How to Use ClickUp for Agencies: A Step-by-Step Guide
ClickUp helps agencies bring clients, projects, and teams into one organized workspace so you can manage every campaign, retainer, and deliverable in a single source of truth.
This how-to guide walks you through a practical setup based on the official ClickUp for agencies workflow, from creating your first Space to reporting on results.
Step 1: Plan Your Agency Structure in ClickUp
Before you build anything, decide how your agency work should be mapped into the ClickUp hierarchy.
A common agency-friendly structure is:
- Workspace: Your entire agency
- Space: Departments or core services (e.g., Performance, Creative, SEO)
- Folder: Client segments or service groups
- List: Individual clients, campaigns, or retainers
- Tasks: Specific deliverables and action items
Think about how you want to see work: by client, service line, or project phase. This will guide how you name Spaces, Folders, and Lists.
Step 2: Create an Agency Space in ClickUp
Next, create a dedicated Space in ClickUp for agency operations and client delivery.
- Open your Workspace and click + Space.
- Name it something clear, like Client Delivery or Agency Operations.
- Choose a Space color and icon so it stands out.
- Set who can access this Space (entire team or specific groups).
Inside this Space, you will organize clients, projects, and internal workflows so everyone knows exactly where to work.
Step 3: Organize Clients and Projects in ClickUp
Now translate your client roster into a practical structure that fits the way your agency delivers services.
Use Folders for Client Groups or Services
In your agency Space, create Folders to group related client work.
- By service: SEO, Paid Media, Creative, Web Dev
- By client type: Enterprise, SMB, E‑commerce, SaaS
- By region: North America, EMEA, APAC
Choose the option that matches how you staff and report on work most often.
Use Lists for Individual Clients in ClickUp
Within each Folder, create a List for every client or major account.
- Open the Folder, click + List.
- Name the List after the client (for example, Acme Corp).
- Add a short description for context: retainer details, primary contacts, and core services.
This gives each client a dedicated home where you can see all their initiatives, campaigns, and deliverables at a glance.
Step 4: Build Reusable ClickUp Templates for Projects
Agencies repeat similar projects: launches, audits, campaigns, and reports. Turn these into templates so your team can spin up consistent work in seconds.
Create a Project Template in ClickUp
- Inside a client List, create a new project List (for example, Q3 Paid Social Launch).
- Add standard tasks for your workflow, such as:
- Discovery & intake
- Strategy & planning
- Creative production
- Client review & revisions
- Launch & QA
- Post-launch reporting
- Set default assignees, due date offsets, and dependencies where needed.
- When the structure looks right, click the List settings and save it as a Template.
Next time you start a similar project, apply the template in one click and your entire workflow appears, fully structured.
Standardize Recurring Agency Processes
Use templates in ClickUp to standardize:
- Onboarding new clients
- Monthly reporting cycles
- Content calendars
- SEO or analytics audits
- Creative production pipelines
Standardization reduces handoff confusion, keeps work consistent across accounts, and makes it easier to train new team members.
Step 5: Configure Custom Fields in ClickUp
Custom Fields help agencies track the business and delivery data that matter most.
Add Custom Fields at the Space, Folder, or List level to capture:
- Retainer amount or budget
- Billing model (retainer, project, hourly)
- Priority or client tier
- Campaign type (search, social, lifecycle, creative)
- Industry or vertical
- Key contacts or approval owners
With Custom Fields in ClickUp, you can filter, group, and sort work by these values, making it easier to answer questions like “Which high-priority clients are waiting on creative?” in seconds.
Step 6: Manage Daily Work With ClickUp Views
Different roles in an agency need different perspectives on the same work. Views in ClickUp give each person a tailored way to focus.
Essential Views for Agency Teams
- List view: Great for account managers who want a clean overview of all client tasks.
- Board (Kanban) view: Ideal for creative and production teams to move work across stages like Briefed, In Progress, In Review, Approved.
- Calendar view: Perfect for content and social teams managing publishing schedules.
- Gantt view: Helpful for project managers planning timelines, dependencies, and milestones.
Encourage each team to pin the Views that match their daily workflow so they can jump in and start working without hunting for information.
Step 7: Collaborate With Clients in ClickUp
Agencies often juggle long email threads, scattered comments, and unclear approvals. Bringing client communication into ClickUp can centralize feedback and reduce confusion.
Share ClickUp With Clients Safely
Use sharing and permission settings to give clients visibility without overwhelming them.
- Share specific Lists or Views, not the entire Workspace.
- Limit access to only the tasks that require client input or approvals.
- Use comments, @mentions, and assigned comments for clear follow-ups.
This way, clients see exactly what matters: timelines, deliverables, and decisions, all connected directly to the work.
Step 8: Track Capacity and Workload in ClickUp
To avoid burnout and missed deadlines, you need visibility into who has capacity across your agency.
Use workload-focused tools in ClickUp to:
- View assigned work by team member or role
- Balance tasks across designers, strategists, and specialists
- Spot overbooked teammates before deadlines slip
- Plan hiring needs based on upcoming campaigns
This helps your agency deliver reliably while protecting your team from constant fire drills.
Step 9: Monitor Performance and Reporting in ClickUp
Clients expect transparency on progress and outcomes. Use reporting features in ClickUp to turn everyday work into clear insights.
Build Dashboards for Agency Leaders
Create Dashboards to track:
- Open tasks by client or service line
- Tasks completed this week or month
- Upcoming deadlines and milestones
- Utilization or workload metrics
These views help leadership see where projects may be at risk and where more support is needed.
Summarize Client Progress
For each client, create a simple reporting View that pulls together:
- Completed deliverables
- In-progress tasks
- Upcoming launches
- Blocked items needing client action
Sharing these Views gives clients real-time visibility into the value your agency is providing, without building separate slide decks every week.
Step 10: Continuously Improve Your ClickUp Setup
Your first setup is a starting point, not a final state. As your agency grows, refine how you use ClickUp.
- Review Spaces, Folders, and Lists quarterly to remove clutter.
- Update templates as you learn better ways of working.
- Standardize naming conventions for clients, projects, and tasks.
- Train new hires on your specific ClickUp workflows from day one.
Small improvements over time keep your workspace fast, intuitive, and aligned with how your agency actually operates.
Next Steps: Optimize Your ClickUp Implementation
Using ClickUp well can transform how your agency manages work, but the best results come from a thoughtful implementation that matches your services, team structure, and growth plans.
If you want expert help designing a scalable system, consider partnering with a dedicated implementation and optimization team like Consultevo.
Start with a single Space, define clear client structures, and build a small set of core templates. As your team gets comfortable, expand your use of ClickUp for collaboration, capacity planning, and reporting so every client engagement runs smoothly from intake to renewal.
Need Help With ClickUp?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.
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