For agencies
Client request tracking for agencies.
Clients email small changes all day. Tend turns each one into a request with an owner, a due time and the hours behind it, so nothing waits in one person's inbox.
Where agency requests go missing
A client emails your account manager to swap an image, fix a typo on the pricing page and resize three social tiles. The account manager forwards it to a designer, the designer asks a question in a reply the client never sees, and by Friday nobody is sure whether the tiles went out. The work was easy. Keeping track of it was not.
Most agencies run this through personal inboxes, a chat channel and a project board built for campaigns rather than the steady trickle of small asks between them. That trickle is where retainer hours quietly disappear, and where clients decide how responsive you are.
Tend gives the trickle one place to live. Clients keep emailing the address they already use. Your team works each request from one shared list, and everyone can see who has it, when it is due and what has been said.
How a request moves
One change request, start to finish
Sample requestBy email
SUP-318Swap the hero image on the spring landing page
- 01
The email becomes a request
The client writes to your usual studio address. Forwarding passes it to Tend, where it opens as SUP-318 with the client as requester and their attachments on the request.
- 02
It gets an owner and a due time
It lands with a set owner, the next person in turn, or unassigned for the team to pick up. Response and resolution targets start counting in business hours.
- 03
The client sees progress
Their receipt links to the request. Signed in with an emailed link, they see its stage, who is handling it and, until you first reply, when to expect that reply.
- 04
Done, with the hours behind it
Reply and resolve in one step. The client gets one email and can say whether it is sorted. Time logged along the way stays against the client.
Ships today
What agencies use day to day
Threaded email
Client and team replies stay on the request. People the client copies in keep receiving your public replies, and internal notes never leave the team.
Request forms
Give clients a short portal form for each kind of ask, such as a web change or a new asset, with the questions you always end up asking anyway.
Approvals
Add a sign-off step, such as the account lead checking a change before it goes live. The request cannot be resolved until it is decided, and the decision is recorded.
Tasks
Split a request into tasks with their own owners and due dates when one change needs a designer and a developer.
Service levels
Response and resolution targets per queue, with tighter ones for clients whose agreement promises them. The list shows which requests are at risk or late.
Time capture
Run a timer on the request or log time afterwards. Hours sit against the client and export as CSV for the tool you invoice from.
When Tend is not the right fit
- You need clients to proof and mark up artwork. Tend keeps the conversation, the files and your internal sign-off, but it is not a proofing tool.
- You want to plan campaigns with timelines, dependencies and resourcing. A project management tool does that better. Tend is for the requests that arrive between projects.
- You want to invoice clients from the same place. During early access Tend records time and costs for export, and invoicing stays in your accounting system.
- You need single sign-on for staff or a public API today. Neither is part of early access.
Good to know
Questions, answered.
- Do our clients need to learn a new tool?
- No. They keep emailing the address they already use. The portal is optional for them: it signs in with an emailed link, with no password to create, and shows where each of their requests stands.
- Can we keep our existing studio or support address?
- Yes. You forward it to your queue's private Tend address, and client replies to Tend's emails come straight back to the request. Guides below cover Gmail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
- How do we keep track of retainer hours?
- Log time on each request with a timer or by hand. Hours collect against each client, a per-client report shows requests, response times and hours for the period, and the time ledger exports as CSV. Tend does not raise the invoice during early access.
- Can we bring requests over from another helpdesk?
- Yes. Tend imports Zendesk and Freshdesk exports and a documented CSV format, and shows a preview of what will be created before anything is written.
- What does it cost?
- US$29 per agent per month, plus GST for Australian customers. Clients and portal users are free. Every workspace starts with a 14-day free trial, no card required.
Connecting your email takes a forwarding rule. Step-by-step guides: Gmail and Google Workspace · Microsoft 365 and Outlook. See also pricing and how your data is handled.
Early access
Your first ticket.
Start your own workspace, try a request and connect your email. No setup call. No card required.
14 days free · US$29 per agent / month after trial