What to look for in Project Management Software as a Marketing Agency

One of the most important things for marketing agencies is to increase efficiency among team members. It is a common problem for data silos, or when data is only accessed by one group in an organization, to be created in enterprises that use multiple apps. One way to reduce the number of apps used, and decrease the likelihood of data silos, is to use an encompassing project management software.

According to Blissfully, small businesses (0-50 employees) use an average of 40 apps, and enterprise-level businesses (1000+ employees) use 203 apps. Even more surprising is that the average employee uses eight apps (0-1,000 employees). At 1,000+ employees, each employee uses an average of 9.5 apps.

Apps are used for a variety of purposes, such as communicating, task management, workflow visualization, content calendar planning, and budgeting. A strong project management software should include features that cover all the company’s needs.

What to Look for in a Project Management Software

The first step in determining which project management software to use is to understand your agency’s needs. Write out the features needed, such as in-app messaging, file sharing, and individually assigned tasks. Also, have a clear understanding of who will be using this software. Is it for individual teams, departments, or will it be used company-wide?

One of the most important features of project management software is to have in-app communications. Search for something that offers instant messaging, end-to-end encrypted communication, and group posts and comments. These features will allow you to reduce your dependency on emails and other messaging apps. Having communications all within one app makes it easier to implement an effective communications plan and keep everyone on the same page.

Another integral feature of project management software is to have effective project organization. Look for platforms that offer project templates with custom fields and tagging. Some important tags include creating a project name, assigning owners, adding labels and sub-tasks, and attaching documents to the project itself.

Within the project itself, you should be able to create customizable and assignable tasks. These tasks should be viewable in a Gantt timeline and Kanban boards for easier visualization of the workflow. Being able to assign tasks to specific individuals within larger projects allows you to always know who is responsible for what.

On top of having customizable projects and tasks, you should also look for software that contains time tracking and budgeting tools. Search for a platform that allows you to create repeatable budgets while tracking how much time is spent on individual projects and tasks. You should also be able to view the workload of the team, as well as how much time they have spent per task and project.

Increasing Efficiency with a Project Management Software

All the above features, from in-app communications and file sharing, customizable projects and tasks, and time tracking and budgeting, will increase the overall efficiency of your team. Instead of using multiple apps, you will be able to do everything within one app. This reduces the need for multiple app subscriptions, several user logins, and training and on-boarding for many different software.

As well, keeping your team communications and files within one place, which is easily accessed by everyone who needs it, reduces the likelihood of data silos. Now, different groups will be able to correspond easily within one virtual workspace instead of having to switch to multiple apps for different tasks and features.

Slenke, for example, provides all the features listed above and more. With end-to-end encryption of all files and communications, as well as searchable posts, comments, files, and tasks, keeping your information security, and easily accessible has never been easier.