What’s holding your agency back from operating at peak efficiency? Is it outdated workflows, misaligned priorities, or simply a lack of time to implement better systems? Managing multiple client projects, coordinating between different departments, tracking billable hours, maintaining consistent quality… these are just some of the daily challenges agencies face while trying to stay profitable. And as agencies scale, these operational challenges often compound, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the same level of service and profitability without proper systems in place. So, what are the most successful agencies doing differently? And which operational improvements actually move the needle? We surveyed 40+ agencies to understand how they’re optimizing their operations, what tools and processes they’re implementing, and which changes have had the biggest impact on their efficiency. Our Key Findings on How Agencies Approach Operational Efficiency in 2025 7 Strategies to Improve Agency Operational Efficiency Software and Tools Agencies Rely on for Productivity Stay on Top of Your Agency’s Performance with Databox Our Key Findings on How Agencies Approach Operational Efficiency in 2025 35% of the companies we surveyed have between 2-10 employees. First, we looked at how agencies structure their modern work environments. The majority of respondents (51.11%) operate on a hybrid model (office + remote), while 40% are fully remote. This likely plays a role in how teams collaborate and deliver services efficiently. Speaking of services, we also explored which offerings agencies handle in-house versus outsourcing. Of the 25 services listed, only two are not offered in-house by the majority – Affiliate Marketing and Gaming Marketing. This suggests a strong preference for maintaining control over most services while outsourcing niche areas. Looking at client portfolio size, our research revealed healthy client bases across surveyed agencies. To be specific, most respondents have more than 30 clients per year. Additionally, more than half of the respondents stated that more than half of their clients are on long-term retainers (over 6 months). In terms of revenue per client, we found that most agencies work with mid-market clients. For most respondents, average clients pay less than $30,000 in a year. Examining pricing models, agencies are split almost evenly between two dominant approaches. For 44.44% of surveyed agencies, a fixed-fee project is the dominating model, followed closely by a fixed-fee retainer (42.22%). When asked about their operational efficiency, most agencies acknowledged room for improvement. Over 70% of the surveyed agencies rated their overall operational efficiency as moderately efficient. Among internal functions, one department stood out for its efficiency. Our respondents rated project management as the top internal function/department. We also investigated what specific steps agencies have taken to optimize their operations. Most agencies we surveyed have done the following to improve their operational efficiency in the last 12 months: Conducted quarterly planning sessions to review company progress and metrics (57.89%) Found ways to automate simple tasks (57.89%) Developed and followed an annual strategic plan (52.63%) Set agency financial and performance metrics (52.63%) Documented all of our processes for delivering services (50%) We also examined how agencies handle their analytics and reporting processes. When asked about the analytics and client reporting processes they have implemented, most surveyed agencies mentioned creating reusable dashboards and report templates to quickly implement reporting for new clients and monitoring performance across all clients in real-time on a single platform. The top 3 tools agencies use and that improve operational efficiency the most are Project Management Software (e.g., Teamwork.com, Monday), Communication Platforms (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams), and Dashboard and Reporting Tools (e.g. Databox). Finally, when it comes to measuring success, agencies focus on key financial and performance indicators. Profit margins, revenue growth, client retention rate, and overhead cost are the most regularly used metrics to measure and monitor operational efficiency. 7 Strategies to Improve Agency Operational Efficiency Every agency has its specific challenges, but some strategies consistently drive operational success across organizations of all sizes. We asked our respondents to share some of their best-working strategies and here’s what they said: Using Project Management Software Hybrid Work Model Creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Leveraging AI for Content Marketing Using Automation Tools Rotating Specialization System Optimizing the Sales Process Using Project Management Software Agency workflows live and die by how well teams coordinate deadlines, client feedback, and shifting priorities. So, it’s not surprising that project management software was voted as the top tool for improving agency operational efficiency in our survey. Tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday can centralize communication, automate repetitive processes (e.g., status updates or client approvals), and provide real-time visibility into team bandwidth. Natasha Rai of Explainerd said that “Asana has been particularly helpful. It has streamlined task tracking, improved team collaboration, and helped us meet deadlines more effectively, boosting productivity by around 30%.” Ruhi Khan of Acodez also talked about how project management tools helped “improve team collaboration and ensure deadlines are met.” “This has led to a significant reduction in miscommunication and project delays, allowing us to deliver better results to our clients more consistently.” Cindy Steward of Brand Extract pointed out one specific feature of project management tools that has been particularly helpful: “We have started using linked spreadsheets from our project management software. This gives us a real-time overview of many different aspects of our agency. It could be budget-based, project-based, or even timelines.” PRO TIP: Want to track your software development process and team productivity in one place? Download our free Jira Dashboard Template and get all your most relevant project metrics in one place, with real-time insights into key performance areas. Hybrid Work Model We saw that over 51% of surveyed agencies are operating on a hybrid model, so it’s clear that combining office and remote work has become more than just a temporary solution – it’s now a strategic approach to operational efficiency. The hybrid model offers the best of both worlds – the flexibility and work-life balance of remote work, alongside the collaboration benefits of in-person interaction. Most importantly, the hybrid model can help agencies attract and retain top talent who value flexibility in their workplace. Sumeet Anand of Marveta is one of our respondents who talked about this strategy: We believe that a happy team is a productive team. That’s why we’ve embraced a hybrid work model—our employees work at their convenience, and we only call them into the office when it’s truly necessary. It’s a win-win for everyone. We keep our team motivated with incentives and monthly fun activities that reduce stress and strengthen the bond between colleagues.” Creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Standard operating procedures serve as the backbone of consistent service delivery and ensure that every team member knows exactly how to handle specific tasks and situations. Well-documented SOPs help agencies maintain quality standards across all client accounts, reduce training time for new employees, and minimize errors that could impact client satisfaction. They’re particularly valuable for agencies operating with hybrid or remote teams, as they provide clear guidelines that can be followed regardless of location. But SOPs only stick if teams use them. Remember to involve employees in refining processes (“What slows you down?”) and schedule quarterly reviews to see if any adjustments are needed. Shannon Trimble of The Search Cure talked about how they’ve “relied on SOPs (standard operating procedures) to quickly scale up while maintaining quality.” “These docs exist for every procedure you could possibly think of – from writing guidelines to how to invoice for our freelancers. This way, we save tons of time answering FAQs, and any new queries can just be added to the docs. They’re flexible because we’re always trying to iterate and improve our efficiency, and service.” Leveraging AI for Content Marketing While AI tools can’t completely replace human creativity, they can improve content marketing operations and optimize agency efficiency. Modern AI platforms can help streamline various aspects of the content creation process – from research and ideation to content optimization and performance analysis. Teams can use AI to quickly generate content outlines, create first drafts of routine content, and scale content production without sacrificing quality. AI tools can also assist with SEO optimization, keyword analysis, and finding content gaps. Velin Dragoev of Era Locums mentioned that his agency is “making heavy use of AI to write and optimize content, as well as analyze data. This has helped us focus on the biggest drivers of revenue within our sales process.” PRO TIP: Are you using LinkedIn for your content marketing efforts? If so, you can download our free LinkedIn Company Page Engagement Dashboard, where you can track your key performance indicators in one centralized location and check your performance in real-time. Using Automation Tools Smart automation can eliminate repetitive tasks, reduce human error, and free up valuable time for strategic work that truly requires human creativity and expertise. Agencies are using automation across various functions – from social media scheduling and email marketing to invoice generation and expense tracking. Client reporting, in particular, has seen major efficiency gains through automation, with agencies creating reusable dashboard templates and automated performance monitoring systems. The key is to find tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming, and rule-based – these are prime candidates for automation. Umesh Baraiya of Meetanshi Technology says that they used automation tools to “streamline repetitive tasks like social media scheduling, email marketing, and client reporting.” “By using tools such as Buffer and Hootsuite, we scheduled posts in advance, ensuring consistency and saving time. Automated email campaigns also helped reduce manual work, allowing the team to focus on more strategic initiatives. This enhanced overall productivity and improved client results.” Lee Wilson of Vertical Leap talked about the importance of “focusing on where technology in all its forms can help remove the mundane from specialists so they can concentrate on the expertise, experience, and human elements of delivery.” “A starting point is frequently asking ourselves – where are we spending most of our time? How can we automate some of that process? This is followed by objective self-assessment of which items are essential for the expert, those that should sit with technology, or collaborative tasks which require a combination of both.” Rotating Specialization System This approach allows team members to develop deep expertise in specific areas while maintaining broad knowledge across multiple disciplines. The system works by assigning team members to focus on particular specialties for set periods, and then rotating them through different areas of expertise. This not only prevents knowledge silos from forming but also ensures the agency has backup coverage for every crucial function. When one specialist is unavailable, others with rotational experience can step in, maintaining service continuity. “Our teams cycle through focused periods where they concentrate on specific aspects of email marketing. This approach has led to some innovative solutions and a significant boost in our overall productivity. It’s not just about individual skill improvement; it’s created a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing that’s really transformed our operations.” Scott Cohen CEO at InboxArmy Want to get highlighted in our next report? Become a contributor now Optimizing the Sales Process A well-designed sales process can dramatically improve an agency’s operational efficiency by focusing on the right opportunities and reducing time wasted on poor-fit prospects. The key is to build a system that quickly spots ideal clients while streamlining the path from prospect to paying customer. Start by creating detailed client success profiles based on your best current clients – what makes them profitable, what problems you solve best for them, and what characteristics indicate they’ll be good long-term partners. Then, use these insights to develop a targeted qualification process that helps your sales team quickly spot similar opportunities. Dmitry Shamis of The Creative Brand says that “the biggest lever has been implementing new technology to optimize the sales process.” “I’m a marketer and creative by trade, sales isn’t my strong suit so adding tools that help me identify the right prospects and perform outreach has been really helpful because it was taking too long on my own (if happening at all).” Software and Tools Agencies Rely on for Productivity An agency’s operational efficiency is often directly tied to its technology choices. From project management to client reporting, here are the key tools that form the backbone of modern agency operations: Asana Clay Monday.com Slack ClickUp Asana Asana is one of the most dominant project management solutions in the market – and for good reasons. Agency leaders are often particularly impressed with its intuitive interface and comprehensive feature set that scales seamlessly from small teams to large organizations. Asana’s key strengths include visual project management capabilities, which allow agencies to map complex client workflows and campaigns through customizable boards and timelines. The platform’s flexibility in supporting both agile and traditional project management methodologies makes it particularly valuable for agencies juggling multiple clients and project types. There are also robust collaboration features, including task dependencies, custom fields, and real-time updates. Jonathan Staley of EMBER says that “Asana is our number one efficiency booster. We use templates and automations to take a bunch of the repetitive and manual tasks out of project management. Tasks can also be added directly to the correct Asana project from Gmail and Slack.” Daniella Pozzolungo of PupDigital shared that their agency uses Asana to “manage our client projects and business administration.” “It allows us to set up recurring tasks for regular campaign management, ad-hoc tasks for anything that needs to be actioned outside of our regular management. It enables us to prioritize and schedule our workload across our teams, as well as acts as a communication platform so all client discussions are kept in the one place.” Clay Clay has completely changed how agencies handle their B2B prospecting and relationship building. It’s an AI-powered tool that excels at automatically updating and filling in contact information, which keeps your database fresh and accurate. Agency teams can use Clay to build targeted prospect lists and stay on top of important company changes that might lead to new business. The Chrome extension makes it super easy to save contacts while browsing LinkedIn, company websites, and other professional networks. The platform can also automatically keep your contact information up to date and ping you when something important changes with your target accounts. Dmitry Shamis of The Creative Brand says that “Clay has been really helpful in identifying prospects. It shortened the time frame for finding potential customers and enabled much faster outreach. It saves me 5-10 hours per week easily.” Monday.com Monday.com has earned its spot as a favorite among agencies for making complex project management feel surprisingly simple and visual. Many agencies switched to Monday.com from more traditional tools and haven’t looked back. The platform is particularly known for its colorful, customizable boards that help teams track everything from client projects and content calendars to resource allocation. Teams also appreciate how easy it is to get a birds-eye view of all ongoing projects while still being able to dive deep into individual tasks. Plus, its built-in time tracking and workload management features help agency managers ensure their teams aren’t overloaded and projects stay profitable. Andre Oentoro of Breadnbeyond says that they “implemented Monday.com a few years ago, and it’s been a game-changer for our productivity.” “It streamlined our project management, allowing the team to collaborate more efficiently. I’d say it boosted our overall productivity by about 30%, as we’ve cut down on miscommunication and improved task tracking.” Slack Slack has become the digital headquarters for agencies, fundamentally changing how teams communicate and collaborate. Teams particularly value Slack’s ability to organize conversations into dedicated channels for different clients, projects, and departments. This structure helps keep discussions focused and makes it easy to find important information later. Slack also offers deep integration with other tools like Asana, Google Drive, and Adobe Creative Cloud. Teams can share files, approve designs, and get project updates without leaving their conversations. Natasha Rai of Explainerd also mentioned how “one tool we’ve implemented that significantly boosted productivity is Slack.” “It has streamlined internal communication, reducing email clutter and allowing real-time collaboration across teams. By integrating it with other tools like Asana and Google Drive, we’ve seen a 25% increase in project turnaround times and overall team efficiency.” ClickUp ClickUp is a versatile all-in-one productivity platform that agencies use to consolidate their workflows and eliminate tool sprawl. One of the tool’s main benefits is its flexibility – teams can view their work as lists, boards, calendars, or timelines, switching between views based on their needs. Agencies particularly appreciate the custom fields and statuses that let them track client-specific requirements and project stages without being locked into rigid templates. The platform’s doc collaboration features have also become a go-to for agencies, replacing separate wiki tools and letting teams build their knowledge base right where they work. Here’s what Johannes Klupfel of Cloud Clicks shared: “We use ClickUp to track tasks, forecast hours per project, and prioritize tasks within projects. By adding templates to streamline similar projects, we have achieved more consistency in project delivery. This implementation has boosted our efficiency by approximately 30%, allowing us to better manage our time and resources, leading to improved project outcomes and client satisfaction.” Stay on Top of Your Agency’s Performance with Databox Having the right tools is crucial for agency efficiency, but tracking performance across all these platforms can quickly become overwhelming. You’re juggling data from project management tools, CRMs, and multiple client accounts—but how do you know if your agency operations are actually delivering the results you need? This is where Databox steps in. Our Agency Benchmark Groups cover essential metrics from tools like Asana, HubSpot, Google Analytics 4, and many more. Join these groups to instantly see how your agency stacks up against others in key performance areas—from project profitability to client retention rates. With Benchmark Groups, you can instantly compare your KPIs—like client acquisition costs or campaign ROI—against anonymized data from thousands of companies. You can see where you excel, find hidden bottlenecks, and replicate what’s working for top performers in your niche. There are also Databox Dashboards that let you centralize metrics from every tool your agency uses—project management platforms, CRMs, Google Analytics, or ad accounts—into a single, visual interface. You can track real-time progress for every client, team, or campaign without jumping between apps. With 100+ integrations, you can pull data from Asana, HubSpot, QuickBooks, and more, then build custom dashboards that align with your agency’s specific goals. Want to track billable hours against targets? Monitor project margins? Keep an eye on client satisfaction scores? It’s all possible in one place, with real-time updates that keep your finger on the pulse of your agency’s performance. Why settle for fragmented insights when you could have clarity? Stop wondering and start knowing how your agency stacks up—and where to optimize next. Sign up for a free Databox trial today, and turn your operational data into your most powerful asset. No spreadsheets, no chaos—just results.