Ad Agency Accounting Software Offers A/P Credit Card Solution Inside Our Advantage Agency Software

Advantage Agency Software joins forces with CSI Virtual MasterCard^® to offer unique Accounts Payable options via secure credit card transactions, saving you money and earning rewards!

CSI Enterprises, Inc., a leader in innovative financial solutions for enterprises and business, announces its new alliance with Advantage Software. The CSI Virtual MasterCard^® program will be offered as a “new feature” available through Advantage Software, designed by agencies for agencies.

The CSI Virtual MasterCard^® Program is an electronic payment system that works with its customers’ existing accounts payable (A/P) systems. The solution provides security and control by generating unique “one-time” use credit card account numbers for each vendor payment.  It reduces A/P processing costs and offers cash rewards on all payments made through the program.

The program is offered at no cost and includes complete implementation services. Implementation includes full vendor enrollment support, maximizing vendor participation and minimizing the time commitment by the customer’s A/P personnel. CSI maintains an extensive database of participating advertising agency vendors which helps facilitate the rapid roll-out of the program.

“We are very pleased to partner with Advantage Software,” explained Keith Stone, CSI President/CEO. “Both CSI and Advantage are focused on delivering innovative A/P solutions to better assist our customers.”

“After hearing from our mutual clients about the success they have experienced with the CSI Virtual MasterCard^® solution, we knew that a partnership would provide our clients with an extremely valuable tool,” explained Ellen Coulter, Advantage Software President. “The CSI Virtual MasterCard^® Program is simpler and more efficient to deploy when integrated with our agency management software. We look forward to introducing this unique new feature to our clients and helping them understand the many benefits it has to offer.  We expect the first installations to follow April 2011 with a free overview and training webinars.”

To find out more details about incorporating the CSI Virtual MasterCard^® with your Advantage agency management software, please contact Ellen Coulter at Advantage Software at 800.841.2078 or email ecoulter@gotoadvantage.com .

 

Technorati Tags: ad agency accounting software,ad agency financial reporting software,ad agency credit card,ad agency payables,ad agency payables via credit card

Ad Agency Software Packed with an Incredible 20+ years of Ad Agency Software Support + Training!

When your agency makes an investment in our Advantage agency business software products, a large arm of training and support sweeps into action to help you begin realizing the benefits of our software immediately!

Advantage Agency Software is different in many aspects from other software companies in that we really get to work when your agency invests in our products.  Our training and support team really backs up our claims to having “the best service and on-going support” of any agency software company!  This is a claim that we take very seriously and we work hard every day to ensure our agency clients are maximizing their software investment.

Advantage Software’s training and support teams are agency veterans themselves.  So they understand the “inner workings” of how an agency runs, which roles in your agency perform specific duties, and how our software products can bring enormous power and capability to your agency.  This makes a real difference when you need assistance…working with somebody who has been where you are!

Advantage Software training and support teams provide service 12 hours a day…ensuring service across all US timelines.  “Live” telephone support is, by far, our client’s most popular and quickest way to reach out for help.  But we also provide assistance via email and other online avenues.  We pride ourselves in the promptness in which we provide resolution to the majority of our client’s support and training needs.  Matter of fact, we resolve the majority of support and training inquiries within 40 minutes!

Our Software and Technical Support departments fully support all areas of the system including installation, questions, enhancement requests, issue resolution and more.  Our training programs are based on our clients’ needs and use a blend of on-site visits, individual web conferences, and group webinars. Each training course is tailored to the client and follows a pre-approved agenda. After initial training is complete, we are available to provide targeted follow- up training.

Training and Implementation
Software implementation, training and consulting requests

Manager:  Tina Hussion
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain Standard Time
Call 800-841-2078
Email: thussion@gotoadvantage.com

Customer Relations
Brian Hess - bhess@gotoadvantage.com
Call 800-841-2078

Software Support
Advantage application support, training and consulting requests, programming requests and general support

Manager: Deirdre Doyle
Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Call Center: 877-443-3311
Email Support: softwaresupport@gotoadvantage.com

Technical Support
Software installation and configuration, software conflict resolution and computer hardware recommendations

Manager: Scott Byrnes
Hours: 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
Call Center: 877-443-3322
Email Support: techsupport@gotoadvantage.com

We look forward to serving you with our tremendous training and support program and team members!  Our clients tell us that this is one of the top reasons that they continue to grow their agency with Advantage Software.

 

Technorati Tags: ad agency software support,ad agency software technical support,ad agency software training,ad agency software implementation

Ad Agency Software Company, Advantage Software, Sees 2011 Trends for Ad Agency Growth!

With the month of January 2011 already behind us, we at Advantage Software are seeing some ad agency industry trend predictions start to take shape through our agency’s client eyes!

We work very closely with so many agencies every day across the country, and we hear about new trends, directions and news that shapes the advertising and agency business.  We would like to pass some of this news along to you from time to time.  And with everybody talking in January about what 2011 could bring, we thought it was appropriate to share with you what trends ad agencies are talking about for 2011!

Growth in Social Media

There is no ignoring the power of social media that is affecting businesses of all types, including ad agency software companies like Advantage.  The reach of social media is stretching beyond the obvious Facebook and Twitter posts.  Consumers are embracing many different social media choices to interact and form relationships with brands, products and companies that they consume and purchase.  MerchantCircle, FourSquare, Mojo Pages, QR Codes and Microsoft Tags, LinkedIn, Hot Frog, Digg and more!  We see this as a natural avenue for ad agencies to extend campaigns and resources on behalf of your clients in 2011.  We even hear that agencies

Growth in Internet Marketing

Google, Yahoo and Bing, oh my!  Marketing and advertising on the Internet in 2011 will grow for most agency clients.  As consumers are flocking more and more to their desktops, iPads and iPhones, advertising dollars and brands are reaching out to touch these consumers.  Purchase decisions are now being made by consumers on the web.  Traditional media plans are including Internet components.  And we see this as a smart move.  Here at the Advantage Software Company, we invest every month in the Internet through social media, blogs, and keyword advertising.  We feel that the Internet is an extremely important part of our overall marketing effort to reach our customers and serve their needs on their schedule.

Growth in Video & Smart Phone Marketing

YouTube is enormous with popularity.  Google owns YouTube.  Thus, Google embraces video in organic search results!  We see that video is an enormous opportunity for agencies to help their clients grow Internet presence and increase organic search results!  Actually, the search engines have separated video into its own category…again showing how important video is to consumers and search engines.

And with the gigantic surge in Smart Phone purchases we saw in 2010, this year will likely top last year’s sales.  Ad agencies and clients are starting to embrace an extension of advertising campaigns and dollars into mobile marketing.  SMS messages…mobile couponing…mobile contests…mobile video…websites designed for mobile platforms…mobile applications…we see this as a very natural growth area for agencies in 2011.

We at Advantage Software also want you to know that our incredible agency-building and agency software products are keeping in-step with the evolving Internet and mobile phone technologies.  Our robust software will help your agency manage each of these new growth areas in 2011.  If you would like more information about Advantage Software and our powerful agency financial, resource and workload report capabilities, please call us at 800.841.2078 or contact our Regional Sales Managers: Dominique Lacerte or Mike McGee. We look forward to working with your agency soon!

 

Technorati Tags: ad agency software,ad agency project management software,ad agency trends,ad agency 2011 trends,2011 growth trends for ad agencies

Ad Agency Software – How Do You Know When It’s Time to Add New Staff?

Having organized, accurate, real-time information about agency resources, employees and workloads helps you navigate through short-term bottlenecks and long-term growth.

There are several indicators that help you realize when it’s time to think about adding staffing resources within your agency.  Some of these indicators include growing overtime hours with current staff, growing or backlogged projects from current clients, your agency billing multiplier has risen above industry norm, and possibly your agency debit is at a level that is “safe” to assume additional risk.

When considering additional staff, determining when and who to hire are critical decisions. Do you need freelance talent for short term bottlenecks, or full-time staff to manage permanent growth?  Having access to your agency’s financial and workload data proves critical to helping you analyze these tough questions.

Advantage provides accurate, real-time information on workload requirements and employee utilization allowing you to project future staffing needs - without extensive data entry.  Here are some of our Advantage software tools that assist will assist you in making these challenging decisions:

• Project Schedules:  Plan and forecast workload using Project Schedules to manage approved and estimated work. The intelligent “Employee Finder” automatically analyzes existing workload and recommends the best candidate for project tasks.
• Workload Management:  Assign staff members to projects by team or role with complete visibility into individual availability.  Workload ‘Alerts’ provide warnings on over or under-utilized employees.
• Productivity Dashboards:  Get the ‘big picture’ on current and future hiring needs using productivity dashboard tools that provide key metrics instantly. Workload projections provide information as to whether to add full time or freelance staff.

If you would like more information about Advantage Software and our powerful agency financial, resource and workload report capabilities, please call us at 800.841.2078 or contact our Regional Sales Managers: Dominique Lacerte or Mike McGee. We look forward to working with your agency soon!

 

Technorati Tags: ad agency software,ad agency financial reporting software,ad agency business management software,ad agency analysis software

Advantage Ad Agency Software Understands the In-House Agency Business Needs!

There are distinct differences in needs between a traditional and in-house agency when it comes to agency operating software!

Advantage Software has made a concerted effort to meet the specific needs of the In-House Agency by working directly with their clients and meeting with related groups to define the differences between traditional and in-house requirements.

In response, Advantage Software has developed a set of browser-based tools that provide information on the type of statistics that In-House Agencies need to analyze and maximize efficiency. These tools include multi-level charts, graphs and exports on employee productivity, utilization (hours), project statistics, and much more.

Each set of information includes drill-downs to details that make up the information displayed. Information is displayed in weekly, monthly, year to date and running week totals.

If you would like to have more information about our Advantage In-House Agency Software, or to schedule an online demo, please contact Ellen Coulter at 1-800-841-2078 or email ecoulter@gotoadvantage.com . We look forward to helping your In-House Agency grow with Advantage Agency Software!

 

Technorati Tags: in-house agency software,ad agency software,ad agency project management software,in-house ad agency

Ad Agency Project Management – 3 Ways Our Advantage Software Can help Your Agency!

Advantage Software is designed by agencies, for agencies.  You’ll find customizable desktops, menus and applications that conform to your agency brand or individual preferences.

Innovative and flexible ad agency software applications meet the needs of mid to large-size agencies with multiple offices or profit centers but also serve smaller agencies with easy-to-use features and efficient design. 

Role-based methodology and extensive collaboration tools ensure that everyone benefits; making your agency more efficient, productive and profitable.  Extend connectivity beyond typical boundaries with tools such as Webvantage Mobile and the Client Portal!

3 Ways Our Advantage Software Project Management Software Can Help Your Agency

1.  A good Agency Project Management system includes Resource Management tools that allow you to see into the future and predict both short-term and long-term staffing needs.

2.  A good Agency Project Management system provides accurate task lists and project timelines and calendars without making your project manager a data entry clerk.  It automates the task routing through intelligent workflow templates that you define.

3.  Agency Project Management systems that centralize all information, communications and documents allow companies to stay informed, up-to-the-minute on important events, changes, or problems that may affect the timing or accuracy of the finished product.

If you would like more information about Advantage Software Project Management software, please call us at 800.841.2078 or contact our Regional Sales Managers:  Dominique Lacerte - dlacerte@gotoadvantage.com or Mike McGee - mmcgee@gotoadvantage.com .  We look forward to working with your agency soon!

 

Technorati Tags: ad agency project management software,agency digital management software,ad agency project scheduling,ad agency software,ad agency business management software

Ad Agency Software from Advantage Software Delivers Major Project Management and Production Upgrades in Webvantage v3.20!

There is more exciting news for Ad Agency Project Management and Production users with the latest Webvantage Agency Management Software v3.20 upgrade from Advantage Software!

We added a number of Agency Project Management Maintenance applications to Webvantage which can be controlled by security but allow Project Managers to manage maintenance items from Webvantage!

All of these agency software items can be exported to Excel for reporting:

• Alert Assignment Maintenance – Required to use the new Alert Assignments feature.  This application is used to create States and Workflow Templates used for Alert Assignment routing;
• Alert Groups
• Phase
• Status
• Tasks and Task Templates
• Roles
• Project Schedule Settings

Other items of interest to the agency Project Management and Production users of the software include:

• Purchase Order Search – added filter options to omit Voided Purchase Orders or Closed Purchase orders from the search results
• Job Jacket Event Scheduling – added filters for Cutoff dates and Event ID’s
• Estimates – added new signature option for 5 client signatures
• Project Viewpoint Hours Viewpoint – added the Job Description and Job Component Description

Webvantage is an extremely powerful, reliable, robust and scalable web-based version of our Advantage Software.

We'll be covering more details from our Webvantage v3.20 release soon.  If you would like more information about Webvantage, our web-based ad agency software program, please call us at 800.841.2078 or contact our Regional Sales Managers:  Dominique Lacerte - dlacerte@gotoadvantage.com or Mike McGee - mmcgee@gotoadvantage.com.  We look forward to working with your agency soon!

Technorati Tags: advantage software company,advantage ad agency software,ad agency project management software,ad agency software,ad agency web software,webvantage software upgrade,ad agency roles software

Ad Agency Finance & Accounting Webvantage Software from The Advantage Software Company Includes Nice v3.20 Financial Enhancements!

The Advantage Software Company has released Webvantage v3.20 with some very nice enhancements and upgrades for all ad agency departments and roles!

Today, we wanted to share with our accounting and financial agency software team members some of the specific enhancements that we think you will really enjoy!

Billing Approval Batch Options in Webvantage

We added additional options for selected billing for approval to match new options in the Billing Command Center.  These include:

• Select Jobs with Unbilled or Other Charges (means that jobs will be displayed if they have unbilled charges or have been advance billed or have an approved estimate or open purchase orders).
• Select Jobs with Unbilled Charges Only (limits selection to jobs that have unbilled or un-reconciled charges).
• Select All Open Jobs (includes all open jobs for a complete review).

Accounts Receivable Statements

We added the ability to “check all or uncheck all” to email or print!

Employee Utilization Dashboard

These dashboards provide interactive, visual information on Employee Productivity and Realization billability, including a simple Fee Analysis view. They are locked by default (activate in System Locking) and include security for each option (productivity vs. realization).

We'll be covering more details from our Webvantage v3.20 release soon.  If you would like more information about Webvantage, our web-based ad agency software program, please call us at 800.841.2078 or contact our Regional Sales Managers:  Dominique Lacerte - dlacerte@gotoadvantage.com or Mike McGee - mmcgee@gotoadvantage.com.  We look forward to working with your agency soon!

Technorati Tags: ad agency software,ad agency project management software,advantage ad agency software,pr agency software,ad agency business management software,agency digital management software,webvantage software upgrade

Advantage Ad Agency Software Releases New Webvantage Web-based Agency Software Version

The Advantage Software Company has just released v3.20 for our Webvantage software that includes some really exciting upgrades and updates to our web-based agency software!

The Alerts application has been enhanced to include many new features that are designed to improve communications but also facilitate issue routing. Below is a list of key changes:

• Added Alert Assignments, which are used for issue and task routing. This feature can be used to supplement regular project schedules, but can also be used to automate issue tracking on digital or other programming projects.

• Alert Assignments may be filtered to view the current employee (logged in) or all employees for complete visibility into the assignments made at all levels, to all employees.

• Redesigned the Alert page to bring comments onto the first tab.

• Changed the comment option so that it is a 'popup' and is easier to access and add new comments.

• Added the ability to edit the Category, Priority, Due Date, Due Time, Subject and Body on Manual Alerts and Alert Assignments. Automatic commenting keeps an audit trail of what was edited and when.

• Filters have been replaced with easy-to-use buttons that instantly filter for the type of Alert or Alert Assignment you're searching for.

• Group By options have been changed to group by main Alert levels and include alerts at most main levels and below (client, job, job component and task).

• Added the ability to exclude attachments from the email generated, at the Alert level.

• Added the ability to upload the documents sent with Alerts to the Document Manager at the same time the Alert is sent.

• Added option to send or not send a copy to the Sender at the Alert level (defaults to last selection by user).
• Changed "Sent" box to display the Alert for the Sender regardless of whether or not they are a recipient.
• Added 'paging' to the Alerts main pages to speed up page loading for users with a large number of alerts (all inboxes).
• Added Task Assignments list and link to Assignment Alert to the Task Alert Detail page.
• Added Job Alert View filter to hide or show completed Alert Assignments.
• Added the ability to print the Alert as a report.
• Added the ability to create a report based on the Alert View (complete grid utilizing all filters and criteria) by exporting to Excel.
• Modified all Print/Send features to utilize the new Alert options. Allows for any report to be sent as either an Alert or an Alert Assignment. Changed Print icon to read "Print/Send".
• Added the ability to Group Alerts by Due Date and Priority in both the Alert Main View and the Alert Desktop Object.

We'll be covering more details from our Webvantage v3.20 release soon.  If you would like more information about Webvantage, our web-based ad agency software program, please call us at 800.841.2078 or contact our Regional Sales Managers:  Dominique Lacerte - dlacerte@gotoadvantage.com or Mike McGee - mmcgee@gotoadvantage.com.  We look forward to working with your agency soon!

Ad Agency Digital Asset Management – Advantage Software to the Rescue!

Advertising agency clients of all sizes are embracing our Advantage software and technology with questions like, “What exactly is Digital Asset Management?”

Digital asset management (DAM) consists of management tasks and decisions surrounding the ingestion, annotation, cataloguing, storage, retrieval and distribution of digital assets. Digital photographs, animations, videos and music are samples of media asset management (a sub-category of DAM.

Digital asset management systems includes computer software and/or hardware systems that aid in the process of digital asset management.

The term "digital asset management" (DAM) also refers to the protocol for downloading, renaming, backing up, rating, grouping, archiving, optimizing, maintaining, thinning, and exporting files.

The term "media asset management" (MAM) is a sub-category of "Digital Asset Management," mainly for audio, video and other media content. Generally the "asset" being managed is collected and stored in a digital format.

Advantage includes a built-in and fully integrated document and digital asset manager. You can now upload and track documents or creative assets by simply linking to key levels within Advantage. A folder system is created and maintained automatically. Metadata is created and attached to each document, making it searchable as well as exportable.

Search for all assets by client, product, campaign, job, etc. Additionally, a complete audit trail of document transactions by job illustrates why it may have gone over budget!  Security may be applied to protect confidential documents such as contracts, so that all information can be safely stored in the system.

If you would like more information about the Advantage Software Digital Asset Management program, please call us at 800.841.2078 or contact our Regional Sales Managers:  Dominique Lacerte - dlacerte@gotoadvantage.com or Mike McGee - mmcgee@gotoadvantage.com.  We look forward to working with your agency soon!

Technorati Tags: ad agency digital asset management,digital asset management software,ad agency project management software,agency digital management software

Advantage Software - Tuesday, May 25th TASC 2010 Schedule

TASC Schedule for Tuesday, May 25th in Orlando!

7-8:30 AM BREAKFAST


8:30-9:45 AM BREAKOUT SESSIONS

 
TRACK 1 - CLIENT BUDGETING & FORECASTING
 
 
TRACK 2 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN A DIGITAL AGENCY OR DIGITAL DEPARTMENT


TRACK 3 - ARE YOUR PROFITABLE?


TRACK 4 - SPECIALTY MEDIA BUYING


TRACK 5 - DEPLOYMENT & BEST PRACTICES


9:45-10:15AM BREAK


10:15-11:30AM MORNING SESSIONS CONTINUE


TRACK 1 - CASH MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES


TRACK 2 - WEBVANTAGE ESTIMATING & VENDOR QUOTES - TRAINING & WORKSHOP


TRACK 3 - NETWORKING:  STAYING CONNECTED TO YOUR PEERS...


TRACK 4:  REALIZE THE BENEFITS OF THE LATEST MEDIA EDI TOOLS


TRACK 5:  NETWORK & SQL SECURITY


11:30AM - 1:00PM  LUNCH


1:00PM - 2:15PM  AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS


TRACK 1 - LAUNCHING THE BILLING COMMAND CENTER


TRACK 2 - PROJECT SCHEDULING & WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT:  SETUP & BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTATION


TRACK 3:  THE EXECUTIVE DESKTOP


TRACK 4 - MEDIA INTEGRATIONS & IMPORTS


TRACK 5 - VIRTUALIZATION IN THE ENTERPRISE


2:15PM - 2:45PM  BREAK


2:45PM - 4:15PM  AFTERNOON BREAK SESSIONS CONTINUE


TRACK 1 - EXPLORING NEW & ADVANCE FEATURES IN ACCOUNTING/FINANCE


TRACK 2 - EFFECTIVELY UTILIZING PROJECT SCHEDULES & ACCESSING INFORMATION:  MAKE IT REAL!


TRACK 3 - EMPOWERING YOUR TALENT


TRACK 4 - MEDIA AUTOMATION MAXIMIZED


TRACK 5 - TECHNOLOGY DISCUSSION PANEL

Say "Hello" to the Advantage Software Company's Users Group!

 The Users Group has grown substantially since its formation in 1985. Every year hundreds of agency professionals gather at our annual conference for three days of idea sharing, intense workshops and professional networking. The annual conference and regular board meetings provide confirmation and direction on the dozens of enhancements that will result from the regular contact with the group.

The Users Group is run by an elected Advisory Council (AAC) who plan and direct the annual conference and periodic AAC meetings. The AAC members work very closely with Advantage staff members to ensure that enhancements are designed and implemented to meet client requirements.

Users Group members have access to their own ”Discussion” board where they can track status of enhancements, request new enhancements or conduct a dialog with other Advantage users, Users Group AAC members, or Advantage staff members.

Register for the Conference if you are a member. It not a member, contact us for information on how to join. 

Join us in 2010 for the Annual Users Group Conference!  May 23-26, 2010 at Portofino Bay Hotel in sunny Universal Orlando!

Network...learn...share...enjoy!