There are thousands of AI tools. Most of them are irrelevant to agencies. The ones that matter are the ones that save time on the work you do every day: pitching, scoping, delivering, and managing clients.
Here is what is actually worth your attention.
For proposals and sales
The problem: Proposals take too long and are not personalised enough.
- Claude / ChatGPT: Use either for research synthesis, draft generation, and refining proposal language. Claude tends to be better for longer, nuanced writing. ChatGPT is faster for shorter tasks.
- Closed (getclosed.io): Proposal analytics. See exactly how prospects engage with your proposals: scroll depth, time on each section, revisits. Know when to follow up and what to talk about.
- Gamma: Presentation generation. Useful for pitch decks when you need something polished quickly.
For project scoping and briefs
The problem: Scoping takes hours and client briefs are always incomplete.
- Agency Brief (coming soon): Guided client intake that turns scattered inputs into structured creative briefs. Eliminates the back-and-forth.
- Claude Projects: Set up a project with your scoping methodology and past project data. Feed it a new brief and get a draft scope with timeline and budget ranges.
- Notion AI: Useful for turning meeting notes into structured action items and project documentation.
For delivery and production
The problem: Repetitive tasks eat into margins.
- Cursor / GitHub Copilot: For development agencies, AI-assisted coding is no longer optional. These tools handle boilerplate, suggest implementations, and accelerate code review.
- Midjourney / DALL-E: For creative agencies, AI image generation works as a concepting tool. Use it for mood boards, initial concepts, and client-facing mockups. Not as a replacement for finished creative.
- Descript: Video editing with AI-powered transcription, screen recording, and clip generation. Useful for agencies doing video content production.
For operations and internal
The problem: Admin tasks scale with headcount.
- Otter.ai / Fireflies: Meeting transcription and summary. Never miss an action item from a client call again.
- Zapier / Make: Workflow automation connecting your tools. Automate client onboarding, reporting triggers, and internal notifications. See our comparison of automation platforms for a detailed breakdown.
- Reclaim.ai: AI calendar management. Protects focus time and optimises meeting scheduling.
What to skip
Not everything is worth the hype:
- AI website builders: Your agency builds websites. Using AI to replace your own service undermines your value proposition.
- Generic AI writing tools (Jasper, Copy.ai, etc.): These produce generic content. Your agency’s value is in specificity. Use Claude or ChatGPT with your own prompts instead.
- AI project management tools: Most add AI features nobody asked for. Stick with Linear, Asana, or whatever already works for your team.
The real advice
Do not try to adopt ten tools at once. Pick one area where you lose the most time (proposals, scoping, or delivery), find the best tool for that job, and implement it properly. Then move to the next.
The agencies seeing real results are not the ones using the most AI. They are the ones using AI well in the areas that matter most.
This is part of Tool Drop, a series reviewing AI tools through an agency lens. Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly recommendations.
