About Story
Story is a social and paid content agency, specializing in strategy and the creation of high-impact content. It employs nearly 60 experts in offices in Paris and Lille.
Industry
Marketing agency
Explore Filestage for agencies →Goals
- Centralizing feedback
- Better version control
- Streamlined approval
Favorite features
- Version management
- Project dashboard
- Team member invites
Story's journey in numbers
Feedback is clearer and more collaborative in Filestage
Less back and forth means more time for new projects
Efficient review process boosts client satisfaction
Everyone working at an agency knows how quickly even the simplest projects can turn into a nightmare once the review process starts. Overnight, your project turns into countless emails, Slack messages, or even Whatsapp chats (!?) filled with feedback.
These issues are exactly what the team at French creative agency, Story, used to struggle with before implementing Filestage back in 2021. Story is one of four expert solutions from Mobsuccess Group, formed to craft highly effective-creative content for clients.
To better understand their struggles and the important wins in optimizing their review process, I spoke to Melissa Abrini, Creative Director from Story. Melissa leads a multidisciplinary team of graphic designers and art directors, as well as their in-house studio of producers, video editors, and motion designers.
And in their business, it’s never boring – they’re constantly juggling multiple clients and projects at once, making the review process an extremely important piece of the puzzle!
So, without further ado, let’s dive into their story.
Managing feedback used to feel like a full-time job
Before turning to Filestage four years ago, Story used to have a classic review process without too much structure. Feedback came through various channels, making everyone at the agency overwhelmed without enough time to deal with the rest of the work.
“Before Filestage, our review process was pretty chaotic. Feedback came flying in from all directions – emails, Slack, PowerPoint decks, even WhatsApp (yes, really). It felt like one’s entire role was just to track down comments, consolidate input, and try to maintain a smooth workflow.”
Melissa Abrini, Creative Director at Story
In all that chaos, the team was more likely to make mistakes when collecting and applying everyone’s feedback.
“Our major challenge was scattered feedback and a lack of clarity around approvals. With input coming from multiple channels, it was easy to miss comments or work on outdated files.”
Quest for a centralized approval solution tailored to the team’s needs
The lack of visibility in handling reviews, both internally and externally, often led to extended deadlines and frustration on both sides. And it became obvious – the team needed a centralized tool to simplify collaboration and speed up approvals.
After coming across Filestage, they were taken aback by how intuitive and user-friendly the tool was compared to other platforms. Plus, it allowed them to tailor the solution specifically to their needs.
Melissa says: “We had multiple sessions with the customer support team from Filestage, who took the time to understand our workflows and suggested tailored solutions. They were always open to feedback and made sure everything ran smoothly. It felt like they were as invested in our success as we were!”
Version management as the superhero of creative reviews
The team at Story often works on projects with multiple creatives, making them big fans of Filestage’s collaborative features. By inviting multiple team members to certain projects, they can bring everyone together to track the progress of the project and always be certain about the latest version of a file.
Melissa says: “When someone picks up an ongoing project, they can quickly review all previous feedback and check if they have the most recent version of the file. This helps avoid unwanted changes and keeps everyone on the same page.”
“Plus, it’s a lifesaver for situations when clients want to revert to an earlier version of a file. Filestage makes it super easy for both sides to grab that version without having to redo all the work.”
Melissa Abrini, Creative Director at Story
Meetings that could’ve been emails? More like emails that could’ve been Filestage comments
Story’s team is spread across Lille and Paris, which is another reason why keeping everyone aligned and being a cohesive unit is so important to them. For example, when their social content team works on a campaign with a specific art direction, their ads team needs to easily check the content to maintain consistency across both channels.
Melissa says, “So far, Filestage has been a big timesaver for keeping our scattered team aligned at all times.”
A timesaver so big that it helped the team save 26,000 emails, turning them into Filestage file uploads and review decisions.
“You know that meme about meetings that could’ve been emails? Well, for us, it’s more like – this could’ve been in Filestage.”
Approved over 4.4k files in four years thanks to a simplified workflow
Since implementing Filestage, the team created a simple review process with two reviewer groups that allow them to receive final client approval in just a couple of versions. And so far, this has helped them approve over 1,000 files per year since they started using Filestage!
Here’s how their typical approval process works in Filestage:
- Creatives upload their work to the correct project
- The rest of the team leaves internal feedback and approval
- They share the work with the client for an external review
- Repeat the client review until the final approval is reached, while keeping all the versions in one place to track the number of reviews and maintain a clear history of feedback
For cross-team collaboration between designers and video editors, the team adds an extra step at the start, allowing designers to upload their assets and brand guidelines to Filestage. Once these are approved, they are shared with the video editors and motion designers to make sure the branding is consistently followed across all content.
Melissa says: “The overall process has become much faster and more efficient thanks to Filestage. This workflow has improved our client relationships by providing a transparent and organized review process. Clients can easily see the progress, track revisions, and feel more involved without the confusion or back-and-forth of traditional review methods.”
This also had a positive impact on their client satisfaction.
Melissa adds, “Every time we introduce the tool to a new client, they’re impressed by its functionality and ease of use. Almost always, we receive positive feedback regarding how practical and straightforward the platform is for managing the review process.”
When Filestage takes care of the review process, the team can focus on the actual work
Working in an agency means you need to become great at juggling multiple projects and clients at once, while keeping everything organized. And without the right tool, this can be a struggle.
Melissa concludes, “Filestage is a must for marketing agencies. It allows everyone, from our team to our clients, to have all the information they need and know exactly where to find all versions. It keeps everything neat and accessible, so no one’s left scrambling for the right file.”
“Filestage took our workflow from ‘Did you have time to look at the email?’ to ‘Here’s the Filestage link.’ Everything is now organized and faster, leaving us with more time to focus on our actual work.”
