10 Tools You Need To Set Up Your Productized Service Business

Picture this: 

You're an entrepreneur running a productized service agency. You handle client onboarding on software one, manage your team on software two, collaborate with clients on three, design & arrange your services on four, and manage projects and invoicing on software five and six. 

You are a team of one or a couple of members, but you're using as many as 6 software products for operations. 

It's overwhelming and unsustainable, but by using productized service software, you can reduce that number to one or two. 

These productized service tools are built for design & creative services agencies and freelancers to 

• Simplify service and order forms without using different tools (AKA Google Forms)
• Communicate quickly with your clients and team members (without cluttered emails or free Slack channels where messages disappear after 90 days) 
• Use automated invoices, payments, and receipts
• Use the upselling marketing feature to provide additional services (or discounts) alongside your main package 

These productivity tools automate several aspects of your services to reduce time spent on administrative tasks and allow you to focus on growing your business. What are they, and how can you use them? 

10 Productized Service Software for Your Agency 

Like you, I detest the chaos of long, confusing email threads, creating and managing different productized service forms on Google Forms, hopping on Slack to chat with my teammates, using Moxie for invoicing, or receiving design editing requests via email, where each request is disorganized, unspecific, and undoable. Here are some alternatives: 

Overall best for client onboarding, communication, productivity, and revenue management. 

1. ManyRequests 

I am sure you're not surprised, but we have good reasons to be biased. 

We simplify your process of managing client requests, invoicing, and tracking projects. This makes it easy for you to scale from managing one client to multiple clients and tagging your team members to specific tasks (or edit requests) in one thread. Here's what I mean: 

The image above is the left panel of the Requests interface. If a client has an editing request, you can add other team members to the project just by clicking on their profile. They’ll receive an email notification that looks like this: 

Here are some of the features existing users love: 

Client Onboarding & Management

ManyRequests lets you send a custom invite to new clients, manage their information, and track all their projects in one place. An invitation link via email looks like this: 

Here, “Peace Akinwale” was used as the preliminary agency name. So in your case, it’ll be your agency’s name. 

ManyRequests also lets you create customizable intake forms, the first step in any client-agency relationship. You can watch a video on how to create order forms here. 

These forms help you gather relevant information from new clients before you prompt them to pay for your service and kickstart a project. It's also an easy way to show them a thorough description of your productized service(s). 

You can also rebrand your client portal like Prontto did using our white-labelling feature: 

Clients can then log in, submit edit requests, track project progress, or request newer project milestones. 

Our software has a design annotation feature so clients can request specific edits. We wrote more about that here, and it looks like this: 

As you can see, each edit request (1, 2, and 4) has specific texts alongside the markups. 

This dedicated space to edit and communicate enhances client experiences and eliminates the need for long email threads. 

Automated Billing and Invoicing

ManyRequests handles recurring billing, invoicing, and payments to reduce your administrative burden. For context, you can set up payment details before creating a productized service. Clients can either pay upfront or half, depending on how you structure your payments. 

For clients who pay after each delivery, you can set up a recurring service and charge them weekly, monthly, or quarterly. This automation means you don't need to create and send invoices manually at each billing cycle. Read our guide on setting up a productized service to learn more about this. 

Project Management Tools 

ManyRequests’ productized service software lets you track project status, deadlines, and team members assigned to a task to ensure all client requests are handled efficiently. We use Kanban boards to visually represent the flow of work using progress metrics like To Do, In Progress, and Published. 

If you need to ask your clients questions, use the chatbot in the Request interface. Conversations (and edit requests) are arranged in threads, which means you'll see everything that has happened on a project in the chat box. 

For context, you can screenshot and annotate specific areas you need your clients to clarify. Your client will receive an email of your comment and also see the message in the chat box. They can then use the reply feature to respond. 

Both your questions and their responses will be logged in the thread, so you can see an organized view of your conversations. 

This way, you can’t miss anything. 

Adriana Acuña, Director of Architecture at the 3D rendering and drawing services, Prontto, says they now use one software (ManyRequests) to take projects, assign projects, and monitor everything. Read the customer story here. 

Alexandra Adams from SquidPixels also said ManyRequests has helped them stay organized while managing as many as 17,000 design requests.

ManyRequests Pros

• All-in-one solution to manage client requests, invoicing, and tracking your projects. 
• Easy to learn and use
• Simplifies communication between your clients and teams. 
• White labeling for consistent branding 
• Integrates with other CRMs. 

ManyRequests Cons

• May have a learning curve for users new to productized service software. 
• Advanced features like white-labeling require higher-tier plans. 

ManyRequests Pricing 

ManyRequests has a three-tiered pricing plan: 

• The Starter plan costs $99/mo. It is perfect for small agencies with fewer than five teams. 
• The core plan costs $149/mo. It's ideal for medium-sized agencies that manage multiple client accounts simultaneously. 
• The Pro plan costs $399/mo. It's the best option for enterprise agencies looking for a platform with custom branding opportunities. 

If you need more features with a dedicated account management option, book a call with Robin, the CEO. 

Tip: You can sign up for a 14-day free trial right now (no credit card required) to try all the features on the Starter Plan. 

Team Communication Tools 

Many productized service businesses operate with a remote team, meaning you must communicate and collaborate with people worldwide. Here are some productivity software that has never failed: 

2. Slack

Slack is a cloud-based collaborative messaging platform for remote and in-house teams. Some of its essential features include: 

Channels

Conversations are organized into channels. You can create channels for specific projects or topics to organize discussions based on departments or projects. You can also decide who gets added to a channel or not. 

Direct messaging and file sharing

Slack allows direct messaging to ask questions, receive feedback, or have private conversations. You can also drag and drop files or share them into channels and direct messages. The integration with other tools, such as Google Drive, Gmail, and Dropbox, eliminates the need for email or file attachments. For example, you can embed a Google Doc in the chat rather than share a separate Word file.  These keep relevant files attached to corresponding discussions without downloading or opening a document. 

Slack Pros 

• Conversations are organized into channels to manage discussions
• It's easy to share files and collaborate with teams 
• Users can customize notifications to reduce distractions
• Users can use the search feature to locate messages, files, and links

Slack Cons 

• There is potential for information overload as new users may find the volume of channels (or messages) overwhelming
• Some have said Slack lacks the personal touch of face-to-face interactions, which can affect relationship-building 

Merve from Captera says Slack is a "Fun & efficient way to connect with colleagues.” 

Slack Pricing 

• Free plan: limited to 90 days of message history and basic features) 
• Pro Plan: $8.75/mo (a discount of $4.38) is active at the time of writing
• Business+ Plan: $15/mo 
• Enterprise grid: For enterprises, contact sales. 

3. Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing software that allows remote teams (or in-house agencies/companies) to communicate live. Here are some of its top features: 

Video conferencing 

It provides high-quality video conferencing capabilities that allow all participants to hear and see each other live. There are also many settings to limit disruptions during meetings. For example, the administrator can mute every participant except the speaker, and the participants can use the dedicated text box for chats. This keeps every meeting organized and as efficient as possible. 

Screen sharing 

While running your business, you may need to see your client’s or team member’s screen as they explain a concept. 

Screen sharing helps you communicate better, understand clients' needs, and see how you can best help them. Zoom lets you share your entire screen or a specific application to collaborate with your “guest” and have focused discussions. 

Recording and transcription 

Zoom allows you to record meetings. This is good if you need to refer back to the discussion or transcribe your client interview. You can even record the meeting and use Zoom’s transcription feature to capture essential points and action items. 

Zoom Pros

• Supports large audiences (up to 10,000 for virtual webinars) 
• High-quality audio and video up to 1080p
• You can speak to 100 participants for 40 minutes on the free Plan (perfect for your small business team). 

Zoom Cons 

• Limited features in the free plan
• Poor video or audio quality if you have network issues
• Zoom has faced scrutiny for security and privacy issues, including the risk of unauthorized access through "Zoombombing" tactics. 

Roberto on G2 says Zoom comes “with the operating system!” because he loves the integrations for his team. 

Zoom Pricing 

• Free Plan: Unlimited 40-minute meetings for up to 100 participants. 
• Pro Plan: $149.99/mo for up to 30 hours per meeting. 
• Business Plan: $21/mo for up to 300 participants. 
• Business plus: contact sales 
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for organizations with more than 500 participants. 

Document storage tools 

Document storage tools are an important part of any productized service software because your team needs to be able to organize, store, and retrieve files or documents. This feature is embedded into ManyRequests (through the chat box), but if you need a third-party tool, here are options for you: 

4. Google Drive 

Google Drive is a cloud storage solution that allows document storage and collaboration. Some of its features are: 

Team Collaboration 

Google Drive allows multiple users to collaborate on Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real-time. It supports up to 50 people on the same document simultaneously and is helpful if your team needs to work on different document sections simultaneously. 

File sharing and permissions

Google Drive lets you share files with specific individuals (or groups) and control their actions on the document. You can let them view, make comments, or edit the document. This level of control helps you stay in charge of all iterations. 

Google Drive Pros 

• Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage 
• Integrates with Google's ecosystem of Google Docs, Google Sheets, and others 
• Has advanced security features like two-factor authentication and encryption to safeguard data 
• Files can be accessed on any device with an internet connection. 

Google Drive Cons

• The free storage is shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos, which can be quickly consumed.
• Upload and download speeds can vary based on the user's internet connection and Google's server load.
• Although you can work offline, it requires an internet connection 

Becky on Capterra recommends Google Drive because her experience has been positive so far: 

Google Drive Pricing

• Free Plan: 15 GB of storage
• 100 GB Plan: $1.99/mo
• 200 GB Plan: $2.99/mo
• 2 TB Plan: $9.99/mo
• Plans up to 30 TB: Available for businesses and enterprise users

5. Dropbox

Dropbox is a cloud-based storage service that stores and shares files with team members. Some of its features include: 

File sharing and collaboration

Like Google Drive, you can share files and collaborate with team members or clients in real time. You can share individual files or entire folders and control access permissions to each file shared. 

Offline access

One of Dropbox's shining features is its offline access feature. It allows you to mark specific files as favorites (which automatically makes them available for viewing without an internet connection). For context, if you need to access important documents while traveling or in locations with poor internet connections, all you need to do is mark the documents as favorites, and you'll easily access them offline. 

DropBox Pros

• Dropbox allows automatic file backup to protect against data loss
• Paid users can access files without an internet connection 
• It has a digital signature feature (at an additional cost). 

DropBox Cons

• The free basic Plan offers only 2 GB of storage
• It is expensive
• The collaboration feature is less advanced than those in Google Drive or OneDrive.
• The search functionality is basic compared to its competitors. 

While there are many negative reviews about Dropbox on Trustpilot, someone said it is the “best cloud content collaboration software for storing and sharing documents.” 

DropBox Pricing

• The free basic plan provides 2GB of storage
• Plus: $11.99/mo with 2TB of storage
• Essentials: $18/mo per user for 3TB of storage
• Business: $18/mo per user for 9TB of storage for the team
• Business Plus: $30/mo per user for a minimum of 3 users and 3TB of storage per user

Productivity Tools for Productized Service Businesses

Productivity tools are an essential feature of productized service software like ours. But if you need extra features from productivity software like Trello, and Zapier, here are some reasons to consider them in your tech stack: 

6. Trello 

Trello helps design and creative agencies to improve how they manage projects and collaborate with others. Some of its leading features are: 

Visual project management with boards, lists, and cards

Trello uses boards to represent a project (or existing work). Lists can represent different stages of a project, just like we have at ManyRequests (To Do, In Progress, and Done), and cards represent individual tasks or items in a project. This visual approach helps you grasp the status of existing projects at a glance and also manage your workload easily. Here’s what it looks like on Trello: 

Power-ups and integrations

Power-ups in Trello include integrations with other tools like Figma, InVision, and Slack. These allow you and your to connect with your favorite tool, store prototypes in a place like Figma, and keep relevant information centralized (on Slack) for easy accessibility. 

Trello Pros

• User-friendly interface through its kanban boards (just like ours) 
• Users can customize project views (choose various layouts from Kanban, calendar to timeline views) to visualize projects
• Collaborate with others in real-time 
• Automate repetitive tasks. For example, you can set triggers to automatically create new Trello cards based on specific events, such as submitting a Google Form, a new email, or uploading a file to Google Drive. 

Trello Cons 

• It lacks project management features such as time tracking, Gantt charts, and comprehensive reporting, making it less suitable for complex projects. 
• Its simple structure may make you struggle with managing multiple tasks and users as you grow in size.
• There are no advanced permissions, as any user can add or delete tasks on a board. 

Marit from Capterra says, “It’s simple, easy to use and ‘good enough’ for most things. 

Trello Pricing

• Free Plan: Basic features with unlimited boards, lists, and cards, but limited to 10MB file uploads and basic automation.
• Standard Plan: $6/mo per user. 
• Premium Plan: $12.50/mo per user.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for organizations needing advanced security and administrative features, requiring a minimum of 50 users. 

7. Zapier 

Like Trello, Zapier is a productized service software that automates tasks and activities between apps and services. Some of its essential features are: 

Automated Workflows (or Zaps)

Zapier allows users to create Zaps to connect different applications and automate tasks. For example, you can use a Zap to automatically save email attachments from Gmail to Dropbox or create Trello cards after a Google Form submission. On ManyRequests, you're notified of every form submitted after you've created your productized service/offering, and it automatically begins a project with your client. 

This reduces the manual effort required to manage Google Forms, email, and other productivity software for Zapier. 

Integrations 

Zapier supports integrations with over 5,000 applications, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Asana. This lets you create a cohesive workflow to manage your project from beginning to end. With ManyRequests, you would not need to integrate with other tools because you can use the service board to create one-off, recurring, or time-based services. You can then send a link to the service (with a form towards the end to collect client data) and manage payment. 

Zapier Pros

• Zapier automates repetitive tasks across various applications to save time and manage multiple data sources. 
• Supports over 5,000 integrations 
• It is known for its long-standing reputation of reliability and consistent updates.

Zapier Cons 

• Zapier requires a stable internet connection; downtime can disrupt automation processes. 
• It can be expensive, as the free plan has limited capabilities. Users must upgrade to a paid plan to access essential features or integrate with specific applications. 

Sydney, a director of marketing, loves “the integrations!” 

Zapier Pricing

• Free Plan 
• Professional: $29.99/mo.
• Team Plan: $103.50/mob
• Enterprise Plan: Contact support for pricing 

8. Dashlane

As your team grows, you need a way to share passwords with team members. For privacy purposes, saving passwords on Word documents or note apps is always a bad idea, so using a tool like Dashlane is ideal for protecting sensitive passwords for every business-related application/subscription. Here are some top features: 

• Password Management 

Dashlane allows agencies to store and manage passwords for all their online accounts and tools. It provides a single platform to manage passwords for the different software you use for your projects. It also allows secure password sharing—your team members can share passwords without exposing sensitive information, and access can be revoked at any time. This feature allows collaboration while maintaining strong security practices. 

• Form Autofill 

Dashlane's form autofill feature lets you quickly fill out web forms with personal information like names, addresses, and payment details. This feature helps you use pre-entered fields while filling out details like names and addresses on client intake forms, contracts, and invoices. This is a neat feature, as anyone in your management team may have to do this. 

• Secure File Storage 

Dashlane also allows an encrypted file storage feature to protect sensitive documents like client contracts, NDAs, and financial records. 

Dashlane Pros 

• It allows password generation, dark web monitoring, secure autofill, and a built-in VPN for premium users.
• It uses top-tier zero-knowledge encryption to protect passwords and sensitive information. 
• It provides a password health score to help you identify weak or compromised passwords. 
• It can be accessed across multiple devices and browsers. 

Dashlane Cons 

• The premium plans can be considered expensive compared to other password management solutions. 
• The free version restricts users to storing only 25 passwords and limits access to one device. 

Someone on Trustpilot said they love how Dashlane works so far. 

Dashlane Pricing

Dashlane has removed the pricing from their website. 

However, according to a review, it starts at $59.88/year for its subscribers. It’s $89.88 per year for Family & Friends with 10 users.

Marketing and advertising tools 

Having a great productized service (and positioning yourself well) is just one step towards increasing your revenue. You need other tools to stay visible to prospects and manage your qualified leads. Here are some tools to market your service and create & distribute content. 

9. Canva

Canva is a graphic design tool that allows you to create visual content. This could be social media designs, marketing materials, or a presentation. For context, if you provide 3D services like our client, Prontto, you may use Canva to design a preview of your intended outcome based on the project brief. Here are some of its top features: 

Extensive Template Library

Canva has a library of professionally designed flyers, carousels, and other visual designs. This allows you to use existing templates to create visually appealing content that meets expectations and has high quality. 

Brand Kit

Canva lets you centralize your brand identity by storing logos, brand colors, and fonts in one place. You can incorporate these elements in new designs to reinforce brand recognition among your clients and target audiences. It also helps you achieve consistency in every marketing material. 

Collaboration

Canva allows you to work simultaneously with multiple team members on a design. This reduces back-and-forth and speeds up project completion. 

Canva Pros

• It has a user-friendly interface 
• Extensive pre-made templates for various design needs
• You can collaborate with multiple users 
• Access to stock media to eliminate the need to subscribe to stock media services. 
• With a premium subscription, you can use its magic resize and background remover feature. 

Canva Cons 

• It requires a stable internet connection to work 
• While templates are helpful, they can be too generic to use. 

Rhea said Canva made her life as a freelancer easy. 

Canva Pricing

• Free Plan
• Canva Pro is €12/m per user 
• Canva Teams is €9/user per month for a team of at least 3 people 
• Canva Enterprise: Get in touch with the support team. 

10. MailChimp 

MailChimp is a cloud-based marketing platform and email newsletter provider that helps you create, send, and analyze email marketing campaigns. Some of its top features include: 

Email Templates 

You can use its existing templates to create and design email campaigns. This means you can play with colors, fonts, and layouts to integrate with your high-quality content for your email campaigns. 

Segmentation and Targeting 

You can segment your audience based on engagement levels (with your emails), demographics, or job roles. This helps you optimize your marketing efforts based on your target-specific groups. It also enhances the efficacy of your campaign and helps you create targeted campaigns for a specific audience. 

For context, emails to those with a high potential to convert (because of their job roles or engagement levels) can be more persuasive than emails to subscribers to your newsletter mailing list. 

Analytics and reporting 

MailChimp allows you to see details about your campaign performance. You can track the email open rate, subscriber engagement levels, and click-through rates. This helps you understand the efficacy of all your marketing campaigns and can help you track the ROI for all your efforts. 

There are many negative reviews about MailChimp’s customer service, but Frank says it’s super easy to set up. 

MailChimp Pros

• The free tier allows up to 500 contacts and 1,000 monthly sends
• It allows marketing automation, A/B testing, and analytics

MailChimp Cons 

• It's expensive as your contact list grows 
• Fewer customizable templates compared to competitors 

MailChimp Pricing

• The free plan allows you to 500 contacts and 1,000 emails/mo
• Essential plan: $13/mo for 500 contacts. 
• Standard plan: $20mo for 500 contacts (prices increase as the list grows). 

Conclusion 

According to Fleitmann, the co-founder of a $1M ARR design agency, MagicDesign, ManyRequests “handles our customer service workflows from top to bottom and is fundamental to our daily operations.” 

Many other agencies use our productized service software to handle “everything” about client operations, and you can get started with us too. However, if you want to communicate with your remote teams and clients, use Slack. If all you need is to automate workflows without outsourcing automated invoicing or service requests, consider Zapier or Dashlane for password security management. But if you want to manage clients and team members in one platform, sign up for a free trial here. You can also see this demo to learn how to use ManyRequests.

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Originally published: August 21, 2020