TLDR (Summary)
The best CRM for agencies is Plutio ($19/month).
Agencies managing 10-50 active client accounts need CRM that tracks relationships across retainers, projects, and team assignments. Plutio keeps complete client records with project history, retainer usage, and payment status in one searchable view.
Research shows context switching reduces productivity by 40%. Connected CRM eliminates the tab-switching between client records, projects, and billing.
What is CRM software for agencies?
CRM software for agencies is software that tracks client relationships across multiple accounts, projects, retainers, and team members while connecting to project management and billing.
The distinction matters: sales CRM tracks leads and deals, service CRM tracks ongoing relationships and delivery. Agency CRM combines relationship management with project operations because agencies deliver ongoing work, not one-time sales.
What agency CRM actually does
Core functions include maintaining client accounts with complete history, tracking active and past projects per client, monitoring retainer hours and budget usage, assigning team members to accounts and projects, managing proposals and contracts, connecting logged time to invoicing, and providing reporting across accounts.
Sales CRM vs agency CRM
Tools like a CRM and Salesforce improve for sales pipelines: tracking leads, measuring conversion, and closing deals. Agency CRM handles what happens after the sale: ongoing project delivery, retainer management, team utilization, and client health over months or years. When a $50,000 annual retainer signs, sales CRM considers that done. Agency CRM is just getting started.
What makes agency CRM different
Agencies face unique operational challenges: multiple team members working across multiple client accounts, retainer hours that need real-time tracking, project margin that varies by account, and relationships that span years of ongoing work. Without CRM that connects to project operations, account managers lack visibility into what's actually happening.
When CRM connects to projects, time tracking, and invoicing, client relationships become operationally visible. Account managers see not just contact info but actual delivery status, budget health, and relationship value.
Why you need CRM software
Agencies without proper CRM lose context when team members change, can't answer basic account questions fast, and spend hours weekly on admin that connected systems would eliminate.
The fragmented information problem
You have client data scattered across tools: contacts in one system, projects in another, time tracking somewhere else, invoicing in accounting software. Research shows several hours per fragmented system. Multiply by multiple systems and account managers lose entire days to admin.
What breaks without proper CRM
- Lost context: When account managers change, relationship history disappears. New AMs start from scratch
- Slow responses: Clients ask questions that require hunting through multiple systems to answer
- Retainer blindness: No real-time visibility into hours used versus allocated. Month-end surprises
- Team utilization gaps: Can't see who's working on what across accounts. Capacity planning is guesswork
- Margin uncertainty: Revenue visible but actual time investment unclear. Some accounts drain resources
The account manager efficiency case
Account managers in agencies typically handle 8-15 active accounts. Each account has projects, retainer allocations, team assignments, and billing arrangements. Without connected systems, AMs spend 2-3 hours daily on admin instead of client strategy and relationship building.
Connected CRM transforms account management from data hunting to strategic work. When client information, project status, and billing are unified, account managers focus on relationships instead of reconciliation.
CRM features agencies need
The essential CRM features for agencies handle multi-account management while connecting to project delivery, team utilization, and billing operations.
Core CRM features
- Client accounts with history: Complete record of all projects, communications, and payments per client. Searchable and accessible
- Contact management: Multiple contacts per account with roles and preferences. Know who to contact for what
- Project connection: All projects linked to client accounts. See active and past work at a glance
- Communication history: Messages, notes, and important interactions logged against clients
- Document organization: Proposals, contracts, and key files attached to client records
- Search and filtering: Find clients by name, tag, project, or any attribute instantly
Agency-specific features
- Retainer tracking: Monthly hour allocations with real-time usage monitoring. See burn rate as work happens
- Team assignment: Which team members work on which accounts. Capacity visibility across the agency
- Margin views: Revenue versus time invested per account. Identify best and worst relationships
- Account health indicators: Project status, payment status, and relationship signals in one view
Platform features that multiply value
- Client portals: Branded access for clients to check project status and approve deliverables
- Invoicing integration: Generate invoices from logged time without manual data transfer
- Proposal/contract flow: New business documents connect to account records automatically
- White-label options: Present branded experience to clients, not third-party software
The deciding factor for agencies is operational connection. CRM that connects with projects, time, and billing provides complete account visibility instead of standalone contact management.
CRM software pricing for agencies
CRM software for agencies typically costs $10-50 per user per month, with per-seat pricing adding up fast as teams grow.
What agencies typically pay for stacked tools
You piece together multiple subscriptions:
- CRM: a CRM (Free-$800+/month), Salesforce ($25-300/user), Pipedrive ($14-99/user)
- Project management: a project app.com ($12-24/user), General project management software ($10.99-24.99/user), Teamwork ($12-29/user)
- Time tracking: standalone timers ($12/user), time tracking software ($10-20/user)
- Invoicing: Standard billing software ($17-55/month), accounting software ($30-90/month)
A 10-person agency spends $300-800/month on disconnected tools requiring manual data synchronization.
Plutio pricing (January 2026)
- Core: $19/month - Complete CRM with project management, time tracking, proposals, contracts, invoicing, and client portals
- Pro: $49/month - Unlimited clients, 30 team contributors, advanced permissions, priority support
- Max: $199/month - Unlimited contributors, advanced reporting, white-label portals
The ROI calculation for agencies
If connected CRM saves each account manager 5 hours weekly of admin time:
- Time saved: 5 hours/week recovered per account manager
- Monthly impact: $1,000/month per account manager in recovered billable capacity
- Tool cost: $199/month for entire agency versus $1,000+ in productivity gains per person
When comparing CRM costs, factor in time lost to disconnected systems. The per-seat pricing of multiple tools exceeds unified platforms while adding integration overhead.
Why Plutio is the best CRM for agencies
Plutio handles CRM as part of a complete platform where projects, time tracking, and billing work together rather than as separate tools.
Complete client visibility
Open any client record and see everything: active projects, past projects, retainer status, recent communications, pending invoices, and team assignments. Account managers get complete context in one view without hunting through systems.
Retainer tracking in real-time
Set monthly hour allocations per client. As team members log time, retainer balances update automatically. Account managers see which accounts are approaching limits before month-end. No more surprise overage conversations.
Team capacity across accounts
See which team members are assigned to which accounts and how many hours they've logged. When new projects come in, capacity is visible immediately. Prevent overload and identify underutilized team members.
Invoicing from tracked work
Generate invoices directly from logged time entries. Select the client, date range, and entries to include. For retainer clients, invoices show hours used against allocation. For project clients, detailed breakdowns of work performed.
Client portals for transparency
Give clients branded portal access to check project status, approve deliverables, and view invoices. Reduce status update requests while demonstrating transparency and professionalism.
Account health scoring
Plutio calculates account health based on factors you define: payment timeliness, project status, communication frequency, and retainer utilization. Identify at-risk accounts before problems escalate. Focus retention efforts where they matter most.
Revenue forecasting per account
Project future revenue based on retainer commitments, pipeline proposals, and historical patterns. See which accounts drive growth and which are declining. Make informed decisions about account investment and team allocation.
Every account interaction connects to actual operations. CRM becomes operational visibility, not just contact storage.
Visual Sales Pipeline
See every opportunity in a visual pipeline that shows exactly where deals stand. Drag deals between stages, set follow-up reminders, and never let a promising lead go cold. Track conversion rates to identify where prospects drop off.
Deal Value Forecasting
Forecast revenue based on pipeline stage and historical win rates. Plan resource allocation and set realistic targets based on actual pipeline data.
How to set up agency CRM in Plutio
Setting up agency CRM in Plutio takes 2-4 hours for initial configuration, with Plutio ready for daily team use immediately after.
Step 1: Import client accounts (30-60 minutes)
Export client data from current systems. Import via CSV with mapping for company name, contacts, and key fields. Alternatively, create accounts manually as you onboard active clients.
Step 2: Set up account structure (30 minutes)
Configure fields for your agency:
- Account type: Retainer, project-based, hybrid
- Retainer allocation: Monthly hours for retainer clients
- Team assignments: Account manager, key team members
- Tags: Industry, service type, priority tier
Step 3: Connect active projects (varies)
Link existing projects to their client accounts. Create projects for active work if starting fresh. Each project associates with its client for unified visibility.
Step 4: Configure team access (30 minutes)
Set permissions for different roles:
- Account managers: Full client and project access
- Team members: Time logging and assigned project access
- Administrators: Billing and reporting access
Step 5: Train the team
Focus training on daily workflows: logging time, updating project status, communicating with clients through Plutio. Advanced features come after core adoption.
Start with current active accounts rather than importing entire historical databases. Build complete records for active relationships first, add historical context as needed.
CRM templates for agencies
Standardizing how you organize client information keeps consistent data quality across account managers and enables meaningful reporting.
Account record structure
- Company info: Company name, industry, size, website, address
- Primary contact: Name, title, email, phone, preferences
- Billing contact: Often different from primary contact
- Account type: Retainer, project, hybrid
- Team assignments: Account manager, primary team members
- Retainer terms: Monthly hours, rate, rollover policy
Project templates by type
- Campaign projects: Strategy, creative, production, launch, reporting phases
- Website projects: Discovery, design, development, launch, maintenance phases
- Retainer work: Ongoing tasks organized by month or deliverable type
- Brand projects: Research, concept, refinement, delivery, guidelines phases
Tagging strategies
- Account status: Active, Inactive, Prospect, Past
- Industry: Tech, Healthcare, Finance, Retail, etc.
- Service type: What you provide: Branding, Digital, Content, Strategy
- Account tier: Enterprise, Growth, Startup (for internal prioritization)
Consistent organization enables meaningful reporting. When every account follows the same structure, you can analyze patterns across your entire client base.
Client portals for agency relationships
A client portal gives each agency account a branded destination to access project status, approve deliverables, and view billing without requiring constant email updates.
What clients see in their portal
Each client sees only their own information: active projects with status, pending deliverables awaiting approval, retainer hours used (if you choose to show), invoices and payment history, and communication with your team.
Reducing status request overhead
Without portals, account managers handle constant status requests: "Where are we on the campaign?" "Did you get my feedback?" "Can you resend that invoice?" Portals make this information self-service, freeing account managers for strategic work instead of information retrieval.
Deliverable approval workflows
Upload deliverables for client review. Clients receive notification, access through portal, and approve or request changes with documented feedback. The approval history is recorded, creating clear documentation of what was approved and when.
Agency branding throughout
Portals display your agency brand: your logo, your colors, your domain. Clients experience your agency directly, not third-party software. Consistent branding across touchpoints reinforces the premium service perception agencies cultivate.
Permission controls for sensitive data
Control exactly what each client can access. Show project status but hide internal notes. Display deliverable timelines but keep budget discussions private. Share approved files while protecting working drafts. Granular permissions make sure clients see what they need without exposing internal agency operations.
Portals transform client relationships from reactive email exchanges to proactive self-service partnerships. Clients feel informed and account managers focus on strategy.
How to migrate your agency CRM to Plutio
Migrating agency CRM involves exporting client data, setting up the new system, and running parallel operations during transition. You complete migration in 2-4 weeks.
Step 1: Audit current systems
List every tool holding client data: CRM, project management, time tracking, invoicing, file storage. Identify what data lives where and what needs to migrate versus what can stay in archives.
Step 2: Export client data
Export from each system:
- CRM: Client records, contacts, notes, history
- Projects: Active project details, assignments, status
- Time: Historical time data if needed for margin analysis
- Billing: Outstanding invoices, payment history
Step 3: Set up Plutio (2-4 hours)
Configure your agency structure: team members, permissions, project templates, client fields. Import clients and create active projects. Test with a pilot account before full rollout.
Step 4: Run parallel systems (2-4 weeks)
Keep old systems read-only while team adopts new workflows. New work goes into Plutio. Old work wraps up in old systems. Integration prevents data gaps during transition.
Step 5: Complete migration
Once all active work runs through Plutio and team is comfortable, archive old systems. Maintain access for historical reference if needed.
The best migration timing is start of quarter when you can begin new retainer periods and projects in the new system while completing old work in legacy tools.
