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Marketing agency software: summary and key takeaways
The real problem isn't tools: Most agencies already have too many. The gap is a system that connects project delivery, resource planning, and profitability tracking in one place.
Evaluate for client-work fit: Generic project management software misses agency-specific needs like retainer management, utilization tracking, and client-facing approvals.
Your stack needs a backbone: Start with an operations platform (like Teamwork.com), then layer on specialized tools for SEO, social, proposals, and automation.
AI is reshaping the category: According to Teamwork.com's Sprint to AI Report, 92% of professional services teams say their current tech is falling short. Agencies that adopt AI-native platforms now will pull ahead by 2027.
Profitability visibility is non-negotiable: Only 59% of agencies track individual project margins. The right software makes this automatic, not aspirational.
Most marketing agencies don't have a tool problem. They have a "too many tools" problem.
I've seen it over and over across Teamwork.com customers. An agency starts with a project management app, bolts on a time tracker, and adds a separate invoicing tool. Then nobody can tell whether a retainer is profitable until the quarter ends. According to Teamwork.com's Sprint to AI Report, 58% of professional services teams juggle three to five separate tools just to manage their work.
This guide covers 15 tools across project management, SEO, social media, proposals, automation, and more. I'll walk you through what each tool does well, where it falls short, and how to pick the right combination for your agency.
What is marketing agency software (and why the definition matters)?
Marketing agency software is any tool that helps an agency plan, execute, track, or report on client work. That's a broad definition on purpose. It covers everything from project management platforms and SEO suites to social media schedulers and CRM systems.
The distinction that matters is between general-purpose software and tools built specifically for agency workflows. A generic task board can track to-dos. Agency-specific software tracks to-dos, time, budgets, utilization, and profitability across dozens of client accounts simultaneously. When you're evaluating options, that's the line to draw.
For a deeper look at how agencies structure their operations, our agency management guide covers the fundamentals.
Why most agencies outgrow their tools before they outgrow their team
I've watched this pattern repeat across hundreds of Teamwork.com customers: agencies rarely realize their software stack is broken until something painful happens. A retainer goes over budget by 40% and nobody caught it. A designer is at 130% capacity while a junior sits at 50%. A client asks for a status update and the PM has to check three apps to piece together an answer.
These aren't hypothetical scenarios. And the data backs it up.
Industry analysts estimate the agency management software market is now worth $7.8 billion globally, projected to reach $17 billion by 2035. That growth is happening because the cost of not having connected systems is becoming impossible to ignore.
Here's what I mean by "connected." Most agencies run their operations across disconnected layers:
Layer
Profitability tracking is the practice of measuring revenue against costs in real time at the project, client, or retainer level. Industry benchmarks show only 59% of agencies do this for individual project margins. That means four out of ten agencies are guessing at profitability. When 87% of digital agencies employ fewer than 50 people, that guesswork can sink the business.
One of the reasons we built budget tracking and profitability reporting at Teamwork.com is exactly this pattern. Agencies need to see margin data while the work is happening, not after the invoice goes out.
Forrester projects that 7.5% of US advertising agency jobs will be automated by 2030, with generative AI driving nearly a third of that shift. Agencies that automate the right tasks (reporting, scheduling, status updates) free their people for creative and strategic work that AI can't replace.
How to evaluate marketing agency software (without getting burned)
I've watched agencies spend months evaluating tools only to pick the wrong one. Here's the framework I recommend.
Start with your delivery model, not a feature checklist: Are you running fixed-fee projects, hourly retainers, or a mix? Your delivery model determines which features are non-negotiable. Retainer management is the process of tracking recurring client budgets, reallocating over- or underspend across periods, and ensuring ongoing work stays profitable. Keep retainer revenue visible without manual reconciliation. Retainer management and utilization tracking are non-negotiable for retainer-heavy agencies. A project-based agency needs strong budgeting and scope management.
Count your current tools: List every tool your agency pays for. Include the free ones people use unofficially. If you're running more than four separate systems for core operations (project management, time tracking, resource planning, invoicing), consolidation should be a priority.
Test with real client work: Never evaluate software with a dummy project. Run an actual client engagement through the trial. You'll learn more in one real sprint than in a month of sandbox testing.
Check the integration layer: Your SEO tool, CRM, and accounting system need to talk to each other. Check whether the platform offers native integrations or requires middleware like Zapier for every connection.
Evaluate for scale, not just today: A tool that works for a 10-person agency might collapse at 30. See who's overbooked before a deadline slips. Resource scheduling, workload forecasting, and role-based permissions all matter as you grow.
Verify client-facing capabilities: Your clients are part of the workflow. Can they log in, approve deliverables, and see progress without you manually sending updates? Unlimited free client access (like Teamwork.com offers) changes the economics of collaboration.
Evaluation criteria
The six categories every agency stack needs
In my experience, every agency I've seen scale successfully has coverage across the same six categories. Not every agency needs all 15 tools on this list, but every agency needs these bases covered.
Category
The operations layer is your foundation. Get that wrong and everything else becomes harder. That's why I always recommend starting there and building outward.
15 marketing agency software tools, reviewed
In my experience, the difference between a tool that sticks and one that gets abandoned comes down to whether it was built for how agencies actually deliver client work. Each review below covers what the tool does well, where it fits, and where it falls short.
1. Teamwork.com
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Teamwork.com is the operations backbone for more than 6,000 agencies worldwide. I'm biased (I work here), but I'm also someone who spent years in agencies wrestling with disconnected tools before joining the team. The reason Teamwork.com works for agencies is that it was built for client work from day one, not retrofitted from a generic project management tool.
What sets it apart is how everything connects. Time logged on a task feeds into the project budget. The budget ties to a retainer or fixed-fee agreement. See who's overbooked across all client accounts in one view. The Workload Planner surfaces capacity gaps in real time, not just per project. And Proofs let your creative team collect visual feedback and track approval status without email chains.
When Invanity (a digital agency) moved to Teamwork.com, they cut project planning time by 50% and reduced weekly workload management by 80%. That's not a marketing number; it's what happens when you stop managing operations across five different tools.
The AI capabilities are worth calling out. The AI Project Wizard turns a scattered client brief into a fully structured project in two to three minutes, compared to the 30 to 45 minutes it used to take manually. The AI Smart Scheduler adjusts timelines based on real team availability and task dependencies.
Key strengths:
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Purpose-built for client work (retainers, budgets, utilization, client approvals)
Unlimited free client users with granular access controls
Native time tracking tied directly to project budgets
Workload Planner and Resource Scheduler for capacity planning
150+ integrations including HubSpot, Slack, QuickBooks, and Xero
AI Project Wizard and AI Smart Scheduler
SOC 2 Type 2 certified; private data never used to train third-party models
Best for: Agencies that need project management, resource planning, time tracking, and profitability in one platform.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 5 users. Basics at $9.99/user/month (billed yearly). Accelerate at $24.99/user/month. Optimize and Enterprise at custom pricing. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
2. SEMrush
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If your agency does any kind of search marketing, SEMrush is probably already on your radar. In my experience, it's the tool agencies reach for when they need deep keyword research, competitive analysis, and rank tracking across a portfolio of clients.
You create a separate project per client domain and track traffic trends, backlinks, and rankings in one dashboard. Where it gets expensive is user seats and per-project limits on lower plans.
Key strengths:
Deep keyword research with difficulty scoring and search volume data
Competitive analysis across organic, paid, and content channels
Site audit tools that catch technical SEO issues
Content marketing toolkit for topic research and optimization
Best for: SEO-focused agencies and full-service agencies where search marketing is a core service line.
Pricing: Pro starts at $139.95/month (limited to 5 projects). Guru at $249.95/month. Business at $499.95/month.
3. Sprout Social
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Sprout Social is the heavy-hitter in social media management. I've seen agencies use it when their client base demands polished, presentation-ready reports and advanced listening capabilities.
The unified inbox across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube saves time when you're responding to messages across multiple client accounts. Analytics go beyond surface metrics with engagement patterns, posting times, and audience demographics in a single view.
The price is the barrier. At $249/month for the base plan, it's the most expensive social tool on this list.
Key strengths:
Unified social inbox across all major platforms
Advanced analytics with exportable, client-ready reports
Social listening for brand monitoring and campaign sentiment
Approval workflows for multi-stakeholder content review
Best for: Mid-to-large agencies managing social for enterprise or high-profile brands.
Pricing: Standard at $249/month (1 seat). Each additional seat is $199/month. Professional and Advanced plans available at higher tiers.
4. Social Status
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I've seen Social Status quietly build a strong reputation among agencies that prioritize reporting. Trusted by over 10,000 agencies, it focuses specifically on social media analytics and automated report generation.
The white-label reporting is the standout. You can customize report templates per client and export to PDF, PowerPoint, Google Slides, or raw data in XLSX. If you're spending hours every month compiling social performance reviews, this tool cuts that time significantly.
It also covers both organic and paid performance by connecting Facebook ad accounts alongside organic profiles. That dual view is something many agencies need but few social tools handle cleanly.
Key strengths:
White-label, customizable report templates
Organic and paid social analytics in one view
Supports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn
Affordable pricing for agency teams
Best for: Agencies where social reporting is a regular client deliverable and brand consistency matters.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 3 users. Starter at $29/month for 10 users. Pro and Enterprise tiers available.
5. CoSchedule
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CoSchedule sits at the intersection of content planning and campaign coordination. In my experience, agencies that struggle with "who's doing what and when" across multiple campaigns benefit most from this tool.
The marketing calendar is the core feature. Build campaign schedules, assign tasks, and auto-publish social posts from the same dashboard. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to shift timelines when client priorities change.
The free plan lets you test the calendar-centric approach. The full Marketing Suite adds workflow automation at custom pricing.
Key strengths:
Centralized marketing calendar with drag-and-drop scheduling
Automatic social media publishing from campaign schedules
Customizable calendar views by team member or campaign
Templates for recurring campaign types
Best for: Content-heavy agencies coordinating blog posts, social, email, and events across multiple clients.
Pricing: Free Forever plan (very limited). Pro at $29/user/month. Marketing Suite at custom pricing.
6. Calendly
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Calendly solves a small problem that wastes a disproportionate amount of time. Instead of the three-to-five email exchange to find a meeting time, you send a link and the client picks a slot. I've seen this save agency account managers meaningful hours each week, especially when managing 10+ client relationships.
The tool integrates with Google Calendar and Microsoft 365, automatically blocks off busy times, and sends confirmations and reminders. The free plan covers basic one-on-one scheduling, while paid plans add team scheduling, round-robin routing, and Zoom and Slack integrations.
Key strengths:
Simple, friction-free scheduling for clients and prospects
Calendar integrations with Google, Microsoft 365, and Zoom
Branded booking pages
Best for: Any agency where account managers, strategists, or salespeople regularly schedule external calls.
Pricing: Free plan available. Essentials at $10/seat/month. Professional at $15/seat/month. Teams at $20/seat/month.
7. Qwilr
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Qwilr replaces static PDF proposals with interactive, web-based documents. I've seen agencies that compete on presentation quality notice a real difference when their proposals feel like a polished microsite rather than a document attachment. That difference often shows up in the close rate.
The selling point is the end-to-end workflow. Build from templates, send as a link, get notified on views, and let clients accept, sign, and pay inside the same document. That removes multiple friction points from the new-business process.
Key strengths:
Interactive, mobile-responsive proposals and pitch decks
Built-in e-signatures and payment collection
Real-time notifications when clients view proposals
Template library for faster proposal creation
Best for: Agencies where proposals and pitches are a regular part of the sales cycle.
Pricing: Business at $35/user/month. Enterprise at $59/user/month.
8. Grammarly
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Grammarly acts as a quality layer across blog posts, social copy, email campaigns, and client communications. It's especially useful when you have junior writers or multiple people creating content for the same client. The tone and style suggestions help maintain brand consistency by letting you set parameters for formality, audience, and intent.
It adapts to different client voice guidelines, which matters when your team writes for several brands simultaneously.
Key strengths:
Real-time grammar, spelling, and tone suggestions
Adjustable style settings per project
Browser extension, desktop app, and Google Docs integration
Best for: Content agencies and any agency where written quality directly impacts client perception.
Pricing: Free plan available. Premium at $12/month. Business plans at custom pricing.
9. Intercom
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Intercom is the tool agencies reach for when their clients need to engage website visitors through chat, automated messaging, and support workflows.
In my experience, agencies implementing Intercom for clients see the biggest impact on response times and lead qualification. The AI-powered chatbots handle routine questions, freeing up the client's team for complex conversations.
Key strengths:
AI chatbots for automated lead capture and support
Omnichannel messaging across web chat, SMS, and email
Customer engagement and activation workflows
Shared inbox for team-based response management
Best for: Agencies that manage or build client websites where customer messaging is part of the deliverable.
Pricing: Essential at $29/seat/month. Advanced and Expert plans at higher tiers. Custom pricing for enterprise.
10. Zapier
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Zapier is the connective tissue in most agency tech stacks. It connects apps through automated workflows ("zaps") that trigger actions across tools without writing code.
I've seen agencies use Zapier to do everything from creating Teamwork.com projects when a HubSpot deal closes, to posting Slack notifications when a new proposal is viewed in Qwilr. Without discipline, you end up with a spaghetti web of automations that nobody fully understands. Start with high-impact workflows and document every zap.
Key strengths:
Connects 7,000+ apps through no-code workflows
Multi-step automations for complex agency processes
Filters and conditional logic for targeted automation
Pre-built templates for common integrations
Best for: Any agency using three or more tools that need to share data.
Pricing: Free plan (limited to single-step zaps). Starter at $19.99/month. Professional at $49/month. Team and Enterprise tiers available.
11. Planable
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In my experience, Planable focuses on one thing and does it well: getting social media content from draft to approved to published without email chains.
Agencies with multiple approval stakeholders find the most value here. The interface mimics actual social platforms, so clients see exactly how a post will appear on Instagram or LinkedIn. The four-level approval workflow system gives granular control over who can approve, edit, or just view.
Key strengths:
Visual content preview that mimics native social platform layouts
Four-tier approval workflows (none, optional, required, multi-level)
Direct publishing to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and TikTok
Collaborative commenting alongside each post
Best for: Social media agencies or teams with complex client approval requirements.
Pricing: Free plan available. Basic at $11/user/month. Pro at $22/user/month. Enterprise at custom pricing.
12. SocialPilot
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SocialPilot targets the budget-conscious end of social media management. For agencies managing ten or more accounts, the pricing is significantly lower than Sprout Social while covering core scheduling and analytics.
The bulk scheduling feature is the standout. Upload and schedule posts in batches across clients with regular cadences. The white-label reporting adds agency-specific value.
Key strengths:
Bulk scheduling across eight social platforms
White-label reporting for client deliverables
Dedicated social inbox for comments and messages
Team collaboration with role-based access
Best for: Smaller agencies or agencies with many social-only clients where cost matters.
Pricing: Professional at $30/month (1 user, 10 accounts). Small Team at $50/month. Agency and Agency+ tiers at $100/month and $200/month.
13. Scribe
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Scribe automates process documentation. Turn on the extension, walk through a workflow, and Scribe generates a step-by-step guide with annotated screenshots automatically. What used to take an hour of writing and screenshotting takes minutes.
The Pages feature lets you combine multiple Scribes with supporting text and video into full training documents.
Key strengths:
Automatic step-by-step guide creation from screen capture
Pages feature for combining guides into training manuals
Shareable links for team and client access
Best for: Growing agencies with frequent hiring or complex, client-specific processes that need documentation.
Pricing: Free Basic plan. Pro at $12/seat/month. Enterprise at custom pricing.
14. Salesmate
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Salesmate fills the CRM gap for agencies that need more than a spreadsheet but don't need a full Salesforce deployment. Agencies with active new-business pipelines benefit from the visual pipeline management and built-in communication features.
The built-in calling, texting, and email mean your sales team stays in one app. Marketing automation features let you create nurture sequences for inbound leads.
Key strengths:
Visual sales pipeline with drag-and-drop deal management
Built-in calling, texting, and email
Marketing automation for lead nurture sequences
Customizable sales reports and revenue forecasting
Best for: Agencies with a dedicated sales function or consistent new-business pipeline activity.
Pricing: Basic at $23/user/month. Pro at $39/user/month. Business at $63/user/month. Enterprise at custom pricing. 15-day free trial.
15. Meltwater
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Meltwater has been in the media monitoring space for over two decades, and that depth shows. It tracks mentions across social media, news, podcasts, print, and blogs in over 240 languages.
For agencies with PR or communications clients, it lets you catch a brand mention before it becomes a crisis. The sentiment analysis gives you a quick read on how public perception is trending. For small local brands, it may be overkill. For national or global brands, it's hard to replace.
Key strengths:
Media monitoring across social, news, print, podcasts, and blogs
Sentiment analysis and trend detection
Real-time alerts for brand mentions
Coverage in 240+ languages
Best for: PR agencies and full-service agencies with clients that require active media monitoring.
Pricing: Custom pricing only. Contact Meltwater for a demo and quote.
How do these 15 tools actually compare?
I've pulled the key details from every tool review above into one view. Use this to spot gaps in your current stack at a glance.
Tool
How these tools connect: integration and stack compatibility
I've spent a lot of time mapping how agency tools actually connect in practice. Great tools mean nothing if they don't talk to each other. Here's how the most common agency stack integrations work.
Tool
Zapier fills the gaps where native integrations don't exist. But native integrations are always more reliable and require less maintenance.
For agencies using Teamwork.com, the HubSpot integration is particularly powerful. When a deal closes in HubSpot, it automatically creates a project from a template. Your delivery team has a structured project ready before the kickoff call.
Pro tip
Map your top five tool-to-tool data flows before you start connecting anything. Audit which ones need real-time sync (project management to time tracking) versus daily batch updates (CRM to reporting). This prevents the "everything connects to everything" mess that makes debugging impossible.
Five mistakes agencies make when choosing software
I've watched agencies make these mistakes repeatedly. Each one costs time, money, or both.
Buying for features instead of workflows: A tool with 200 features means nothing if 180 of them don't match how your agency actually works. The best software is the one your team will use consistently, not the one with the longest feature comparison chart.
Skipping the consolidation math: When Impression Digital consolidated multiple software subscriptions into Teamwork.com, they reduced costs while improving team efficiency and client transparency. Before adding a new tool, calculate the total cost of your current stack (including the hidden cost of context-switching between apps).
Ignoring utilization tracking: Utilization rate is the percentage of total available hours spent on billable client work. If you can't tell me your agency's average billable utilization rate right now, you have a visibility problem. Our billable utilization rate calculator shows that Teamwork.com customers improve billable utilization by 21.8% on average. You can't improve what you can't measure.
Evaluating tools in isolation: Your CRM, project management platform, time tracker, and accounting tool form a system. Testing each one separately tells you nothing about how they work together. Always evaluate tools as a stack.
Delaying the switch because of migration fear: The longer you wait, the messier the migration becomes. Most modern platforms (Teamwork.com included) offer migration support and phased implementation plans. The productivity dip is temporary; the gain is permanent.
Self-audit checklist: Does your tech stack have gaps?
Can you see profitability per project and per client in real time? (Yes/No)
Does your time tracking feed directly into your budgets? (Yes/No)
Can your traffic manager see team capacity across all clients in one view? (Yes/No)
Can clients view project status without you sending an email? (Yes/No)
Do you know your agency's average billable utilization rate? (Yes/No)
ACTION: If you answered "No" to three or more, your current stack has structural gaps.
How Teamwork.com brings it all together for agencies
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I've seen agencies run every feature on this list across five or six separate tools before consolidating. Every tool here solves a specific problem. Teamwork.com solves the bigger one: giving your agency a single source of truth for client delivery, team capacity, and financial performance.
Real-time capacity planning: Agencies using disconnected tools spend hours every week assembling a picture of where things stand. Get real-time capacity across every team member and client account in one view. The Workload Planner eliminates the assembly work.
Smart retainer management: Retainer clients need a different kind of budget tracking. Standard project budgets don't account for monthly rollovers, overspend reallocation, or recurring deliverables. Track retainer burn rate in real time and get alerts before a budget threshold is crossed, so you can adjust scope before it eats your margin.
Centralized creative approvals: Creative approval cycles are one of the biggest time sinks in agency work. Cut those cycles by collecting annotated feedback on designs, documents, or videos in one place. Proofs tracks approval status with full version history.
Profitability-driven time tracking: Every hour your team works should tie to a project budget. Track time against tasks and see the impact on project profitability as work happens, not after the fact.
Instant AI project setup: Setting up new client projects used to take 30 to 45 minutes of manual task creation. Go from a scattered client brief to a fully structured project in two to three minutes. The AI Project Wizard handles that setup automatically.
Automated rescheduling and conflict resolution: When priorities shift (and they always do), the AI Smart Scheduler automatically adjusts task assignments based on team availability and dependencies. This resolves scheduling conflicts that typically consume two to three hours weekly in manual rescheduling.
FAQ
What is marketing agency software?
Marketing agency software is any tool that helps agencies plan, execute, track, or report on client work. This includes project management platforms, SEO suites, social media schedulers, CRM systems, and automation tools. The most effective stacks combine a core operations platform with specialized channel tools for search, social, and PR.
How much does a full marketing agency software stack cost?
A complete agency stack typically costs between $50 and $300 per user per month, depending on tool selection and agency size. Project management platforms like Teamwork.com start free for small teams, with paid plans from $9.99/user/month. SEO tools range from $139 to $499/month. Social media tools range from free to $249/month per seat. Most tools offer free trials or free plans, so you can test fit before committing.
What features should agencies prioritize when choosing software?
Agencies should prioritize four capabilities: workflow management, resource planning, financial management, and client collaboration. Workflow management covers task tracking and timelines. Resource planning covers utilization and capacity forecasting. Financial management covers budgeting and profitability per client. Client collaboration covers approval workflows and shared dashboards. The right mix depends on agency size and goals.
What is the difference between agency management software and project management software?
Agency management software is purpose-built for the full agency workflow, covering client onboarding, resource allocation, time tracking, profitability analysis, and client reporting in one system. Standard project management software handles task tracking well but typically lacks agency-specific features like utilization rate tracking, retainer management, and client-facing dashboards. Agencies that outgrow generic PM tools usually switch when they need tighter financial visibility across multiple client accounts.
Can small agencies benefit from dedicated agency software?
Yes. Small agencies (under 10 people) often benefit the most because they have the least time to waste on manual processes. A free plan on Teamwork.com covers up to five users with core project management. As the team grows, paid plans add resource planning and budgeting without requiring a platform switch. The common mistake is waiting until the agency hits 20+ people and the spreadsheet system is already creating problems.
How do agencies measure ROI on their software stack?
The three most reliable metrics are utilization rate improvement (billable hours as a percentage of total capacity), project margin accuracy (estimated versus actual profit per client), and administrative time reduction (hours spent on reporting, scheduling, and status updates). Start by benchmarking your current numbers before implementation. After 90 days, compare. Teamwork.com customers report a 21.8% average improvement in billable utilization within the first year.
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