REMOTE WORKING

Agency SMEs: tools to thrive in a hybrid world

By our News Team | 2021

The world has got used to remote working, but do creative agencies have the best solutions in place to manage it?

If marketing and creative agencies are going to have staff working remotely – with all the benefits that brings – do they have the best solutions in place to expand their own businesses?

In March last year, companies suddenly found that working from home had gone from being a perk to a necessity. And within an average of 11 days (according to consulting firm McKinsey), they’d put new processes and systems in place to make it happen. So, the question becomes whether the solutions adopted in the pandemic will still be fit for purpose afterwards?

Hybrid: Photo by HubSport blog

Remote working at an agency

This situation is particularly challenging for creative agencies, because so much of what they do relies on collaboration within and across teams. This is exacerbated among smaller agencies by the tendency for them to be operating siloed management systems for different areas of activity: project management, collaboration, finances and CRM (customer relationship management), for example.

These are the problems enterprise software company Silversoft aims to address within the agency space. With success in the South African advertising industry, Silversoft has now expanded into the UK.

“A small agency can run on Google Sheets or Excel with an appropriate accounting system. But when that team starts to scale, there is an inherent need for a strong time-tracking solution, and often another separate solution for managing resources. This is often bolstered by further solutions for managing clients, projects, tasks and deliverables,” says Iain Ravenhill, sales director, UK and Europe at Silversoft.

“By the time the agency is 20-plus people [strong], it’s not uncommon to see a myriad of platforms strung together to create visibility of their work.

“If C-level executives now understand that they can trust their staff to work remotely, then we provide them with a platform. This platform helps them maintain control of their business while giving their team the creative latitude to do what they do best in the way that suits them best,” Ravenhill explains.

Source: The Drum

Pre-conference masterclass discusses taking African brands to the world

Participants challenged to identify, articulate and commercialise the cultural assets that make their brand ready for a global audience.

Three people stand side by side in front of a sports direct backdrop the woman in the middle holds a blue and orange 'sports direct' sign

Africa’s first Sports Direct retail store opens its doors in Nairobi

Second outlet planned for Nairobi before year end, with Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco said to be future target markets.

Person wearing a beige sweater holds a phone with a translucent search bar reading 'search' and microphonecamera icons in the foreground

Search is fragmenting – credibility and trust create the new visibility

Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?

Person shopping at a deli counter holding an orange shopping basket in a cheese section of a supermarket

The move toward future-ready food packaging where materials meet AI

Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.

Conference stage with a woman in a patterned dress speaking to an audience large screens display '' logos and banners for a marketers conference with 'institute of marketing in malawi' branding on stage panels and backdrop

Malawi’s marketers urged to put trust at the heart of the profession

Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.

Lingerie brand creates street-stopping advertising in Manhattan

Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.

We know AI influencers aren’t real – so why do we trust them?

Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.

Hotel receptionist assisting a guest at the check in counter with a gray suitcase nearby behind the desk

Why trust has become a critical asset for hotel industry marketers

Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.

Three people in formal attire pose for a photo at an awards event a woman in a pink dress holds a trophy while two men in suits stand beside her against a gold confetti backdrop

FNB bank’s eBucks programme dominates the 2026 SA loyalty awards

South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.

Portrait of a man with short black hair and a beard wearing a black button down shirt against a light gray background

Zambia’s strongest creative ideas are emerging from local truths

Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.

Yellow humanoid robot at a bakery counter inspecting a display of donuts on display in front of glass cases

Consumers have doubts about products when they’re designed by AI

Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.