Synergist FAQs

Synergist is agency management software that connects your projects, people and profit in one system. It covers CRM and pipeline, estimating and quoting, project planning, resource scheduling, timesheets, purchasing, billing and reporting. Synergist is cloud-based and built for creative, marketing, digital and PR agencies and professional services consultancies. More than 500 agencies and 15,000 users rely on it.

Synergist is built for agencies and consultancies that sell time and expertise. That includes creative, marketing, digital, PR and design agencies, and professional services businesses. It suits teams from 20 to 300 people who have outgrown spreadsheets and disconnected tools. You get one clear view of what's making money and what isn't.

Synergist manages the money as well as the work. Project management tools track tasks. Synergist tracks tasks, time, costs, resourcing and billing together, so you can see whether every job, client and retainer is profitable. Clients, jobs, retainers and utilisation are built in from the start, not bolted on.

Yes. Most agencies use Synergist to replace a patchwork of spreadsheets, timesheet apps, scheduling tools and quoting templates. Your finance team keeps its accounting software, because Synergist integrates with it. Everything else runs in one system, with one version of the truth.

Synergist customers report 36% average growth, a 25% rise in gross profit within a year, and 20% less time spent on admin and reporting. M3.agency cut admin time by around 20% and grew gross profit by 25% in its most recent financial year.

Synergist is a UK company with 25 years of agency software expertise and a team of more than 40 people across the UK. Synergist has merged with Agency Works and is part of Banyan Software Group. Banyan backs successful software businesses for the long term, so your team stays in control with the support to grow.

Yes. Synergist runs retainers alongside one-off projects. You can track time and budget used against what each client pays and spot over-servicing early. You can also report on retainer profitability month by month.

Yes. Synergist shows how much of your team's time is available, booked and sold. You can schedule people onto jobs and see utilisation across the agency. That lets you plan hiring or freelance cover before a crunch rather than during one.

Yes. On the Enterprise tier, you can run as many trading companies as you need in one Synergist system. Each company keeps its own base currency, reporting and accounts link. You can also run consolidated reports across the group. Your team gets one login and one subscription each, and you can share people across companies on the scheduling calendar.

Yes. Multiple currencies are included on every tier, so you can quote, bill and report in the currency each client needs.

Yes. Synergist integrates with the accounting systems below:

• Xero, QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online
• Sage, MYOB, Access, Sun Systems and Epicor
• Exchequer, KashFlow, Microsoft Dynamics GP and Pegasus Opera

Sales, purchase and expense data flows across without re-keying. That means fewer errors and less admin. Your finance team keeps the system it already knows. See integrations

Yes. Synergist works with both in three ways:

• Secure sign-in. Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication keep access simple and safe.
• Email and calendar. You can send quotes and invoices from Synergist and file emails against clients and jobs. Team calendars and Synergist bookings stay in sync both ways.
• Cloud files. You can link to files in OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox.

Email integration is an optional add-on on Foundation and Professional, and it's included on Enterprise.

Yes. Synergist has a REST API that shares your core data with other systems and can create records automatically. Any custom fields and views you build are available through the API straight away. API documentation

Yes, for iPhone and Android. You can check client and job information, add tasks on the go, and log time and expenses, including photos of receipts.

Synergist Cloud starts from £55 a month. On top of that, you pay £33 to £54 per full user and £13 to £21 per timesheet user each month. The price per user drops as your team grows. Each tier has a minimum subscription:

• Foundation: £300 a month
• Professional: £650 a month
• Enterprise: £1,600 a month

There's also a one-off onboarding fee. Get a quote

Your monthly subscription has three parts:

• Synergist Cloud. This is a core fee for your secure, hosted system.
• Full users. These are the people who run clients, projects, people or finances. They get access to every feature.
• Timesheet users. These are the people doing the work. They log time and expenses and view job information.

More on user types

• Foundation gives you everything you need to run and grow your agency.
• Professional adds advanced quoting, approval workflows, tender management and deeper customisation.
• Enterprise gives you enterprise-grade features, unlimited trading companies and an enterprise service level agreement.

We'll recommend the right fit during your demo.

Yes. Certain higher-tier features can be added for a small monthly fee. As your subscription grows, you'll qualify for the next tier automatically. You can't move down a tier, because you'd lose access to data you've already created.

Yes, at any time. Charges are recalculated from the day you make the change. Contractors are licensed the same way as employees. When a contractor leaves, you can deactivate them and reuse the licence.

No. You pay for Synergist Cloud, your users, any add-ons you choose and a one-off onboarding fee. Your proposal shows every cost up front, including any possible future costs. Helpdesk support is always included.

No. A trial of an unconfigured system won't show you how Synergist would work for your agency. Instead, you get a discovery call and a personal demo built around how your agency runs. Demos take around 30 minutes.

1. Discovery call. We learn how your agency works and what you need to fix.
2. Personal demo. You see Synergist set up around your processes, not a generic walkthrough.
3. Clear proposal. You get every cost in writing before you commit.

Book a demo

Yes. Synergist has a 12-month initial term. After that, you can cancel with three months' notice.

Synergist consultants set up your system around your processes and reporting. They've spent more than 20 years in and with agencies, so they'll question how you work as well as configure the software. Onboarding covers three things:

• Designing your set-up
• Training your team
• Launching smoothly

More on onboarding

Most agencies go live in 6 to 8 weeks. The timescale depends on how complex your set-up is and when you want to launch. You'll get a project plan from day one.

Onboarding is a one-off fee based on the scope of your set-up. Smaller agencies can start from a best-practice configuration. Larger agencies get a review of their current processes before the new system is designed. Either way, the cost is agreed in your proposal before any work starts.

Yes. Your onboarding consultant will plan what comes across, such as clients, contacts, open jobs and rate cards, and when.

Almost entirely. Synergist has hundreds of features and 25 years of agencies asking "can it do this?". The answer is almost always yes. As your agency grows or changes, your set-up can change with it.

Your agency will change, and Synergist keeps improving too. Client success reviews are included in your subscription, so you can check your set-up still fits. If you need more, our Optimisation service covers reconfiguration, new module rollouts, team training and process redesign. More on Optimisation

Yes. Every Synergist subscription includes three kinds of support:

• UK helpdesk. You can reach Synergist experts by phone and email.
• Client success. Regular reviews and agency management advice help you get more from Synergist.
• Learning. Synergist Masters, webinars, the Help Centre and free training for new starters are all included.

The Synergist helpdesk is open 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 5pm on Friday. It's closed on English public holidays. Over 95% of queries are resolved on the first call or email.

Yes. Synergist is certified to ISO/IEC 27001, the international standard for information security, and audited by the British Assessment Bureau. Every customer has their own Synergist instance on Amazon Web Services. Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication are included. Security

Your data is hosted on Amazon Web Services in the UK or the EU. You choose which. Your data is processed and stored only in that location.

Yes. Synergist complies with UK GDPR and all UK data protection regulations. Data protection is built into its systems and processes. GDPR

Synergist Cloud had 99.9% uptime over the last 12 months (measured independently by Site24x7). Updates run in the early hours or at a time you agree, so your team isn't interrupted. Live uptime status

Yes, at any time. You can use the export options in Synergist's standard reports.

You keep full access until your contract ends and can export everything before then. Your data is permanently deleted within three months of the end date.