Web designers and developers
A web designer builds clients' websites and hands them over.
Small agencies (design, marketing, development; 3 to 15 people)
A client accepts a proposal, pays the deposit and starts a monthly retainer. Their portal shows where the work stands, and your hours become invoices.
An agency works in one Magpie team. Clients see their own portal and proposals, and are never added to your team.
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This combination of six Magpie areas fits a small agency.
- Proposals
- Proposals wins the work, with a deposit, a signature and monthly lines.
- Client Portal
- Client Portal gives each client a page with their plan, files and invoices.
- Kanban Boards
- Kanban Boards runs each project, from to-do to done.
- Time Tracking
- Time Tracking records your hours by client, at each project's rate.
- Invoicing
- Invoicing bills the retainer every month, and the hours you tracked.
- Team chat
- Team chat keeps the studio talking, with a channel a client can join.
A client accepts the proposal, pays the deposit and starts the retainer.
Proposals builds each proposal from sections: a cover, pricing, a timeline and terms. A line can be billed once or monthly. An optional line lets the client add it.
Each recipient gets their own link, and you see when it is opened. The client signs and pays the deposit by card. Monthly lines become a recurring invoice.
Each client's portal shows where the work stands and what you need from them.
Client Portal gives each client a page of their own. It holds a plan of stages and steps. Steps for the client to do are listed first.
Their invoices, the files you share, your next meeting and anything to sign are there too. Clients sign in with a link or a code sent by email.
Each project runs on a board the whole studio can see.
Kanban Boards holds each project as cards in columns. Each card has an assignee, a due date and To-dos. Cards keep their comments and pictures.
Outside access can let a client see the board without changing it. For bug reports and sprints, Issues tracks the work instead.
Everyone's hours are tracked by client, against each project's budget.
Time Tracking runs a timer that keeps going after the browser closes. Each project has its own rate, rounding and budget of hours.
Reports total the hours by client, project and person, and export as a CSV file.
The retainer bills itself every month, and project hours go on an invoice.
Invoicing issues the retainer's invoice on its date. It can charge the card the client saved when they accepted. Add unbilled time puts tracked hours onto an invoice as lines.
Clients pay by card, into your own Stripe account, with no Magpie fee.
The studio talks in channels, and a client can join just one.
Team chat gives the studio channels, threads and direct messages. Admins create the channels.
A client can join one channel as a guest. They see that channel and nothing else in the team.
Six more areas cover bugs, briefs, decks, social posts, design and contacts.
- Issues
- Issues tracks a site's bugs and sprints, with a public form for the client's reports.
- Documents
- Documents holds briefs and copy, with the client's comments and suggestions.
- Presentations
- Presentations makes the pitch deck, shared by link or as a PDF.
- Social Media
- Social Media schedules posts on each client's accounts.
- Design Canvas
- Design Canvas holds the designs, with prototype links for the client.
- Contacts
- Contacts keeps each client's people, with their proposals and invoices.
A client goes from a proposal to a monthly retainer.
The proposal
The client chooses the extras, signs and pays the deposit.
The portal
Their portal shows the plan and what you need from them.
The work
The project runs on a board, and the hours are tracked.
The invoices
The tracked hours go onto the project's invoices.
The retainer
From launch, the monthly care bills itself.
Setting up takes four steps.
Make a team for the studio
You invite everyone who works there. Help: Create and manage a team.
Connect Stripe
You connect your Stripe account for deposits and invoices. Help: Connect Stripe to receive money.
Send a proposal
You start from a starter or a past proposal. Help: Prices, packages and payments in a proposal.
Open the client's portal
You choose what the client sees. Help: Create a Client Portal.
Plans
An agency fits the Team plan, with everyone in the studio a member. A client in a chat channel joins as a guest and takes no member place.
Magpie takes no fee on deposits or invoice payments. Stripe's processing fee applies to each card payment. Prices are on the Pricing page.
Other studios and client businesses have pages of their own.
Social media managers and content marketers
A social media manager runs several clients' accounts.
Consultants
A consultant scopes, delivers and bills client work.
Software startups and small product teams
A software startup plans, builds and ships as a small team.
Questions agencies ask
Can a client pay the deposit when they accept?
Yes. The payment schedule splits the total into a deposit, later payments and a final payment. The client pays the deposit by card through your Stripe account.
Can a proposal include a monthly retainer?
Yes. A line can be billed monthly, quarterly or yearly. When the work starts, those lines become a recurring invoice.
Can the retainer be charged to the client's card?
Yes, when the client chose automatic payment as they accepted. Each invoice is then charged when it is issued. A declined card emails the client a Pay link.
Can clients choose between packages?
Yes. A pricing section can offer 2 to 4 packages, and optional lines the client adds. The total updates as they choose.
Can I see when a client reads the proposal?
Yes. You see when it is opened, and how long each section is read. Follow-ups can go out if it is not answered.
Can clients see the project's progress?
Yes. Their portal shows the plan's stages and steps, with what is done and what is next. Steps for the client to do are listed first.
Can we track hours against a budget?
Yes. Each project has a budget of hours, and shows how many are used. Reports total the hours by client, project and person.
Can a client chat with us?
Yes. A team admin can invite a client into one channel as a guest. They see that channel and nothing else in the team.
Can clients review copy before it goes live?
Yes. You share a document with the client as Can review. They comment and suggest changes without changing the text.
What does Magpie take from payments?
Magpie takes no fee on deposits or invoice payments. Clients pay through your own Stripe account, and Stripe's processing fee applies.
Win your next client in Magpie.
Create a Magpie account and make a team for the studio.