Annual software spend
The headline number, measured before and after decisions take effect at renewal.
Marketing agencies · Software stack audit
Know what your agency's software costs, and stop paying for what nobody uses
Agencies collect software. A project tool chosen five years ago, a second one a new team preferred, three reporting connectors, SEO platforms, design tools, AI writing apps on personal cards and seats for people who left last year. Each purchase made sense. Together they cost more than anyone has added up, and data moves between them by hand.
How it often works today
- Software is bought on company cards, personal cards and client-billed accounts, so no one has a full list of what the agency pays for.
- Seats remain active for former staff and freelancers, and some tools auto-renew annually without anyone checking whether they are used.
- Two or three tools do the same job, such as project management or reporting, because different teams chose different favorites.
- Data is re-entered between the CRM, project tool, time tracking and accounting, creating errors and wasted hours.
We would build a complete list of tools, seats, owners, costs and renewal dates, check actual usage with the people who rely on each one, and recommend what to keep, consolidate, connect or cancel. Sometimes the answer is to keep everything and fix how tools connect. Decisions on contracts stay with the owners.
The improved workflow
Build the tool inventory
Pull subscriptions from QuickBooks Online, card statements and expense reports, and list every tool with owner, cost, seats, renewal date and the job it does.
Check real usage
Use admin reports for seat activity where available and ask each team which tools they rely on, which they tolerate and which they never open.
Find overlaps and gaps
Group tools by job, such as project management, reporting, SEO, design and AI, and highlight duplicates, unused seats and manual handoffs between systems.
Recommend keep, consolidate or cancel
Present a short list of options for each group with cost, effort and risk, and let partners decide based on renewal dates and team impact.
Set an ongoing process
Name an owner for each tool, add renewals to a calendar, and agree a simple rule for approving new software so the stack does not sprawl again.
How we deliver this: AI automation for small business or fractional CTO leadership, scoped in writing and run over 90 days. See pricing or the sample scope.
What we would measure
Active seats versus paid seats
Unused seats are the simplest savings and a sign of how well offboarding works.
Tools per core job
Fewer overlapping tools usually mean less training, fewer handoffs and cleaner data.
Where people stay in control
- Partners approve every cancellation or consolidation, considering contract terms, client commitments and team workload.
- Before cancelling, data is exported and retained according to client contracts and the agency's records policy.
- Client-owned accounts and billed-back tools are confirmed with the client before any change to access or billing.
Example
A 40-person full-service agency
For example, an illustrative 40-person agency believes it spends a moderate amount on software each year. The inventory turns up two project tools, three reporting connectors, several AI writing subscriptions on personal cards and many seats for former staff. The partners cancel unused seats right away, choose one project tool to consolidate at the next renewal and move AI tools to a single business plan. The agency reviews total spend again after six months.
Tools typically involved
What the first 30 days look like
In the first 30 days we would gather subscription data from accounting and card statements, build the inventory and check seat activity. By day 30 partners would have a list of quick cancellations, overlaps to decide on and upcoming renewals in date order.
Common questions
How much will a software audit save us?
We cannot say before looking, and we would not promise a number. Some agencies find meaningful unused seats and duplicate tools; others find a lean stack where the real gains come from connecting tools better. The inventory itself usually gives partners a clearer view of costs and renewal dates.
Our teams love different tools. How do we decide?
Start with the job to be done and the data that needs to flow, not preference. Involve team leads, compare options against a few agreed criteria, and plan the switch around renewal dates. Sometimes keeping two tools is right if the teams genuinely work differently.
Should we consolidate onto one all-in-one platform?
Sometimes, but all-in-one platforms can be weaker at specific jobs and harder to leave later. We would compare total cost, migration effort and what each team loses or gains. A well-connected set of good tools can be better than one platform that does everything adequately.
The business case
Does it pay for itself?
Illustrative defaults for a marketing agency. Replace them with your numbers.
What this workflow costs today
a month in staff time, before any lost sales
Monthly fee + assumed tools +
Break-even: new clients a month (at first-year value)
Or: staff hours recovered and redeployed
Break-even additional revenue
Value of +1 point of win rate
First 90 days, service fee
Worth a closer lookTest the assumptions
Illustration only, not a forecast or guarantee. Recovered staff time becomes a cash saving only if spending actually declines or the time goes into paid work. Tool costs are an assumption; we replace every number here with yours before recommending a scope.
Software stack audit in other industries
Software stack audit: full guide
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