If you run an agency, or work in an agency’s creative operations team, you know there’s one constant in the universe: the review and approval process is always a gong show. Feedback is scattered across a plethora of tools not designed for the creative process - email, Slack, Teams, shared folders, and even paper printouts (Post-Its, anyone?) Clients review old versions, feedback is confusing or unclear, and you end up producing unbillable revisions, with your stressed project managers sadly shunting deadlines or your creative team burning the midnight oil to hit the original ones.
We’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can keep your deadlines (not shove them), make clients happy, and elevate the creative output of your agency by using client proofing software.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the key features and considerations in choosing client proofing software, and ensure that you choose a platform that aligns with your agency's unique needs.
Client proofing software shepherds the review and approval process of creative assets inside your agency, and between your agency and your clients. You’re probably saying to yourself, “Don’t I have a project management tool already?” Well, yes and no. Yes, you probably have a PM tool, but no, you don’t have one that is specifically designed to manage the review and approval of your creative content.
Client proofing software, AKA online proofing software, is a centralized platform to capture feedback, enable collaboration, and track revisions on any type of creative asset, from initial concept all the way to final approval. It eliminates the need for cumbersome email chains, fosters collaboration, enhances accountability and improves agency efficiency and productivity.
The client/agency relationship is a delicate dance, and nothing snaps an ankle quicker than a broken review and approval process. Several issues can hinder project progress and lead to client dissatisfaction. Let's take a look at some of them and explore potential solutions:
Any of us who’ve worked in an agency know the pain of trying to find feedback from team members or clients by trawling through endless emails, Slack or Teams messages, and comments in PDFs or documents buried in your agency's file-sharing system. Consolidating feedback from individuals into something cohesive and actionable consumes valuable time. And trying to use the native feedback features in your creative software causes confusion for your clients who have to learn a dozen different ways to give you feedback.
Client proofing software solves all these problems by centralizing feedback on every type of creative asset in a single platform. This gives your clients one simple way to provide feedback, and places all of their feedback at your fingertips.
One of the biggest obstacles to smooth project delivery is delayed feedback. How many times has creative lingered because one person needed to sign off, and they were nowhere to be found? When stakeholders fail to provide timely feedback, projects are delayed, and deadlines are missed.
Client proofing software addresses this challenge by enabling real-time feedback directly on creative assets, from anywhere, at any time, and keeping everyone informed when that feedback is given.
Miscommunication in the feedback process is a major cause of frustration, leading to derailed projects and costly revisions. If a client provides vague or unclear feedback, such as the dreaded "make it pop" without specifying clearly what they want to change, it can result in misinterpretation by the designer and additional, potentially unbillable, rounds of revisions.
Client proofing software facilitates clear and concise feedback on every version of every asset in a campaign, avoiding misunderstandings and ensuring that feedback is actionable. It enables easy creative collaboration so that project progress is streamlined and decisions are made quickly. The end result is great creative that the clients love and that you are proud to put your name to.
Version control is a central component of client proofing software, addressing multiple challenges in the review process. It ensures that clients are always accessing the latest version of an asset, preventing confusion and errors stemming from feedback on outdated versions.
Version control also enables the separation of internal and external versions, maintaining the privacy of your internal comments while keeping track of changes across the entire version set. Robust version control functionality aids billing accuracy by meticulously recording version history, which attributes any overruns to client-requested changes and ensures fair and accountable billing.
Our colleagues are all hyper-connected and able to work from home and anywhere. And clients are rarely just down the road anymore. Most agencies have clients across the country, if not around the world. None of this makes collaboration easy.
Communication and teamwork are hard enough in an office, let alone across different locations and time zones. That's why client proofing software is a must for fostering seamless creative collaboration with remote and distributed teams and clients. This software offers a centralized platform accessible from any location, allowing you to work effectively with clients in any location and harness the best talent globally.
Client proofing software can be a game changer for your agency, especially when you adopt best practices for reviewing and approving creative content. Some of the benefits include:
Client proofing software delivers a noticeable acceleration in project delivery times. We’re talking double-digit percentages here. By making feedback easier, facilitating collaboration, automating repetitive tasks, and tracking changes between versions, client proofing software helps your agency complete projects faster. It improves your efficiency, ultimately boosting your productivity and profitability.
There are two parts to agency collaboration: internal and external, and successful projects need both processes to be rock-solid. Client proofing software offers a range of features designed to facilitate collaboration, including threaded commenting, customizable workflows, and seamless integrations with other tools and platforms. That way, there’s never a breakdown in the collaboration channels between your clients and your agency.
Client proofing tools offer improved tracking by providing a clear view of the review and approval status of each reviewer on each asset in each campaign. Everyone involved in the project can see the status, improving visibility and accountability and removing bottlenecks. No more of this “what are you working on” business.
Agencies are in the middle of their clients' tug-of-war between speed and control. Clients demand more creative content in shorter time frames to stay relevant. However, they must also mitigate the risk of damaging their reputation by producing poor quality, inappropriate, or non-compliant content. Client proofing software takes the strain by providing a clearly defined workflow to support quality control and compliance processes between agency and client. It also provides a system record for compliance records and audits.
A solid client relationship is built on one thing: trust. Nothing breaks down trust faster than poor communication between agency and client. Client proofing software enhances communication, improves clarity, and builds trust. Clients appreciate increased transparency and accountability, and you know that satisfaction leads to long-term partnerships and referrals.
When choosing client proofing software, you should look for the following essential features:
So, we've given an overview of the key features and considerations in choosing client proofing software, now let's take a look at five top picks that can supercharge your agency's workflows:
Yes, we know you’re reading an article we wrote, but we sincerely think Ziflow is a superior proofing software for agencies. Hear us out: Ziflow has an easy-to-use interface, seamless integrations, and a wide range of features designed to streamline your creative operations. Robust version control capabilities help you keep track of changes and maintain a clear version history for all creative assets. At the same time, its intuitive design ensures that your team can start using it with minimal training, resulting in faster onboarding. But one of the most important things that separates Ziflow from the pack is its ability to scale and serve enterprise users.
A few key features:
We know, we know — we’re praising our own software here. Why don’t you see what some big names are saying about Ziflow?
Filestage facilitates the review and approval process for various content, from designs and mockups to videos, websites, and documents, enabling stakeholders to provide consolidated feedback. It has features like point-and-click comments, automated reminders, and GDPR-compliant file management. It’s another mid-level proofing option, and it lacks enterprise capabilities in our opinion.
A few key features:
Pricing
ProjectHuddle guides client and internal team communication by offering a platform for real-time collaboration and feedback on digital projects. It collects and manages feedback across various platforms, like WordPress, Webflow, and Shopify, to reduce project costs and improve productivity. The platform is geared more towards website markups and isn’t necessarily the strongest option for other creative output.
A few key features:
Pricing
GoVisually aims to guide creative workflows by facilitating feedback and approval, eliminating the steps of the traditional review processes. It integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud and has a mobile interface that supports designs, PDFs, and videos. We think GoVisually is geared more towards the entry-level, smaller agency and isn’t the best option for those looking to scale their operations.
A few key features:
Pricing
Approval Studio is an online proofing software designed to assist collaboration among creative teams and their clients, making the design review process more straightforward. It addresses common industry challenges such as scattered project information and confusing feedback methods by offering features like automated compare modes, annotations, and chat-like discussions. While this is a decent option, we feel the platform is clunky and lacks robust features.
A few key features:
We hope this guide has made one thing clear: if you aren’t using client proofing software for your agency, you’re leaving money and time on the table. On top of that, you could be building stronger client relationships and taking on more business with the increased efficiency that comes from implementing this software. When you make the move to a client proofing solution, we think you should consider Ziflow (shameless plug) for its superior collaborative proofing capabilities and ability to grow with your business.
Ready to transform your agency's approval processes? Start your free trial of Ziflow today and experience the difference firsthand.