By Judith Hector

Okay, so the the bean counters (and we mean that the most affectionate way) hog Clients & Profits, and that's why you're still using a traffic system that's just "good enough."

Or maybe you just feel better juggling FileMaker, Excel, and Quark to do your traffic reports -- because, after all, it's the way you've always done it.

All that juggling must get tiring!

There's a pretty good chance that if you're not using Clients & Profits for traffic you're working way too hard. That's because the spreadsheet, project manager, web application or (worst of all) paper system is probably not keeping up.

So grab a Sharpie and a take-out napkin and let's crunch some numbers. First, write down how many hours you spend every day rewriting data from the spreadsheet to the white board to e-mail memos and any place else you have to retype it. Multiply that number by your hourly wage, then again by 1,880 annual hours. Now estimate how many hours each day your staff spends tracking down details. Multiply that by the average pay, then again by 1,880. Write down how much your agency spends each year on software updates, subscriptions, licenses, and custom programming to get this hodge-podge system to work. Now add the three costs. Chances are, your grand total is several thousand dollars.

Several thousand dollars of lost profits, bonuses, new computers, and agency solvency. And that doesn't even include the cost of missed dead-lines and lost clients.

It's time to upgrade from business as usual, and move Clients & Profits out of the back-office and into your shop's mainstream. If you already have C&P running office-wide, glean a few tips here to make it run even better. Like how to improve staff morale, how to keep clients happy, and how to make more money.

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