Advertising Agency Client Extranets

Newfangled's Client Manager is an agency specific extranet. Extranets are password-protected websites that enable communication and the distribution of information within a specific group of business partners. The Client Manager extranet was created to facilitate the transfer of information between an agency and their clients. Because agencies and designers communicate in a visual medium, the web is an ideal venue for presenting works in progress.


Newfangled's Client Manager facilitates communication by providing easy and central access to project information. Everyone involved in a project is able to log into the system from anywhere to access up to date content, avoiding the problems that result from people referring to outdated information. In the absence of an extranet, project information is generally sent over the Internet as email attachments. This method is problematic. For example, attachments sometimes fail to transfer. Additionally, individuals access email at specific workstations, limiting access to the information among a broader group. Furthermore if a sender fails to CC all relevant parties, critical information might be overlooked. These problems can be solved through using a centralized web-based source for sharing and communicating information. For example, posting project specific information to a web-based extranet system allows clients and internal agency staff to access that information from anywhere in the world. Another advantage of using a web-based system is that all items added to the Client Manager are kept together in one place, creating a comprehensive record of a project that can be reviewed at any time by the agency or the client.

With the Client Manager, you can create and maintain password protected web pages for each of your clients. These pages include contact information, documents (such as proposals, research, excel files, etc.), layouts, project schedules.

The Client Manager was originally developed for our own use in providing project information to our clients. Over time we have added more capabilities to the system and have made it available to our agency partners. While we initially built Client Manager for website projects, we have kept the structure generic enough to be useful for any type of agency project.

When discussing the Client Manager, there are two distinct perspectives that should be considered: the client's perspective (viewing the actual client page itself) and the agency's perspective (the administrative interface for creating and maintaining client pages). We will begin by reviewing the client's perspective. [Note: The client page templates that place the agency logo in the upper left hand corner and govern the overall color scheme can be adjusted for each agency. The general layout, categories and information types of the client pages are fixed.]


Client pages are accessed through a log in screen usually set up from a sub domain of an agency's main web site. For example, our clients go to client.newfangled.com to access client pages. It's also a good idea to allow clients to log in through your main website by adding a "clients" section to your site's navigation. Your client's username and password are maintained through the agency side of the system, so we will discuss how to create usernames and passwords later. Once the client enters their username and password, their client page appears. The client page is made up of agency contact information, client contact information, a "Work in Progress" section, and a "Documents and Links" section.

Contacts - All contacts (both agency and client) will be displayed on the client page as links. Clicking the link will display a small window with the contact details such as phone, email, address etc.

Work in Progress - The "Work in Progress" section of the client page contains links to layouts, prototypes and websites in development (if the project is a website), and documents. Documents can actually be added to either the "Work in Progress" section or the "Document and Links" section. We'll explain how to choose which section a particular document displays in later. Documents and links - The "Documents and Links" section will display links to documents (if they are tagged to display in this section), links to external web sites, as well as project schedules. The "Documents and Links" section is made up of an optional reference section. Reference documents (also referred to as "universal documents") contain information that all your clients should have. For example, we place our technical policies and terms and conditions in our reference section. These pages are universal and show up on every client page that we create.

[info] - Specific jobs listed on a client page, document, and layout links can contain special notes. If a note is added to an item, an "[info]" link will appear next to the item. Clicking the link pops up a small window, similar to the contact details window, containing the special note.


Each client page can contain information from multiple projects. All items under the "Work in Progress" and "Documents and Links" sections are grouped together under the title of each project to keep multiple projects organized. The projects titles can also use the [info] area in order to provide further descriptions or notes related to each specific project.


The various types of information on a client page are displayed in different ways. Documents (PDFs, Word documents, excel files, etc.) are downloaded to the client's computer. External links popup new browser windows. Layouts and schedules have their own special format discussed below.

Layouts - Since the design process usually involves more than one round, each project on a client page can link to multiple layout pages. Each layout page can contain multiple layouts. In order to distinguish one round of layouts from another, each layout link includes a title and date. When a particular layout page is clicked a new browser window pops up and displays the various layouts. Each layout within the layout page is individually titled and has a place for a description. The Client Manager system creates anchor links to each layout allowing a client to toggle from one layout to another. Each layout also has a "print layout" link. This link opens a new window that only displays the one layout. This feature allows a client to print out a particular layout without having to print all the others on the layout page.

Layouts can be tagged to be "internal." If a layout is internal, the client will not see a link to it on the client page, but internal agency staff (like a creative director) will see it. This has been an extremely useful tool for us. It allows me to review designs while away from the office, so I can provide feedback to our designer before posting them to a client, thereby keeping the project moving.

Schedules - Schedules also have a unique format. Project schedules display in a popup window that lists project events by date. Each item has a title that links to additional details, a date, a location (if the event is location specific like a meeting) and its completion status. The schedule can also be viewed in traditional month or week views. Like layouts, schedule items can be marked as internal so that a client will not see them in the schedule. For example, there may be an event scheduled for the internal review of layouts. The client would not need to see this particular event, but internal staff would. Internal items are displayed in italics to differentiate them from standard events.

The rest of this newsletter will function as a reference for how an agency uses the Client Manager to create and maintain their client pages. Agencies are able to administer Client Manager through the NewfangledCMS, providing them with an administrative interface that is simple and easy to use. We have continued to add new features and capabilities to improve Client Manager based on our own experiences with the system and input from agencies that use it. However, because the system has grown over the years we will now document its specific functions so that this newsletter can serve as a reference for using Client Manager 2.3.


An agency accesses the Client Manager in the same way that their clients do, usually through a sub domain (see above). However, when the agency enters their username and password, the system directs them to the administrative side of Client Manager.

The Client Manager's administration page lists all active clients and projects in the gray left side column of the page. The main content area of the page displays specific tools for creating client pages. The upper right area of the Client Manager has three site utilities, "settings," "home," and "Log out." The "home" and "log out" links should be self-explanatory we will discuss the "settings" link later.

The client listing on the left side can be filtered by the pull down menu at the top of the gray column. The filtering choices are "active," "new business," "archived," "internal," and "view all clients." When you create or modify a client record you can change its status to any of these options. This helps keep the list of clients manageable.


To add a new client to the system, simply click the "add new client" link at the top of the gray column. This will pop up a NewfangledCMS screen that asks for the client name, login, password, first and last name, group name and status. There is also a "contact info" tab for general client contact information. The login and password you enter here are the ones your client will use to access their client page (they will be case sensitive). The group name field should be set to "client" (as opposed to "system administrator"). The status field is where you assign the client status category as mentioned above. There is also an "expires on" field. This is rarely used, but if you want a particular client's access to end on a given date you would enter it in this field. This feature might be used when using a client page in a new business pitch. Once the information is entered you simply click "save" in the lower left, as you would any NewfangledCMS screen.

To change a client's information after it has been created simply click on the client's name in the gray list to access the client administration screen. The client administration screen displays the client's name, their user name and password, a list of active projects, their main contact information, and some other administrative tools. From this page you can add projects, make changes to the overall client settings and contact information, or delete a client. To make changes to a client's status or log in information, click "edit client info." This accesses the same screen created when the new client was first added. Make whatever changes are needed and click "save."

The client administration screen, as well as project administration screens, displays a "view client page" button in the upper right. This button brings up the resulting client page that the client will see (minus any items tagged as internal - see above).


The main client administration page includes an "add project" link. This link pops up a new project window. The window contains specific project information such as job name, job code, and description (as well as some web specific fields). It also contains website prototype fields that can be ignored if the project is not a website. An "active" check box is checked by default. To remove a job from the client page, simply deselect this box. Deactivating a project also removes it from the administration screen. To display a deactivated project again use the pull down menu above the project list box (choose "view all projects"). Once you add a project to a client page you can begin to add specific information to the page. You can access the project administration screen by clicking on the project from project list on the main client administration screen. You can also access projects administration screens by clicking the red triangle next to the client name in the left hand client column. This reveals a list of projects for that client. Clicking on a project will open that project's administration screen.


The project administration screen displays the project name, project code, and four sets of tools for maintaining specific project information (documents, layouts, schedules and prototypes). This screen also displays project tools (for changing the overall project information and status), and contains links to project specific contacts.

Document tools - The document tools section allows you to add and edit documents. Clicking "add document" allows you to upload a document and give it a description. The description fields include title, view order (if there are multiple documents), file placement, date, link, and description. The file placement field determines whether a document will display in the "Work in Progress" or "Documents and Links" area of the client page. The link field is used to create an external link by entering the full URL ("http://www.whatever.com/specifcpage.htm") to an external document or web page. In the case that you are uploading a document, you simply leave the link field empty and use the attachments tab to upload the document. The attachments tab provides a "browse" button to locate the document (PDF, word document, etc.) on your local computer. There is a 6MB file size upload limit, so if you are adding a large audio, video, or print quality graphic file that exceeds this limit, you may need to post the document externally and use the link function instead.

To edit an existing document's information, click "edit document." This brings up a standard NewfangledCMS content list of all documents in the system. To edit a particular item, you simply click the ID number at the left of the selection and a content screen will popup for editing. To delete a document, you change the pull down's status in the last column to "delete" (the default status is "nothing") and click the "do selected" link in the column's heading. This will delete the document from the list (FYI, this slightly unintuitive NewfangledCMS process allows an administrator to alter the status of multiple pieces of content with one action).

Layout tools - Adding layouts to a client page is a two-step process. Before you can add layouts you need to add a layout phase. This process is designed to allow for multiple rounds of design within every project. Simply click "add layout phase" and enter the title, date, and description of that phase (only the title is required). There is also a view order field incase you want to reorder the list of layout rounds. This screen also allows you to tag a layout phase as internal simply by selecting the "internal" check box. If selected, the layout phase will display only for internal staff, the client will not see this content until the internal link is deselected. Once you've added a phase you will need to select the "edit layout phases" link. Each phase is displayed with a "+" next to it. Clicking the plus sign reveals the individual layouts associated with that layout phase. Clicking the name of the layout phase allows you to edit the initial information entered for that phase. You can also add a new phase from this screen by clicking "add layout phase" at the top of the list. When you mouse over the layout phase name two options appear, "add layout" and "delete me."

The "add layout" link allows you to upload and describe each layout within the layout phase. You can add as many layouts as you want. Each layout screen allows you to enter a title for the layout, a date, a view order, and a description. To upload the layout click the attachments tab and use the browse button to find a .gif or .jpeg file. Note: Because the background of the client page is set to white, layouts that have white backgrounds will need a rule around them to distinguish the layout from the background. Selecting the "border" checkbox on the layout screen will add a one point black rule around the uploaded image.

To view a layout phase after it has been added, you can either launch the actual client page using the "view client page" button and click on its link just as your client would, or use the "view layouts" link under "layout tools." If you choose "view layouts" and there are multiple layout phases, a small pop up window will allow you to select which phase you want to view.

Schedules tools - The scheduling tools allow you to add schedule items (events), and view a current project schedule. The "add schedule items" screen contains a large number of fields, however most of them are self-explanatory. The fields include date, end date, time, event title, description, location, contact name, contact phone, and contact email. The screen also contains two check boxes: one for tagging an event as completed, the other for making an event internal (as previously discussed). When you view the schedule, a standard NewfangledCMS select pull-down menu appears next to each event. This allows you to easily access a schedule item's administration screen to change events from the list. Of course the pull down menus will not display for clients when they view the schedule. As with the final client page, the schedule can be viewed as a list, or in month or week mode.

There are four universal settings listed under the "settings" link (one of the site utilities mentioned earlier). The universal settings apply to every client page in the system. These items include "edit client page information," "view universal contacts," "view universal documents," and "view system administrators."

Edit client page information - This page allows you to change your agency's address, phone number and website address. You can also add your company's logo on the attachments tab so that it displays on the log in screen an on each client page. We can change the general color palette of the client pages as well, but we'll need to make this setting for you when you initially set up the system.

View universal contacts - This link allows you to view the universal agency contacts that display on the top of every client page next to the agency logo. These contacts are listed with the standard NewfangledCMS content list (see "document tools" above). This screen also allows you to add additional universal contacts through the link at the top of the list.

View Universal Documents - The universal documents appear in a right hand column under the "Documents and Links" section within the "Reference" heading. These documents will display on every client page. Our client pages display useful background information in this section. For example we've added our contract terms, and other standard information. The administration screens for the universal documents are listed in the standard NewfangledCMS list view. As noted above, clicking the ID of the document in the NewfangledCMS list brings up the administration screen. The fields for these documents include title, link (for external pages), date, view order and content. The content field is a generic area for whatever content is needed. The NewfangledCMS formatter tool is connected to this field so content can be formatted using familiar tools.

View system administrators - The "view system administrators" link lists all the internal staff with access to Client Manger.