> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.agencydesk.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.agencydesk.io/faqs-and-how-to-get-started.md). # FAQs & How to Get Started Your one-stop guide to understanding Agencydesk and seeing if it’s the right fit for your team. **Welcome to Agencydesk!** This FAQ guide covers the essentials for teams exploring the platform or getting started with setup. What makes Agencydesk different from most project management tools is that it’s built exclusively for agencies. The workflow already reflects how agency teams operate: scoping, estimating, scheduling, tracking, billing, and reporting sit inside one connected system rather than a stitched-together stack of separate tools. Whether you’re consolidating a fragmented toolstack or setting up operational structure for a growing team, you’ll find quick answers and links to detailed guides below. ## Getting Started & Onboarding Learn how to sign up, onboard your team, and start working in Agencydesk.
What is Agencydesk? Agencydesk is project management software designed for agencies and project-based businesses that charge by the hour, combining task scheduling, billing, reporting, and profitability tracking.
Can I sign up and get started quickly? Yes. Agencydesk offers a guided onboarding experience. To ensure the platform is a good fit for your agency, access is provided through a unique onboarding link after a short walkthrough with our team. Once activated, you can set up your company profile and begin working immediately with your first month free. Get started [here](https://agencydesk.io/calendly/?a1=Startup).
Can I migrate from my current project management tool? Yes, you can migrate your data, but Agencydesk does not offer an automated migration tool. Because the platform is structured differently from typical PM systems, most teams choose to start fresh. If you use Xero, your Clients can be imported with one click. See Integrations.
How easy is it to onboard my team? Agencydesk’s clean interface makes onboarding quick, and most teams get operational within a day or two. You can invite your team at any time, and then complete core setup elements like Departments, Billing Tiers, and your Rate Card as you personalise your agency structure. Xero Clients can be imported instantly. Start with Introduction to Agencydesk.
## Jobs, Tasks & Collaboration Create and manage Jobs and Templates to improve collaboration and efficiency.
How do I create and manage Jobs? Yes. You can create a new Job from the Jobs tab or directly from any saved Job Templates under Settings if you’ve created templates for recurring work. Once a Job is created, you’ll begin with an empty Job Costing, which forms the backbone of the entire project. Job Costing is where you structure your work: 1. First, create Groups — these act as the main sections of your project. 2. Then add Tasks and/or Costs to each Group from your Rate Card. 3. All Job Costings consist of named Groups containing the Tasks and Costs that make up the deliverables for the project. These Groups flow directly into your Cost Estimates (under the Estimates tab), making it easy to generate accurate proposals. You can also plan your project timeline under the Timeline tab, create invoices under the Finance tab, and manage all Job files, notes, Task reviews, and linked meetings from the Central tab. At the top of every Job, you’ll find helpful information cards showing the Account Executive, Time Recon, Task Recon, and Billable progress, giving you a clear overview of performance at a glance. See Jobs Page Overview.
How do I create and manage Tasks and Costs? You define your Task and Cost Types in the [Rate Card](/company-settings/rate-card.md), including their rates, currencies, and descriptions. After that, they appear in Job Costing and can be added to any Job, where you can further customise deadlines, assigned Users, and supporting notes or files.
Can I assign multiple team members to a Task? Yes. Tasks in Agencydesk can be assigned to multiple Users. When more than one User is assigned: * Time is divided equally across all assignees by default. * If a User no longer needs to work on the Task, they can be deactivated, and the remaining time is automatically redistributed to the active Users. * Each User can mark their portion of the Task as completed independently, even though they are collaborating on the same Task. This allows teams to work together efficiently while keeping time, progress, and responsibility clearly allocated.
Does Agencydesk have a Task review workflow? Yes. Every Task can have a dedicated Reviewer assigned. The review system is designed for real agency workflows: * Each assigned User can submit their work individually, even when multiple people collaborate on a single Task. * The Reviewer manages approvals and reverts, allowing a clean back-and-forth review cycle until the work is signed off. * When work is submitted, a dynamic Review column automatically appears on the submitting User’s My Desk, showing all Tasks awaiting review. * The Reviewer receives a review item in their ‘For Today’ column on My Desk, keeping the review workflow centralised and easy to action. This ensures a clear, trackable approval process for all collaborative work.
Can I use Job Templates to create repeatable workflows? Yes. Agencydesk allows you to create your own Job Templates once your Billing Tiers and Rate Card are set up. Because each agency’s pricing and structure are unique, templates are fully customisable and based on your own Tasks, Costs, and workflow requirements. These templates can then be used to streamline recurring or retainer Jobs and maintain consistency across similar projects. Job Templates can be created and used to set up Recurring Jobs for more seamless management of retainer projects.
Does Agencydesk support file sharing and comments? Yes, you can attach files to Briefs and Amendments and add Notes to Tasks. All Job notes, comments and files can be accessed via Job Central.
How does Agencydesk improve team collaboration? By centralising timelines, costs, and communication, Agencydesk provides all team members, Account Executives, Users, Managers, and Finance Users access to the same live data.
## Time Tracking & Productivity Track time, balance workloads, and measure productivity across your team.
Does Agencydesk have time-tracking functionality? Yes. Agencydesk includes built-in, intuitive time tracking through **My Desk**, where Users can easily track time on Tasks. Users can switch between Tasks efficiently using **parked timers**, and committing time is quick and simple. **Active and parked timers** are also visible on the **Resource Planner**, giving Account Managers a clear view of who is currently working and who has worked on what.
Does Agencydesk keep timesheets for my team, and can I access them easily? Yes. Users track their time against assigned tasks, and managers can view all scheduled and tracked time, as well as calculated productivity and workload scores — directly in the Timesheets view. See Timesheets.
What are Workload and Productivity Scores? In the Timesheets view of the Resource Planner Users have scores assigned based on scheduled, available and billed time: * Workload Score = scheduled vs available time (next 7 days). * Productivity Score = tracked vs billable time over 30 days.
## Billing, Rates & Financials Manage Billing Tiers, Rate Cards, currencies, invoicing, and profitability.
Can I manage different currencies or custom client rates? Yes. Agencydesk is fully multi-currency. While you set a default currency for reporting, the system automatically handles currency conversions across clients, suppliers, costs, and Job Costing. Templates also adapt dynamically based on the assigned client’s currency, and outsourced Costs retain their original currencies so you always bill using accurate, real-time conversions. See Billing Tiers.
Can I set up custom client rates in Agencydesk? Yes. Agencydesk uses Billing Tiers to assign custom rates to each client. Billing Tiers are created as labels and then applied to clients. Your Rate Card contains a list of Tasks, and each Task includes a table of Billing Tier rates. When you assign a Billing Tier to a client, all Tasks automatically use the correct rate from the Rate Card during Job Costing. {% hint style="info" %} **Costs work differently:** they are supplier-based, fixed to their original currency, and include editable cost price and markup values. {% endhint %} Because Billing Tiers, Task Types, and Cost Types all work together, every Job automatically calculates accurate rates, currencies, and margins for each client. Task and Cost rates can be set up in your [Rate Card](/company-settings/rate-card.md).
Can I generate invoices from Jobs? Yes. Invoices can be generated from the Financial tab of any active Job. Because each Job is built from a Task-and-Cost-based Job Costing, you can invoice partially or in full, selecting exactly which Tasks or Costs to bill at any stage. This makes it easy to issue deposits, progress invoices, milestone billing, or final invoices, all directly from the job.
Does Agencydesk track profitability? Yes. Because a project’s Job Costing, Estimates, Tasks, Costs, and Invoices are all integrated, Agencydesk provides detailed profitability reporting. You can measure profit at multiple levels, including the overall company, each Account Executive, each Job (based on resource costs and cost-item margins), and even per User based on their billable contribution to invoices. See [Reports](/admin/reports.md).
## Structure & Organisation Organise Jobs and teams using Categories, Departments, and role permissions.
How do I use Job Categories and Departments effectively? Job Categories let you group Jobs for clearer reporting and service insights. They help you understand which types of projects are performing well and which service lines may need more focus. For example, Agencydesk’s Work Distribution report shows active Jobs by Category, giving you a quick view of where your agency’s workload is concentrated.
What are Departments in Agencydesk? Departments are a core part of how you tailor Agencydesk to match your agency’s structure. All Users, Task Types, and Cost Types belong to Departments, which support several key functions: * **Intelligent task assignment:** Agencydesk can suggest suitable team members based on department skills. * **Reporting accuracy:** Department-level insights help you understand workload, performance, and service distribution. * **Xero integration:** If you use Xero, Tasks on invoices sync with their department metadata for detailed financial reporting. * **Financial mapping:** Departments determine how line items map to the correct ledger accounts inside Agencydesk. Departments ensure that your operational data, scheduling, financials, and reporting all align with the way your agency actually works.
Can I set permissions by role? Yes. Agencydesk offers role-based access control with five permission levels: User, Manager, Finance, Admin, and Owner. Each role provides different visibility and access, allowing you to control who can see financial data, adjust billing or accounting settings, manage users, or access sensitive information. See Users for more details on user permissions.
## Reporting & Insights Use reports and dashboards to track progress, timelines, and profitability.
What reports or dashboards are available? Agencydesk offers detailed reports, making profitability insights, forecasting and financial tracking simple and effective. Available reports: * Active Jobs (ideal for daily stand-up with Account Executives) * Work Distribution * Forecasting * User Time Recon * Manager Time Recon * Financial Summary See [Reports](/admin/reports.md) for more detail.
What is the Active Jobs report? The Active Jobs report offers a real-time view of active jobs by Account Executive, including estimated vs. tracked hours, billable amounts, progress, due dates, and Task/Cost status (Issued, Active, Activated). Ideal for daily stand-ups, AE check-ins, and workload planning.
What is the Work Distribution report? The Work Distribution report shows active hours concentration with breakdowns by department (billed vs. unbilled hours across areas like Creative or Development), Job Category (services like Retainers or Campaigns), Account Executive/team member (workload and capacity), and month (billed vs. unbilled timeline for peaks/slows). Perfect for spotting hiring needs, pressure points, and sales opportunities.
What is the Forecasting dashboard? The Forecasting dashboard displays upcoming revenue from Active Jobs, including total receivables by due date, billed vs. unbilled values, receivables by client, and monthly revenue pipeline. Useful for financial planning, revenue predictability, and cash-flow management.
What is the User Time Recon report? The User Time Recon report analyses user efficiency on completed tasks, showing used vs. unused estimated time, overrun time, on-time vs. overrun hours, efficiency percentages, yield/task adherence metrics, profit margin score, and bonus formulas (if enabled). Helps assess individual performance, efficiency, and profitability.
What is the Manager Time Recon report? The Manager Time Recon report groups data by Account Executive, showing AE efficiency, estimated vs. actual performance, overrun patterns, job delivery behaviour, and revenue impact per AE. Great for coaching AEs and identifying accounts needing intervention.
What is the Financial Summary report? The Financial Summary report focuses on revenue, displaying monthly totals, trend lines, 6-month averages, revenue per Account Executive, and company-wide trajectory. Essential for directors and finance teams tracking growth.
## Trust & Security Learn how Agencydesk keeps your data safe and compliant.
Where is my data stored? Agencydesk is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), using dedicated infrastructure in the Ireland (eu-west-1) region. Application data is stored in secure, encrypted MySQL databases, and uploaded files are stored on AWS S3, ensuring industry-leading reliability and performance. See our [Terms of Use](https://app.agencydesk.io/terms).
How does Agencydesk protect my data? Agencydesk uses multiple layers of security, including: * Encrypted communication (TLS/HTTPS) * Encrypted database and file storage * Cloudflare Web Application Firewall (WAF) and DDoS protection * Role-based access control * Firewalls and threat-detection rules * Regular server patching and monitoring All platform traffic is routed through Cloudflare, adding an additional layer of security and improving global performance.
Does Agencydesk back up my data? Yes. All data is written to redundant storage and is **automatically backed up daily** for point-in-time recovery. Encrypted backups are stored in geographically redundant AWS locations, and their integrity is continually monitored and tested.
Who owns my data, and can I control access? Your agency retains **full ownership** of all data entered into Agencydesk. Access is controlled through authenticated logins, and role-based permissions let you manage who can access sensitive financial, operational, or user information.
Is Agencydesk GDPR/POPIA compliant? Yes. Agencydesk complies with both **GDPR** and **POPIA** requirements, ensuring that personal and organisational data is handled securely and transparently.
Is the service reliable? Yes. Agencydesk is built for high availability, operating on AWS infrastructure with Cloudflare’s global edge network. We target **99.9% uptime**, supported by redundancy, active monitoring, and secure global routing.
## Pricing, Scalability & Flexibility Understand pricing and scaling Agencydesk as your team and business grow.
Is Agencydesk only for agencies? Agencydesk is built exclusively for agencies. Where general project management tools serve many industries, Agencydesk was designed around how agencies actually operate: scoping, estimating, scheduling, tracking, billing, and reporting. Its Job Costing model fits creative agencies, digital marketing firms, IT consultancies, software developers, event planners, architecture and engineering firms, production studios, and mixed-service operations like legal or financial project teams that bill by time, effort, or outsourced services.
What if my team grows? Agencydesk scales easily. You can add new Users, Departments, Billing Tiers, and Rate Card items as your business expands. The system is designed to support growing teams, increased workload, and multiple Account Executives without changing how you work.
Does Agencydesk work for freelancers or small teams? Yes. While the platform is best suited for teams of three or more, small studios and growing micro-agencies benefit from its structured Job Costing, scheduling, and profitability tracking. Solo freelancers may find it more powerful than they need. See [Pricing](https://agencydesk.io/#pricing) for more detail.
How much does Agencydesk cost? Agencydesk follows simple, transparent pricing based on the number of Users in your company. You only pay for your team size, and pricing remains consistent as you scale. See [Pricing](https://agencydesk.io/#pricing).
Is there a free trial? No open free trial is available. Instead, new agencies receive a guided onboarding experience and a unique sign-up link after a short walkthrough with our team. Once your account is activated, your first month is free, giving you time to set up your structure and begin working with no risk. Feel free to [book a demo](https://agencydesk.io/calendly/) with one of our Account Executives.
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