HQ – SaaS Solution in the Cloud
The ad agency software we used for years had become slow and cumbersome. And it wasn’t quite as respectable as it had once been. One day, we realised the psychological strain was just too much. Bloom needed a “painless” software tool. To make a long story short: We had to update our software so Bloom could be at the forefront of technology.
The Bloom wish list
Project management, time and cost recording, resource planning, tender preparation, invoicing, analysis and controlling – never mind internal and external communication management: we had a lot of requirements for the new agency software. After all, we wanted it to support our entire project process and provide clear structure and organisation for each of us. We needed an all-in-one agency solution with great usability and the option to record hours with a mobile app, too. And we also wanted short load times, the greatest possible flexibility and intuitive operation. Plus: we wanted access to support that would immediately help us if unexpected problems arose.
For our customers
According to our motto “We Create Your Agency”, we also wanted these innovations to benefit our customers. As an agile agency, we precisely tailor solutions to each customer’s individual needs and put together expert teams to match. And these were the processes the new agency software needed to seamlessly support: efficient for all parties, transparent and up to date.
Introduction to HQ
Our search was successful: Bloom’s Munich and Nuremberg offices partnered with HQLabs and their HQ business solution. Of course, this kind of transition is never easy. Out with the old, in with the new: once the old software was gone, all of our employees had to get used to the new system, discover its quirks and learn how it ticks. And we had to scrutinise, discuss and reinterpret old, familiar internal communication processes.
No sooner said than done: first, HQLabs came to our agency and held all-day workshops for the management and client support consultants. They also provided short introductory training sessions via screen share for the rest of the team. Our HQLabs contact quickly addressed other practical questions via video chat when needed. Then it was time to test it out and customise it for our own needs.
The end result
After a three-month practical test, our conclusion is overwhelmingly positive. Sure: sometimes Bloom longs for its early days as a new agency, when we simply talked to each other – back when we were still a small group. If we set these nostalgic feelings aside, we think we found the best possible solution with the HQ agency software: a connected, functional, extremely versatile software in the cloud that everyone can access. It now makes Bloom more effective and smarter, so we are prepared for anything. We can keep an eye on everything, are prepared for every eventuality, and thus have a more relaxed attitude about the future.
You want us to take care of an urgent new project “from the hip” so to speak? No problem! HQ gives us up-to-date, transparent information about capacity, budgets, project progression, invoices, you name it. So our customers benefit as they always have from the “Your Agency” approach. But now we can be even more efficient as we tackle their requirements, put together agile teams for them, and coordinate their projects individually, tailored to their very specific needs.
