In the case of the advertising agency that I work for, we have many clients and multiple ongoing projects for each client at any given time, so we use job numbers to keep track of each project and the time spent on different aspects of each portion. Different departments and positions within the agency are billed at different rates back to the client, so loading our time is a daily process that must be accurate. At any given time, we have associates traveling to tradeshows, meetings at client headquarters out of state, not to mention our 6 satellite offices across the country and a smaller location in another state that operates with 8 people. The software needed to keep track of so many projects and associates outside our headquarters is outsourced to a server that is both hosted and accessed via the Internet so that everyone can access and load time spent on projects or client functions from any location. With a user name and password given to each user to access this software securely from any computer, customer relationship management, and agency management in general has become more practical. Several administrators are assigned special privileges within the system to sustain the information and security of the access and permissions of users. Content management, project management and an accounting are all rolled into one system hosted on the Internet for highest productivity.
The use of an Internet-based system to keep track of time spent on any project through use of job numbers has its strengths and weaknesses. Efficiency has been the first and foremost reason that we use software based on the Internet, and has increased productivity for associates working outside our headquarters, in addition to all the remotely located associates. Allowing project leaders to track and manage client budgets for each project at any time, and anywhere has led to smoother end of the month billing to each of our clients, and more accurate data. The more accurate the time and project data is, the more accurate our billing goes, and because we are a client-based business, we need every hour and every dollar we spend to be accounted for so that we can recoup our costs and be paid fairly for our work. The software we use has also allowed us to account for time and work spent on clients that we have not yet acquired, so that when and if we do, we may bill that time and work back to the newly contracted client at the agreed upon rates. Each client negotiates different rates for production costs, so this system has given us faster accounting practices to provide different billing rates for each associate and department. Our accounting department also uses the system to generate and run financial reports internally as well as produce invoices for our clients and vendors much faster than previously used accounting and bookkeeping software.
The only genuine weakness of the system would be that because it is Internet-based, if we ever have access issues, no one can load and manage their timesheets or projects, nor can we track billing reports or other accounting data. For our associates operating remotely, they may have Internet access problems when we do not, so usually the problem can be resolved with an administrator based in our headquarters entering and logging in their time for them. However, if our headquarters has any Internet connection issues, we are forced to wait until it has been resolved by the cable company as it is outside of our control. But for those employees who live in areas that have not been affected by the same Internet access problem, they can go home and load their time and access the Internet and our system from their home computers. I have even seen some associates do so from their Internet capable cell phones or via use of a PDA.
Conclusions
Internet connectivity issues will always slow down productivity in an advertising agency, as we use it for many other functions, such as research, media outlet material uploading, website maintenance, etc. This is a problem that any business can run into and cannot usually control. I do not see this as a significant problem at all, and the inherent strengths of the system far outweigh the weaknesses. For our agency, I think this system is as effective as possible for our needs and requirements. We just implemented this a year ago, and I see no room for improvement as of yet. Everyone seems to love the ease of use and the faster pace of the system processes. It has brought us nothing but success in all departments and perhaps one day it can be employed to encompass even more of individual departmental procedures. Whether simple or complex, information systems have become a permanent fixture of the corporate world for businesses both large and small, and remain an integral part of running an organization successfully.
References
Stair, R. M., & Reynolds, G. W. (2006). Fundamentals of Information Systems. : Thomson Course Technology.