How do we keep clients in the loop? Do we really need weekly status meetings?

Introduction

Weekly status meetings are the bane of many marketing agencies. They eat up hours just to repeat information that already exists in a project management tool.

Do you ever ask yourself:

“Why am I still running a 45-minute Zoom call just to tell clients what’s already in Asana?”

It’s a fair question. Clients want to feel informed, but agencies need a way to deliver that without burning valuable hours. Let’s explore how Asana, ClickUp, and a client-first option like Swooche handle this problem.

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But wait, why do clients get lost in the first place?

Before fixing the issue, it helps to understand why clients often feel out of the loop.

• They don’t log into your tools. As managers often say:

  “We can build the cleanest board in the world, but if a client never clicks the invite link, it really doesn’t matter.”

• They’re overwhelmed by too much detail. Teams need subtasks and dependencies. Clients just want to know: what’s done, what’s next, what you're waiting for, what’s late.

• They don’t know where to look. Between Asana, Google Drive, Slack, and email, it’s easy to lose track of which channel holds the “real” truth.

What do they do next? Ring ring.

The issue isn’t lack of client interest. It’s that most tools weren’t designed with clients in mind.

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So, option 1: Can we use Asana?

Asana is structured, polished, and widely adopted.

Strengths

• Timelines & reporting: Clear visuals that clients appreciate.
• Portfolios: Useful for agencies juggling multiple campaigns.
• Rules & automation: Handy for nudging clients when feedback is due.

Weaknesses

• Client logins: Even with guest access, many clients won’t bother.
• Detail overload: The same granularity that helps teams ends up confusing clients.
• Manual reporting: Without integrations, you’re still preparing updates by hand.

As one account manager confessed:

“Asana helps us, but I feel like I’m doing double work to make it client-friendly.”

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Okay, option 2: How about using ClickUp for client updates?

ClickUp promises flexibility, but does it solve the communication gap?

Strengths

• Custom dashboards: Tailor visibility for each client.
• Multiple views: Calendar, Gantt, list, board—flexible for different preferences.
• All-in-one: Tasks, docs, and comments can live in one place.

Weaknesses

• Setup time: Building dashboards takes hours.
• Complexity: Too many features can overwhelm clients.
• Performance issues: Large workspaces often lag.

As one studio director joked:

“I keep building castles in ClickUp, but my clients never visit them.”

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Option 3: How does Swooche do for client updates?

Swooche flips the model. Instead of adapting internal tools for clients, it’s built for client deliverables first.

Strengths

• No learning curve: Clients see deliverables in plain English.
• Branded boards: Clean, agency-branded portals instead of “another software login.”
• Promised vs. delivered: Focuses on the one thing clients care about most—what’s been delivered.
• Lightweight: Unlimited tasks, unlimited clients, no bloat.
• MOST importantly, NO LOGIN REQUIRED!: Clients get a magic link, making the board visible without needing an account.

Weaknesses

• Not a full PM suite: Agencies still need tools like Asana or ClickUp internally.
• New habit required: Agencies must get used to sharing boards instead of defaulting to meetings.

A little birdie told us:

“For the first time, my clients actually check the board. I don’t need a weekly call to prove we’re on track.”

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The Cost of Weekly Status Meetings

Meetings don’t just waste time. They’re expensive.

Five team members on a 1-hour call = 5 hours of billable time gone. Add prep and follow-up, and the cost doubles. Scale that across 10 clients, and agencies are losing full days each week.

One agency founder admitted:

“We weren’t losing money on campaigns. We were losing money on updates.”

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Conclusion

Keeping clients informed shouldn’t require dragging everyone into weekly calls.

• Asana provides structured reporting, but often overwhelms clients.
• ClickUp is powerful, but requires too much setup for little adoption.
• Swooche strips it all back, focusing on promised vs. delivered.

The real question agencies should ask is:

Is our communication system built for us? Or for our clients?

When clients feel informed without endless meetings, trust improves, deliverables move faster, and your team gets their creative time back.