Account Services

Desktop and Mobile Tools

The Webvantage “Desktop” is a user-defined, browser-based dashboard that displays key information you need throughout your workday. Instantly access quick snapshots of information as of "now" without searching for a report or entering criteria!
Desktop tools such as Alerts, In/Out Board, Tasks Lists, Project Viewpoint, Budget Viewpoint, Hours Viewpoint, Agency Links, Executive Links, Billable Hours Goal, PTO Status, Agency Builder and Financial & Management Metrics place key information at the fingertips of every staff member in any role.

"Alerts" are fully integrated with your daily activities. They automate all communications and collaboration internally and with your clients. Advantage even uses 'push technology' that notifies you via a popup when a new alert has been received. Use Alerts to move tasks or issues from one state or staff member to another, keeping a history of all events that have occurred. This amazing tool helps to keep any type of project on-task, from concept to billing.

Stay connected at all times with Webvantage Mobile where you can access Alerts, Approval Requests, Task Lists, Time Sheets and Expense Reports through hand-held devices such as iPhone, Blackberry and Pocket PC !

Client Budgeting & Forecasts

Advertisers are looking for cost efficiencies in the advertising budget, and you have been asked to manage more with fewer resources. Stay on top of your company’s profitability and financial goals with Advantage’s client budgeting and forecasting tools.

Project profit for the year with incomparable ease and accuracy! Create and manage your client budgets using this comprehensive tool and eliminate manual spreadsheets once and for all. Historical data is available with a single click to aid in formulating more accurate budgets. Time-saving features make anything else seem obsolete! Flexible reporting and online 'Desktop' objects bring it all together for the final analysis.

Client Budget & Forecasting Key Features:

• Create unlimited budget variations.


• Create budgets in summary or detail for all income and cost types.


• Use special tools designed to simplify and expedite data entry.


• Track revisions and approvals.


• Report and analyze client budgets or forecasts vs. actual data in a variety of ways.


• Use Agency Builder and Budget Viewpoint Desktop Objects to monitor your goals with up-to-the-second accuracy.

Project & Media Management

Imagine a single source for tracking everything from the creative process to job specifications, work orders, change orders, cost estimates, schedules, events, alerts, associated documents and more. View media calendars and schedules online and view budgets compared to actuals from a single online desktop object.
Advantage eliminates multiple manual systems and brings important time-saving information to the fingertips of every staff member. It all starts with our unique Job Jacket templates which you design to go with 'your' flow, based on the type of work being done. From there, add your own creative briefs, job specifications, work orders and changes orders based on your company's specific requirements. Budgets and media are managed along with projects from the browser-based interfaces that allow you to work from anywhere, anytime. Media is full-featured and completely integrated providing streamlined and managed control.

Project Management Key Features:

• Campaigns for tracking individual budgets for both production and media projects.


• The Job Jacket is the central point for all activities. Create your own job "templates" that allow you to open and track jobs based on the type of work being done.  Store multiple versions and revisions and access all job-related information from a single screen.


• Job Orders include the creative brief, production specifications, media specifications, work orders, change orders and schedule information on a single report which may be distributed electronically.


• Creative Briefs store the creative instructions in your format for centralized access.


• Job Specifications provide staff members and vendors with detailed specifications about the project.


• Job Versions allow you to track Work Orders or Change Orders as they occur in the workflow process.


• Document Attachments allow you to attach and track documents, files and other digital assets. 


• Alerts, topic management and Wiki-type features provide communication and collaboration tools to organize and track information that include your internal and client comments.


• Project Scheduling streamlines the traffic process with dozens of time-saving features designed to automate this important aspect of your business.


• Estimating helps you create more accurate client estimates using advanced features such as vendor pricing sheets; vendor quote/bid requests and estimating based on job history.  Track an unlimited number of vendor bids for comprehensive comparison and analysis.


• Purchase Order Tracking enables you to control and track costs associated with project vendors as well as house vendors.  Purchase Order Approval ensures control.

Media Management Key Features:

• Media Estimates may be created for Newspaper, Magazine, Out of Home and Internet buys. Media orders may be generated automatically from the approved estimates.


• Tracking budgets using Campaigns allows you to stay within the media budget.


• Any Planning/Buying System that can export buys in a standard format such as Excel (csv) can be imported into Advantage saving countless hours, ensuring accuracy, and providing a single source access to the information.


• Rate Cards and Contracts allow you to store standard or negotiated rates by vendor or client and track results.


• Media Orders include automated features that dramatically improve the data entry process. Customizable orders may be automatically emailed to your vendor with a single click.


• Integration with Production adds another level of efficiency. Vendor and publication specifications and deadlines are readily available to production managers during the creative process based on media buys.


• Integration with Accounting eliminates communication problems and increases accuracy. Orders are available for billing and reconciliation immediately. 

Client Billing

Streamline the billing process and get a handle on income while you deliver custom invoice formats and statements to your clients electronically. Start with Online Billing Approval where project details are viewed and billing instructions are issued electronically!
The Billing Command Center provides a unique, single-source interface for viewing, analyzing, selecting, processing and delivering client billing. The entire billing process including reconcilation and job closing is streamlined and consolidated through this application.

Client Billing Key Features:

• Online Billing Approvals are a great alternative to the traditional paper trail created with production billing. Account executives play a larger role in the billing process by communicating with billers online as the first step in the billing process.


• Billing Reports are available in dozens of formats where both production and media details may be analyzed in-depth before adjustments are made and invoices are processed.  This same information is available in Online Billing Approvals! 


• Adjustments and Transfers are used to view Online Billing Approval details and make appropriate adjustments before billing is processed. These tools allow adjustments to client billing while maintaining job costs and a complete audit trail of transactions.


• Easily transfer job time across companies, and hard costs across offices.


• Advance Billing includes multiple income recognition and reconciliation options to completely automate that process and give complete control over the results. Job forecasts play a role in helping you determine percent complete and that monthly reconciliation figure.


• Media is advance billed by default, but may be post billed as an alternative. Media accrual and reconciliation is automatic! You'll be able to provide your clients with information about media purchases compared to actuals with variances.


• Invoicing is as flexible as you can imagine with our standard and custom invoice options; provide the formats your clients demand without re-typing or manipulating them manually. View draft invoices first, then automatically email them in PDF format.


• Statements of open receivables may be generated automatically and emailed to your clients with a single click.

Time & Expenses

Achieve effortless time entry from anywhere – with a few clicks in your web browser. Instantly spot missing time sheets, budget variances and more. Enter expenses online for timely reimbursement and billing - eliminate manual data entry and improve accuracy.
We make it easy to track your most important asset. You can enter your time daily or weekly using your weekly template or your task list. Automatic features and defaults cut down on clicks and ensure accurate and timely results. Time is immediately posted to your job or fee account and compared to budget or project estimate. Variances are reported to account executives immediately! Advantage tracks missing time and sends e-mail reminders to keep you on schedule, and unapproved time is reported before it becomes a problem.

Expense Reports are entered online for billable or non-billable expenses, cash reimbursement and even expenses associated with a company credit card. View the status of your expense submissions any time.

Time Entry Key Features:

• Enter time by week or by day and add comments for each item.


• Establish any number of employee work week combinations for handling full time, flexible or part-time arrangements.


• Add time automatically from your weekly template or task list.


• View missing or unapproved time at a glance.


• Automatically notify employees and supervisors when time is not entered based on your agency's requirements.


• Submit and approve time electronically.


• Time entries are immediately available for billing and analysis.

Expense Reports Key Features:

• Quickly enter billable or non-billable expenses, cash reimbursements or credit card charges. 


• Review and check approval and payment status any time.


• Your accounting department can review and approve expenses before posting to jobs or clients.


• Expenses are processed for billing and payment automatically.

Management Tools

Management tools are abundant in Advantage. Everything from online tools to flexible reports are in place to aid in managing clients, jobs, staff and every aspect of your business.
Advantage provides easy access to those tools from either the browser-based Desktop or the Advantage reporting system. Our unique "Agency Builder" applications provide a variety of charts and graphs designed specifically to provide leaders and managers the information needed to make important decisions, without running a single report. An extensive set of matching Management Reports is available to report on everything including profitability, productivity and realization.

Agency Builder Desktop Tools:

• Agency Goals Graph and Chart


• Current Ratio Chart and Graph


• Cash Balance Chart


• A/R Cash Forecast Chart


• A/R Aging Graph and Chart


• Direct Expense Alert


• Employee Availability and Resource Management Chart

 Management Reporting Tools:

• Client Profitability


• Job Profitability


• Gross Income and Analysis


• Service Fee Analysis


• Employee Productivity


• Employee Realization


• Employee Availability and Resource Management


• Employee Time Compliance


• Client Budget vs. Actual


• Profit Projection


• Campaign Progress


• Project Quote vs. Actual


• Project Status Percent Complete


• Media Order Activity


• Media Sales Activity

Financial Statements:

• Unlimited, user-defined


• By Company/Office, Division, Department, Profit Center

 

Document and Digital Asset Management

Central filing of client and project-related documents and digital assets is crucial in order to fulfill internal and client requests for information. Without an intelligent system and search tool, valuable items and creative work could be difficult to locate or even lost.
Even if you’re using a centralized server and folder system, it’s a manual process with many potential flaws. 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.

Your Clients

To remain competitive, you need the ability to provide your clients with the reports and information they demand. But you must also offer value-added services such as online collaboration and the ability to electronically deliver that key information through email or a browser-based Client Portal!
Advantage allows you to meet the demands of your clients and stay competitive with special tools and a customizable Client Portal, designed just for them.

The Client Portal is a controlled, configurable and streamlined desktop where clients can access the latest information about agency work via a web browser. The Client Portal displays interactive production and media calendars, alerts and messages, related digital assets, project lists and more. Clients can collaborate and communicate with agency staff members in real-time.

Advantage specializes and thrives in the area of information delivery, reporting and analysis. Our clients rely on the fact that Advantage is built from the ground up with their clients' needs in mind.

Features Designed for Your Clients:

• Multi-tier client structure to facilitate detailed reporting at your clients' various levels.


• Client budget tracking and reporting that includes expenditures paid directly by your client.


• Invoice formats that may be customized to meet the specific needs of each client.


• Electronic delivery of invoices.


• Electronic delivery of accounts receivable statements.


• Job Orders that include job overview and traffic milestones, delivered electronically.


• Creative briefs and job specifications delivered electronically.


• Controlled electronic access for your client to view agency-identified information such as job, estimate, traffic and approval information.


• Alerts and communications - Collaborate with your clients on topics, documents and files electronically and permanently track their comments and notes.


• Client portal - Pushing agency-identified information to your clients via a browser-based desktop designed specifically for them.