sure communication won't ever be a problem. You've also given teams just enough work they can handle, assigning tasks to those who can do them best in the team.
Congratulations!
Now, how do you actually get team members in the zone so they can do their best work and knock it out of the park? That's where creative flow comes in.
When team members are in a deep state of creative flow, they're fully immersed in their work performing at a very high creative level. They produce work that would make clients grin with satisfaction.
As an agency owner or project manager, you must know how to set the stage or even coax it out of your team. Yes, it can be nurtured.
Let me show you how.
Is the Environment Conducive?
I mean physical environment now. Does it support creativity? How's a creative space supposed to look?
It should be large and comfortable enough to support collaboration. Visually appealing enough to spark creativity.
No Distractions Please
Remember, you're trying to get your team members in the zone. This isn't the time for unnecessary meetings and chitchats. Map out time for creative work when no one gets interrupted.
Creative Freedom is Important
Let their minds roam free. Don't micromanage. And let them "own" (have control over) whatever their minds come up with.
This makes them accountable.
If you can, let team members have a say when it comes to choosing projects to work on. Productivity will improve when they work on projects they're passionate about.
This doesn't mean you let them run all wild and free. This will have a negative impact on the project - missed deadlines and too many revisions.
Untamed creativity is bad for business.
Encourage Collaboration
Two is always better than one, most of the time anyway. The best creators collaborate. This synergistic partnership amplifies creative outcomes.
To encourage this, bring together creators from various fields to work on projects. Create spaces where they can brainstorm and give one another feedback.
When they produce great work, don't hide it on the shelf. Celebrate them.
Learning Must Not Stop
Don't let team members stagnate. They must continue growing both on personal and professional levels.
Sign them up for workshops, online courses, and conferences. Encourage cross team interactions where team members get to share ideas..
Now to the third pillar...
3. Client-Focused Service
No matter what, the client remains the star of the show and must be treated as such.
What does this mean?
He must be satisfied with the final iteration of the project. The final product must not only meet but also exceed his expectations.
To do this, you must have a deep understanding of the client and what they want. That only happens when there's clear communication between the parties involved.
Do these...
What Does the Client Want?
Be sure you fully understand what client goals and expectations are before you proceed.
Factor in their target audience, USP and brand identity.
Did they send over any guidelines? Follow them to the letter.
A robust and comprehensive onboarding process in place will take care of this. Does your agency have one?
Communication Channels Must Remain Open
Keep the channels of communication open throughout the lifespan of the project. Share periodic updates or progress reports and receive feedback.
When you show you're transparent, you'll gain the trust of your client.
It's hard to miss a deadline when the channels of communication are open.
Bespoke Solutions are Highly Desirable
Clients, especially high-value ones prefer solutions made just for them. Not some one-size-fits-all clunker that may not solve their specific problems.
So offer customization and be ready to adapt your solutions to your client's specific needs.
When all is said and done, it's all about results — tangible ones.
Under-promise and Over-deliver
You've heard this before but it's worth mentioning. It works like a charm.
Beat deadlines (if you can) and stay within budget. That's what overdelivering entails.
A word of caution, though...
When I say you should aim to beat deadlines and operate within budget. I don't mean you should promise your client an ambitious deadline or a budget that's too good to be true. You're setting yourself up for failure if you do.
Your timelines, deadlines and budgets must be realistic enough. Else, you'll struggle big time.
That said, you should always try to beat set targets. That eliminates a waste of time and other resources and earns you your client's trust.
Measure and Flaunt Your Success
Sometimes, you have to demonstrate to clients the results you bring them. Some things just need to be shown and not told.
So use analytics to show clients how your work met or exceeded set objectives.
Power BI, Tableau or Looker Studio will get you going.
Long-Term Relationships Win the Race
Focus on repeat business and referrals rather than quick one-offs.
A major way to do this is by building strong client relationships. Stay in touch through follow-ups even after the project is completed. Always ask for feedback and reviews from clients to help you get better.
This should be a no-brainer but I'll say it anyway — always show gratitude to clients for their patronage. You don't know how far a simple thank-you note will take you and your agency.
At the end of the day, we're still humans.
Now that we've dealt with the bone, let's get to the meat.
Productivity Hacks for Creative Agencies
Yes, the creative agency niche is tough. Tight deadlines, faltering projects and impatient clients breathing down your neck like a greyhound. Add internal squabbles and bottlenecks to the mix and you have full-blown chaos.
It's easy to get lost in all the madness.
So what do you do when you can't work any harder?
How can you get more out of your workflows and team members when you can't push them any harder?
How can you continually deliver innovative, high-quality work under tight deadlines while juggling multiple clients and projects?
By working smarter?
Let's see how the following hacks can help us to that effect.
Stack Up Your Tech
When you're at your wits end, a smart move would be to turn to tech.
Why?
Tech will streamline many of your processes. It's a no-brainer really.
So what tech tools should you be looking at?
Well, the ones you need to get the job done faster. Since there's no one-size-fits-all solution, let's look at a few of them.
Creative-Specific Software
You're a creative agency. You need creative tools. Depending on your industry, you'll be needing tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro). Figma and Canva.
Next, project management tools to centralize task execution, meet deadlines, and enhance team communication.
What are we looking at? ManyRequests, Trello, or Asana.
Automation tools put manual work to sleep, freeing up time for the one that really matters — creative work.
This will vary greatly depending on your industry.
For example, if your stomping ground is email marketing, you should be looking at Zapier, Integromat, HubSpot, Marketo, or Mailchimp.
Do you need time-tracking? Yes, you do — if you're a serious agency.
You need to monitor time allocation and analyze generated reports so you can optimize workflows and estimate project timelines accurately.
ManyRequests’ time-tracking feature will handle this for you.
Should we leave almighty AI out? No way!
If you're in the design niche, Adobe Sensei or Runway ML will help automate design suggestions and speed up video editing.
And I'll be burned at the stake if I don't mention — you know who — ChatGPT. There are a host of other AI tools. I can't mention them all. A simple Google search will usher you into a whole new world of them.
Don't go off to Google yet. We still have unfinished business here.
You'll need storage, right? At least to store, organize and share resources, quickly accessing them to avoid delays.
No surprises here — Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.
Add Airtable to the list if you'll also need a tool which tracks file versions to prevent confusion over updates (version control).
What are we leaving out?
Oh the darling of the industry — analytics and reporting. How can we ever make data-driven decisions without them?
Again, it depends on your industry but let me name a few — SEMrush, Adobe Analytics, Sprout Social, Tableau, Power BI, Google Data Studio, etc.
And I almost forgot..
Hardware and IT support. We should have started with these really.
I don't need to tell you how having fast computers and reliable Internet connections will make your team more productive and reduce downtime, do I?
Arm your team with these tools so they can focus on what they actually signed up for — creative work.
Meet Only When Necessary
I may be biased here because I hate meetings and for good reasons too. I'll let research be my defense.
If you don't have the time to read it, here's the scoop:
Of the 182 senior managers surveyed in different industries, 65% said meetings kept them from completing their own work.
For 71%, meetings were unproductive and inefficient. 64% said meetings came at the expense of deep thinking and 62% stated that meetings missed opportunities to bring the team closer together.
Although the sample size is relatively small, it's at least reflective of the prevailing reality.
With statistics on my side, I can boldly say meeting overload is a great killer of productivity.
It interrupts workflows, destroys focus, and frustrates the heck out of team members.
Remember, most creative people need to "be in the zone" before they can do meaningful work. Incessant meetings will never let that happen.
I believe not all discussions require a meeting. Alternatives which permit real-time discussions without interrupting workflows abound — Slack, Notion and of course, ManyRequests.
However, if you must meet, take the following into account.
Only Essential Stakeholders Should Attend
Only those who must be there should be there. Only those whose input will be needed.
You can always furnish other team members with summaries of the meeting to keep them informed.
State the Objectives Clearly
What exactly are you meeting for? What are you going to talk about? Share them with all stakeholders ahead of time so they come prepared.
Make It Quick
You don't have all day. So keep it short and focused. Give little or no room for disruption and distraction.
Ideally, meetings shouldn't exceed 30 minutes unless it'll get the agency more clients.
Stick to time. And when it's up, conclude and disperse.
Eisenhower to the Rescue
Relax. We're not going to war. At least not yet.
The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple but powerful tool used to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively.
As a creative agency, you can use it to focus on high-value activities, minimize distractions and cut down inefficiencies.
How does it work?
The Eisenhower Matrix divides tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance.
A. Urgent and Important (Do) Important, time-sensitive tasks which need immediate attention.
B. Not Urgent but Important (Decide) Important tasks but not time-sensitive and can be scheduled for later. .
C. Urgent but Not Important (Delegate)
Tasks which need immediate action but aren't very important. They can be given to someone else to do.
D. Neither Urgent nor Important (Eliminate)
Low-value tasks which don't move the needle. Remove them.
Good and fine but how do you apply this to your agency? Follow these steps...
- Divide Tasks into Categories
List and sort all agency tasks into the appropriate matrix based on their degree of urgency and importance.
✅ Urgent and Important (Do)
Tasks with tight deadlines for client projects, revisions, or urgent client emergencies.
✅N ot Urgent but Important (Decide) Strategic planning, creative brainstorming sessions, team skill development.
✅ Urgent but Not Important (Delegate) Routine or boring administrative tasks, simple follow-ups.
✅ Neither Urgent nor Important (Eliminate)
Non-essential meetings (aha), excessive email checks, unproductive research.
- Focus on Quadrant 1 (Do)
Execute tasks in this quadrant first. They're both essential and time-sensitive.
A hint…
Block out uninterrupted periods of time to tackle these tasks immediately.
- Allocate Time for Quadrant 2 (Decide)
These tasks often contribute to long-term success of your agency but don’t require immediate action:
They require focused attention. So tackle them when you're full of energy.
- Delegate Tasks in Quadrant 3 (Delegate)
Assign these tasks to someone else and use the free time for more important things.
A virtual assistant or any other person on your team can handle these tasks. Just give them clear instructions. They'll be fine.
- Eliminate Quadrant 4 Tasks (Eliminate)
These tasks are mere distractions. Do away with them before they drain your energy and time. Pay no attention to them.
Okay to the next hack.
Outsource Non-Core Tasks to Boost Productivity
Outsourcing non-core tasks lets you focus on your primary functions — creative campaigns, designs, and strategies.
You can also delegate time-consuming or specialized work to external professionals.
By doing so, you streamline workflows, reduce costs, and improve project outcomes.
Outsourcing non-essential tasks has more advantages than one.
You Focus More on Core Business
You'll have more time and resources to allocate to your core business.
Lower Costs
Outsourcing costs less than hiring full-time in-house staff to do the same tasks.
Scaling is Easier and Less Risky
You can easily scale up or down your operations according to project demands without long-term commitments.
Faster Turnaround Times
Outside contractors can handle tasks more quickly using their own resources. This ensures your projects stay on schedule.
What tasks can you outsource?
👉🏼IT Support
IT troubleshooting, server management, or security monitoring can be delegated to external teams.
👉🏼Administrative Work
Tasks such as email management, scheduling, invoicing, and data entry can be outsourced to virtual assistants around the world.
👉🏼Social Media Management
You don't have to hire full-time staff to schedule posts, monitor engagement, and create content for your agency. Outsourcing this will be better and cheaper.
👉🏼Graphic Design and Video Editing
Outsource design or video editing tasks that don't require in-house expertise.
👉🏼Marketing and SEO
PPC ads, campaign management and technical SEO can all be handled by external individuals or teams.
👉🏼Web Development and Maintenance
Web design and maintenance tasks may not be handled internally. It may be cheaper to outsource to external experts.
Invest in Training and Upskilling
To build a highly productive team which does excellent work and can also adapt to changes in the industry, you must invest in training and upskilling
By training and upskilling, you...
Increase Creative Output
A highly skilled team can produce higher-quality work. They're also innovative and are capable of coming up with new ways of doing things.
Stay Ahead of Industry Trends
We live in a fast-paced world with things changing very fast — new technologies and tools, and changing trends.
The only way creative agencies can keep up is by building and maintaining a team which is very much on top of things.
Attract and Retain Talent
Everybody wants career growth. Professionals would normally work for and remain with agencies which take this seriously.
Okay, what areas should you look to improve your team?
Technical Skills
Again, this depends on the specific industry you operate in.
Creative Tools
Train your team on Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Canva, or Blender.
New features are released all the time. Make sure team members learn them.
Analytics
For an agency in the analytics niche, team members should be proficient using Google Analytics, Python libraries, Power BI, or Tableau for data-driven decision-making.
Web Design and Development
Web developers and designers should be at home with emerging frameworks.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are as important as technical skills. These two are essential.
Communication and Collaboration Train team members on effective communication strategies that will help boost teamwork and client relations.
Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
They should know the latest problem-solving techniques and innovative ways to approach creative challenges.
Emerging Trends
Who's running the show right now? AI and automation.
Does your team know how to get the best out of these?
Project Management
Train team members on Agile methodologies, Scrum and Kanban. This will surely improve workflow management and project delivery.
Implement Time Blocking for Maximum Productivity
Map out blocks of time for specific tasks. This will boost focus ensuring that every minute is utilized effectively.
With time blocking, you get a clear view of what you're supposed to do. This removes surprises and uncertainties from your daily operations.
With distractions kept to a minimum, creators can now “zone in” and do deep meaningful work where high-priority tasks are executed first.
Here are a few tips to get the most of time blocking...
High-Energy Tasks Go First
Execute complex or high-priority tasks first when your team’s energy levels are highest. This should typically be at the start of a workday.
Batch Similar Tasks Together
Related tasks can be in one bucket. This way, you won't have to “switch” mentally to complete a particular task.
No Multitasking, Please
Resist this temptation. Go one task at a time. You'll be more focused and efficient.
Be Strict
The only way this can work is if you're firm. Always operate within set time blocks. Don't extend them unless absolutely necessary. Else, you'll derail your whole work schedule.
Do You Use Project Management Systems to Streamline Your Operations?
As a creative agency, you work with several clients and on multiple projects with different deadlines.
Except you're some alien from Mars, it's easy to be overwhelmed and things can get ugly pretty fast — breakdown in communication and overworked team members.
How can you escape this? It's simple. Use a well-honed project management system.
Use it to organize workflows, enhance communication and collaboration, and execute tasks seamlessly.
Why is Having a Project Management System so Important?
Well, let me give you a few.
Centralized Operations
A good project management system brings all project-related processes and resources (tasks, timelines, communication) together in one place.
Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
With everything in one place, team members can access resources, interact and collaborate in real time.
Time Tracking
A good project management software has a built-in time-tracker to monitor time spent on tasks and projects.
This not only makes billing easier, it also boosts productivity. You get to analyze generated reports to identify areas where time is being wasted.
Improved Efficiency
With communication streamlined and repetitive tasks automated, time is saved and resources are allocated more effectively. This will boost efficiency.
Improved Visibility
You'll get a clear view of how projects are coming along, their associated deadlines, and possible bumps lying in wait.
You can then deal with these proactively and decisively.
Client Transparency
A good project management system allows clients to view project updates and progress. This helps to build trust and eliminate the need for frequent status updates.
You can achieve all of these with ManyRequests. Unlike many other project management tools, it's built specifically for creative agencies.
It comes with all the features you'll need as an agency — branded client portal, time tracker and other features to streamline communication and collaboration.
With ManyRequests, you can easily manage multiple client expectations and deadlines, oversee team members, and the constant communication and feedback involved in the execution of client projects.
The best thing is that you'll be able to do this in one place.
Many happy and satisfied agency owners currently use ManyRequests.
For example, Design agency, DesignGuru, enjoys the fact that ManyRequests client portal enables them run all their operations in one place. With ManyRequests, DesignGuru was able to scale at double digits monthly growth completing 1500 projects.
And Graphic design service, DesignBuffs, used ManyRequests’ time-based feature to offer its clients both hourly-based services and subscriptions.
You can find even more of these beautiful stories here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which productivity hack is the most important?
The use of tech tools. They streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks and make communication and collaboration seamless. Considering the fast-paced nature of the service-based industry, it's practically impossible to do without them.
If you were to recommend 3 tools, what would they be?
First, get a tool specific for your industry. For example, Adobe suite of creative tools if you're in the design niche. Then get ManyRequests for project management and time tracking even billing. Last, Google Drive for storage.
Okay, let's draw the curtain now.
Conclusion
Thank you for staying to the end. I really hope I've helped you in some way.
The next step is to go and apply a few of these ideas.
Meanwhile, you can enjoy all of ManyRequests’ features right now for free for 14 days. No strings attached. Let your team members experience its full powers for themselves for free.
Click here to start your free trial.
Okay thank you and see you on the next one.
Bye.
