In this guide 6 sections
Ask how the software counts revision rounds against the quote and ties each approval to the exact version and a named approver. Check that out-of-scope work is priced before it starts and that billing follows stages. Then ask whether it suits one-off projects or monthly retainers, because most tools assume one. Those answers decide most of the fit.
Does it count rounds against the quote?
Studios rarely lose margin on the first draft. They lose it on the fifth round of a job quoted for three. Ask the vendor to show a round being logged, and how the screen shows rounds used against rounds allowed.
Then ask what happens at the limit. A useful answer is that the next request is recorded and priced before work starts. A vague answer means the counting is left to you.
Whose approval closes a round?
Feedback arrives from the founder, the marketing head and someone else in copy. The designer cannot tell whose word is final. Ask whether each project can name one approver.
Ask too how the approval is tied to a version. The record should show the exact proof approved, by whom and when. Comments from others should be kept but should not close the round.
- One named approver per project
- Approval saved with the version
- Other comments kept, not counted
- Proof links that open on a phone
How is work outside the quote priced?
Scope grows by small favours: one more format, a social kit, a quick variant. Each is agreed on a call. By the end there are several, and none is on the invoice.
Ask whether the tool has a change log where extra work gets a price the client accepts first. Ask whether that accepted line flows to the invoice. If it does not, someone retypes it, or forgets.
Is it built for projects or for retainers?
Many tools assume one model. A retainer tool counts deliverables owed each month. A project tool counts stages and rounds on a fixed quote. Ask which one the vendor built for.
Be honest about your own mix. GullySystem’s Digital Marketing Agency Management Software is built around monthly retainers, with rounds and hours on each task. A studio selling mostly one-off branding jobs needs a project record instead, and should say so early.
What happens to files, invoices and your data?
Printers ask for the logo pack years later. Ask where print-ready artwork, working files, fonts and colour codes will live, and whether a link can be shared quickly.
Ask how stage invoices reach your accountant, and whether that is a file export or a direct link. Finally, ask who owns the records and how you take them away if you leave.
- Where brand files are stored
- How invoices reach your books
- Who owns the project records
- How a full copy is handed back
Studio software question sheet
A two-column sheet listing the questions above, with space for each vendor’s answer and a note of what they showed on screen. Score only what was demonstrated, not what was promised. Compare two vendors side by side before deciding.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Will any software stop a client asking for one more round?
No. Nothing will. Software can record the request, count it against the allowance in the quote and put a price on it before the work starts.
Is studio software too much for a three-person studio?
Probably. A shared tracker and a firm revision clause in your quote go a long way. Try those first, and revisit software when account managers join.
Can clients approve proofs through a portal?
In GullySystem’s agency product, a limited client portal for approvals can be set up. Whether clients use it or approve over WhatsApp and email is settled during scoping.