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Marketing and creative agencies

From proposal to invoice without rebuilding the project by hand

An agency connects its CRM, project tool, time tracking and billing, gives clients a portal for approvals and gets the monthly report for each client prepared automatically.

Digital agency, 15 people

Proposal accepted

  1. CRMDeal marked as wonScope and budget from the proposal
  2. PProjectProject created from a templateTasks and deadlines filled in
  3. TimeBudget set per phase
  4. PortalClient invitedAccess to approvals and files
  5. BillingInvoice schedule prepared

The account manager confirms the invoice schedule

Tools we typically use
HubSpot, Pipedrive or a custom CRM, n8n or Make, Next.js, PostgreSQL, Google Workspace, Slack or Teams, Your project and time-tracking tools, Your accounting software

The build at a glance

5tools connected
1client portal for approvals and files
1reporting pack per client each month
2onboarding checklists, for clients and for staff

The sector

An agency sells time and ideas, and both are hard to keep track of.

A lead becomes a proposal, the proposal becomes a project, the project produces hours and deliverables, and those end up on an invoice and in a report. Each step usually lives in its own tool, chosen by the team that uses it. The joins between the tools are where the account manager spends the day: recreating the project, chasing approvals, pulling numbers for the client. The more clients on retainer, the more of the month goes on that.

Where the time goes

Proposals were written in documents and their scope was retyped into the project tool after the client said yes. Hours were tracked, but they were compared with the budget only at the end of the month. Client approvals came by email, in chat and in comments, and it was not always clear which version had been approved. Monthly reports were assembled from screenshots of several platforms. A new client or a new colleague was set up from memory, with something forgotten each time.

  • Won proposals are rebuilt by hand as projects

  • Budget overruns are noticed when the invoice is being written

  • Approvals are scattered across email, chat and comments

  • Monthly client reports are assembled from screenshots

One system around how the work is done

Budget used per client this month

Retail client, retainer
65%
Tourism client, campaign
90%
Software client, website
45%
Food brand, social media
75%

Sample figures for illustration

  1. 01

    A won deal creates the project: tasks from a template, budget per phase and the team notified

  2. 02

    Enquiries from the website and email captured in the CRM, with a proposal drafted from your service list for the account manager to finish

  3. 03

    Tracked hours compared with the budget as they are logged, with a warning before a phase runs over

  4. 04

    A client portal for approvals: each deliverable has a version, a comment thread and a recorded decision

  5. 05

    Approved hours and fixed fees handed to billing as draft invoices at the end of the period

  6. 06

    A monthly reporting pack per client, collected from the advertising and analytics platforms, with space for the account manager’s commentary

  7. 07

    Onboarding checklists for new clients and new staff, which create accounts, folders and first tasks

How the project runs

Four steps, one process at a time

  1. 01

    Map the process

    We follow two clients, one on a retainer and one project, from the proposal to the invoice and the report, through every tool involved.

  2. 02

    Pilot one process

    The step from a won deal to a ready project goes live first, for one service line.

  3. 03

    Extend

    Budget tracking and the handover to billing follow, then the client portal and the reporting pack.

  4. 04

    Care

    We keep the connections to the advertising and analytics platforms working as they change, and update templates as your services do.

What changes for the team

  • The scope in the proposal is the scope in the project
  • A phase that is about to run over is seen in time to talk to the client
  • Every approval has a version and a date
  • Reporting days are spent on commentary instead of collecting numbers

A project starts with its scope, budget and team already in place. Account managers see where the budget stands during the month, not after it. Clients approve work in one place, and the report for each of them is prepared and waits for commentary.

A composite scenario based on typical projects in this sector. It does not describe a named client, and the sample data is illustrative.

The same working day, before and after

What a few ordinary moments look like once the system is in daily use.

BeforeAfter
A client accepts a proposalThe account manager recreates the scope as tasks in the project tool.The project appears with tasks, deadlines and a budget, and the team is notified.
The middle of the monthNobody knows how much of the budget is used until hours are exported.Hours are compared with the budget as they are logged, and a warning is raised early.
A design needs approvalThe file is emailed, and the reply arrives in a chat a few days later.The client opens the portal, comments on the version and records the decision.
The end of the monthHours are exported, checked and typed into invoices.Draft invoices are prepared from approved hours and fees for the account manager to confirm.
The monthly reportScreenshots from several platforms are pasted into a presentation.The figures are collected into a pack, and the account manager adds the commentary.

Questions from this sector

We like the tools we have. Do we have to change them?

No. The point is to connect what you use. We replace a tool only if it cannot be connected at all, and we say so before any work starts.

Will clients actually use a portal?

They do when it is simpler than email. The portal asks for one thing, a decision on a specific version, and sends a link that opens straight to it. Clients who prefer email can still reply, and the decision is recorded by the account manager.

Does the reporting pack write the commentary too?

It can draft a summary of what changed in the figures, marked as a draft. The account manager writes or edits the conclusions, because they know what was agreed with the client.

We work with freelancers. Can they be included?

Yes. Freelancers can log hours and see their tasks with limited access, and the onboarding checklist covers their accounts and agreements too.

Use cases in this story

Business automationCRM implementation

Every enquiry in the CRM, without retyping

Enquiries from forms, email and chat become contacts and deals in your CRM, with the right person notified.

Open use case Business automationAI integrations

The monthly report, assembled for you

Figures from accounting, sales and operations pulled into one report on a schedule, with a written summary.

Open use case Business automationCustom software

New colleagues ready on day one

Accounts, equipment, documents and first-week tasks set in motion from one form.

Open use case

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