Leonardo da Vinci said "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Just because your employees are busy, doesn't mean they are productive. Stop being inefficient because you’ve always done it that way. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Streamline operations by finding better ways of handling common tasks. 

Simplicity is the key to success in pretty much everything.

Unfortunately, it's always easier to see the complexity in other people's business instead of our own. A common source of complexity is the software systems agencies use. Sometimes the complexity comes with rapid growth and the urgent need for solutions. The resulting patchwork quilt of software is a greater risk to agencies than you might expect.

Manual Connections Waste Time

Duplicate tasks, manual data entry between systems and printing paper for approvals and other tasks wastes time. For example, printing vendor invoices for AP approval slows the process by hours or even days. So does manually creating media orders, which is a huge time waster. It also exposes an agency to billing errors... which brings us to the next point.

Manual Processes Increase Risk

We all make mistakes. Try as we might to be careful about entering data, it's as simple as accidentally pressing the wrong key and we've got an error in our Accounting, Project Management, Media, etc. data that throws off results and can result in costly investigations and even audits.
 
If you depend on manual tasks to maintain connection between systems, it's an unfortunate reality that those connections are vulnerable. Manually entering data between systems is risky and is almost certain to fail.

Training on Multiple Systems is a Nightmare
 
The more systems you have, the more difficult it is to train a new employee on how they work and how they work together. Many software systems overlap in capabilities, so you often have redundant features in multiple systems that encourage an employee who understands one system better, to use the features in the system they're most familiar with instead of those features in the system everyone else uses it for. Untangling such training issues and systems biases consumes time, resources and costs the agency money over the long run.

So what's the solution?

Having everything in one system ensures that data flows smoothly. This enables the agency to automate tasks throughout the system and provides the agency with operational insights that would be nearly impossible to identify using separate systems. One system is also much easier to train employees on, and Advantage's Education Library makes that even easier by providing in-depth training videos that employees can access from anywhere, so they're able to learn how to use the system wherever they learn best.
 
If all of those factors aren't enough to convince you, consider the fact that a single system can cost significantly less than multiple software subscriptions which allows the agency to repurpose those funds for more productive things. 

Advantage is the leading provider of enterprise-level software specifically designed for advertising agencies and marketing companies. Advantage automates all aspects of accounting, billing, project management, digital asset management, creative proofing, and media management with the specific needs of agencies and their clients in mind. Robust and customizable modules are fully integrated to streamline processes, ensure accuracy, and deliver excellent management reporting.

Find out how we can help you by contacting us for a demo.