There have been many articles online about the silo mentality, defined by the Business Dictionary as a “mindset present when certain departments or sectors do not wish to share information with others in the same company”, and this sort of thinking is known to decrease an organisation’s overall efficiency and negatively impact company culture.
But what happens when this silo effect is occurring within the very systems and processes you are using to manage your agency’s workflow?
It’s more than likely that right now your agency uses multiple tools, apps and programs to manage projects and resources; collaborate with teams; track finances; proof and approve briefs; and handle CRM. Are any of those tools, apps and programs integrated with one another? Do they have compatible formats for data sharing?
The result of siloed information is that you end up juggling multiple data systems, which are not aligned to each other, and you don’t get a true holistic picture of your agency’s health. This makes it difficult to report on client profitability and impossible to quickly see where you can improve margins and other efficiencies.
Add to that cross-functional teams who are physically disconnected, as they work remotely from all over the globe, and you’ve got a powder keg of fragmented mess just waiting to explode.
Statistics from Clear Company reveal that 86% of business leaders and employees point to a lack of collaboration and bad communication as the reason for issues within the agency and team. This is often a direct result of siloed information systems creating inefficiencies in an agency’s workflow, delaying decision-making, creating disruption in communication, yielding incompatible reporting; and wasting billable hours.
For agencies that are growing at a rapid rate, the process of managing, tracking, reporting and communicating ever-expanding data via multiple systems and platforms will become a major burden – one that will impact not only the agency culture, and output, but inevitably the bottom line too. And as the world seems to be settling into this norm of remote work, ensuring connectedness and alignment within your operational processes will be vital for business success.
The solution, therefore, is a move towards a fit for purpose, industry specific integrated system – an “all-in-one” option that allows you to centralise your data and get everyone in your agency on the same page. A smarter system that integrates project management, resource planning, CRM, file sharing, forecasting and accounting across all agency operations.
The benefits of a single integrated system are obvious
- Improved efficiency of operations
Say goodbye to double data entries, errors and other redundancies. Increased transparency and visibility into project process, resource capacity and costs means increased accountability across the agency. This means bottlenecks are easier to spot and solve.
- A better workday for your employees
An integrated workflow means enhanced teamwork and enhanced productivity. Communication and collaboration between teams and between employees and clients becomes centralised, which means less time is wasted on trying to communicate across platforms and systems.
- The bottom line is stronger
You’ve got tighter controls over and higher utilisation of your data; a more efficient review cycle; a productive and engaged team; increased transparency and accountability; and a comprehensive and accurate view of your agency’s performance. Naturally this means your workflow, from start to finish, is going to be more efficient and effective, which will have a direct (and positive) impact on your agency’s outputs.
Get rid of the silo mentality with Deltek WorkBook
Built by agency veterans, Deltek WorkBook is a total agency management system that provides best practice solutions to help your agency grow. WorkBook makes it easier to focus on your clients and make strategic decisions for the future by streamlining projects, people and finance from end to end, giving you better control, insight and visibility at any time.
Find out how Deltek WorkBook can transform the way your agency performs here.