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Agency & Client KPI

The goal here is simple: set clear, measurable standards so everyone knows what success looks like. This creates transparency, accountability, and gives you something concrete to improve against.

1. What Makes a KPI Actually Useful

Aligned: It reflects what both you and the client actually care about.

Actionable: If the number moves, you know what to do about it.

Measurable: Clear definition, no ambiguity about how it's calculated.

Relevant: It connects to real business outcomes, not vanity metrics.

Time-bound: There's a deadline for when you're measuring and reviewing.

If a KPI doesn't meet all five, it's probably just noise dressed up as data.

2. How to Use This

Customize every KPI to match the specific project. Generic targets are useless.

Set baselines and targets during kickoff. Not after. During.

Track progress at regular intervals. Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly depending on project length.

Review and refine together with the client. KPIs aren't set in stone. They should evolve as you learn.

3. Agency KPIs: What You Should Be Measuring

These are about your own performance. How well are you running the operation?

KPI	What It Means	Why It Matters	How to Measure	Target
On-Time Delivery Rate	% of deliverables shipped on or before deadline	Shows reliability and planning quality	(on-time / total deliverables) x 100	95%+
Revision Rounds Used	Average revisions per project	Reflects how well you understood the brief	Sum of revisions / number of projects	2 or fewer
Client Satisfaction	Score from post-project survey or NPS	Quality of work and relationship health	Survey or NPS	8+/10 or NPS above 40
Project Profit Margin	(Revenue minus costs) / Revenue x 100	Financial health and pricing accuracy	Track project costs against invoices	Above 25%
Response Time	Average time to reply to client messages	Trust and communication quality	Email log analysis	Under 24 hours
Scope Creep Frequency	Projects where scope grew without fee adjustment	Project management and profitability	Change logs	Under 15% of projects
Upsell Rate	% of clients who buy additional services	Relationship depth and growth potential	CRM tracking	30%+
Referral Rate	% of new clients from existing client referrals	Client satisfaction and reputation	CRM source tracking	20%+
Team Utilization	Billable hours vs available hours	Efficiency and capacity planning	Time tracking	70-85%
QA Pass Rate	% of deliverables passing internal QA first time	Consistency and delivery quality	QA logs	95%+

4. Client KPIs: What Success Looks Like for Them

These measure the actual impact of your work on their business.

KPI	What It Means	Why It Matters	How to Measure	Target
Business Goal	The core outcome they hired you for	Main indicator of whether you delivered	Project analytics, sales data, CRM	Custom per project
Website Traffic	Change in visits, sessions, unique users	Digital growth and awareness	Google Analytics or similar	+30% over baseline
Conversion Rate	% of users taking desired actions	Effectiveness of creative and UX	Analytics tools	+15%
Lead Volume	Number of qualified leads or inquiries	Marketing effectiveness	CRM, email, call tracking	+25%
Engagement Rate	Time on site, scroll depth, shares	Content and UX quality	Analytics, heatmaps, social	+20%
Brand Sentiment	Change in how people perceive the brand	Brand health over time	Surveys, social listening, reviews	Positive trend
Social Growth	New followers and engagement	Community building	Social analytics	+20%
ROI/ROAS	Return on investment or ad spend	Financial performance of campaigns	Ad platforms, campaign reporting	3:1 or better
Bounce Rate	% of visitors leaving after one page	Content relevance and targeting	Analytics	Under 40%
Customer Satisfaction	Post-launch feedback and reviews	Partnership health	CSAT, reviews, NPS	8+/10
Adoption Rate	% of users adopting new feature or service	Product/feature success	Product analytics	Above 60%
Churn Rate	% of users or customers lost post-launch	Retention effectiveness	Analytics	Under 10%

5. Example KPI Scorecard

This is what a simple tracking view looks like in practice.

KPI	Baseline	Target	Current	Status	Notes
On-Time Delivery	85%	95%	92%	🟠	Improving but not there yet
Lead Volume	20/month	25	28	🟢	Exceeded target
Client Satisfaction	8.5/10	9	8.7	🟠	Need more survey responses
Profit Margin	20%	25%	26%	🟢	Hit target

Simple. Visual. Everyone knows where things stand.

6. Review & Reporting Process

Frequency: Review at key milestones. Weekly for fast-moving projects, monthly for longer ones, always at project close.

Ownership: Assign someone to each KPI. PM owns delivery metrics. Account manager owns satisfaction. Strategist owns digital performance. No orphan metrics.

Reporting: Use a dashboard or scorecard. Share it with the client and the team. Visibility creates accountability.

When targets are missed: Don't ignore it. Develop an action plan and agree on next steps.

7. KPI Improvement Action Plan

When something is off-target, work through this:

Diagnose: Why did we miss? Was it process, communication, resources, or something else?

Action Steps: What are we changing? More QA? Better briefs? Faster follow-up?

Owner: Who's responsible for driving the fix?

Timeline: When will we check if it's working?

Client Input: If the KPI affects their goals, ask them what they think should change. They often have context you don't.

8. Sample Dashboard View

KPI	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Trend
On-Time Delivery	90%	94%	97%	95%	98%	⬆️
Website Traffic	+10%	+15%	+18%	+25%	+31%	⬆️
Conversion Rate	2.3%	2.7%	3.0%	3.5%	3.8%	⬆️
Client Satisfaction	8.1	8.4	8.8	9.2	9.1	⬆️

Trends matter more than snapshots. This view shows momentum.

Implementation Notes

Discuss KPIs early. Make them part of your proposal and kickoff conversation, not an afterthought.

Track both sides. Agency metrics and client metrics. Both parties stay accountable and motivated.

Report regularly. Don't wait until project close to show progress. Visibility builds trust.

Use KPIs for learning, not blame. The goal is improvement, not finger-pointing.