Optimising agency resource management with Synergist
In the bustling world of agency life, juggling resources can feel like spinning plates while riding a unicycle. One wobble and the whole show comes crashing down. Yet effective resource management remains the backbone of agency profitability and client satisfaction.
Why agency resource management matters
Resource management isn't just about knowing who's doing what and when. It's about optimising your agency's most valuable asset – your people's time – to deliver maximum value. Good resource management helps you:
- Increase efficiency and revenue by minimising downtime and maximising billable hours
- Meet deadlines consistently by keeping projects on track
- Maintain balanced workloads to prevent team burnout
- Make data-driven decisions about taking on new work or increasing headcount
- Provide accurate capacity forecasting for future planning
There's no one-size-fits-all approach to resource management. Your agency's size, team dynamics, location setup, and types of client work all influence which methods work best for you. Whether you're office-based with team members shouting across the studio or managing remote teams across different time zones, Synergist agency management software offers flexible solutions to match your needs.
Agency resource management options in Synergist
Let's explore how Synergist can transform your resource management, whether you're handling quick turnaround jobs or complex long-term projects.
1. Work Requests: formalising resource needs
The Work Requests tool works brilliantly for agencies with a resource/traffic manager or those needing to formalise communications about resource needs. It's particularly valuable for:
- Agencies with remote workers or multiple offices
- Teams with minimal face-to-face time
- Situations where you need to track what has and hasn't been booked
Project managers can create work requests directly from within a job, specifying:
- Hours needed and preferred team member
- Priority level
- Deadline requirements
- Brief attachments
- Custom checklists to reduce the chance of work falling out
A brilliant tip from agencies using this feature: create templated checklists for work requests that verify critical elements like "Have client amends been received?" or "Has the brief been approved?" This simple addition dramatically reduces last-minute cancellations and helps traffic managers plan with confidence.
2. Resource Bookings: your central scheduling hub
The resource scheduling functionality provides a comprehensive calendar view where traffic managers can:
- View resources by team, with customisable views (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Toggle between booking view (showing jobs scheduled) and loading view (showing team capacity using traffic light indicators)
- Drag and drop work requests into calendars
- Customise the interface to suit individual preferences
- Filter by specific teams or resources
You can also schedule from the Estimates tab, which is excellent for agencies where traffic management is handled by multiple people or where you have strong internal communication.
3. My Calendar: empowering your team
Once work is scheduled, team members access their assignments through the My Calendar function, where they can:
- See all their booked work with briefs attached
- Access quick timesheet functionality (reducing human error when logging time)
- Provide feedback on work status with simple emoji responses
This seamless connection between scheduling and time tracking is one of Synergist's greatest strengths as a comprehensive agency management software solution.
4. Utilisation reports: the rear-view mirror
As team members log their hours, Synergist generates detailed utilisation reports showing:
- Target vs actual hours for individuals and teams
- Chargeable vs non-chargeable time percentages
- Overall performance metrics
These reports provide the "rear-view mirror" perspective on how effectively you've managed your resources, allowing you to identify trends and make improvements.
Read how Synergist helped ArmstrongB2B marketing agency improve utilisation
5. Long-term capacity forecasting: planning ahead
For longer-term planning, Synergist's Capacity dashboard and data analytics tool allows you to:
- Forecast resource needs based on all estimates and Gantt charts in your system
- Compare required hours against available capacity
- Identify potential resource shortfalls months in advance
- Make informed decisions about freelance cover or permanent recruitment
- Guide business development on which types of work to pursue based on future capacity
This early warning system helps agencies make strategic decisions about resourcing long before specific project details are confirmed.
Tips for success
To get the most from Synergist's resource management capabilities:
- Use checklists for work requests to ensure everything is ready before booking resources
- Customise colours in the resource calendar for quick visual recognition
- Optimise booking descriptions to show the most relevant information prominently
- Leverage the capacity dashboard for a numerical view of resource allocation
Ready to transform how you manage your agency's resources?
Effective agency resource management is the difference between an agency that's constantly firefighting and one that runs like a well-oiled machine. With Synergist resource management software, you gain visibility, control and insights that help you maximise profitability while delivering outstanding work on time.
Whether you're a 20-person agency just reaching the tipping point of needing dedicated traffic management or a larger operation with multiple specialist teams, Synergist adapts to your processes and grows with you.
Book a personalised demonstration to see how Synergist can work for your specific needs.