Agencies target 83% increase in client capacity as automation reshapes AdOps workflows

Digital advertising agencies confront mounting operational pressures as they attempt to scale client portfolios without proportional headcount increases. According to the 2025 Agency AdOps Benchmark Report released September 18, agencies want account managers to handle 64 clients compared to the current average of 35—an 83% increase in portfolio size.

Fluency published the comprehensive study after surveying more than 75 independent digital advertising agencies and in-house teams across the United States. The data reveals fundamental shifts in how agencies approach advertising operations, with 64% of ad strategists now managing campaigns across multiple channels rather than specializing in single platforms.

The multi-channel complexity creates significant operational strain. According to the study, 80% of strategists manage three or more platforms simultaneously, with 43% handling four or more. Platform fragmentation forces teams to navigate unique rules and analytics across walled gardens like Google and Amazon while managing different ad formats through demand-side platforms for open web inventory.

Manual workflows dominate daily operations despite technological advances. Teams spend an average of 46 hours monthly—over 25% of their time—making campaign changes for individual clients. These changes include updating budgets, adjusting target audiences, and swapping creative assets across multiple platforms.

Budget management represents one of the most fragmented operational challenges. The study found 40% of agencies rely on multiple tools for budget pacing tasks. Manual processes remain the primary pacing method for 55% of respondents, followed by spreadsheets at 42%. Both approaches create significant error potential and fragment visibility across channels.

Campaign launch timelines reflect operational inefficiencies that constrain growth. Agencies need an average of 3.18 days to launch new campaigns, with one in four agencies requiring more than a week. The average account setup process consumes 76 hours from initiation to completion.

Error reduction emerges as a critical priority, with 69% of agencies seeking to reduce manual workloads and human mistakes. Budget-related errors drive costly credits and adjustments, creating financial risks that impact profitability. As one survey respondent noted, "I want to reduce the amount of mistakes, especially for budgets."

Data fragmentation compounds operational challenges as agencies manage multiple information sources. The study found 58% of agencies use more than one source for audience data, while 80% integrate data from outside partners into their advertising efforts. First-party data from Google or Facebook dominates at 90% usage, followed by custom data sources at 34% and third-party integrations at 27%.

Strategic decision-making suffers when data remains siloed across platforms. Survey respondents reported difficulty making informed decisions when performance metrics exist across separate systems without unified reporting capabilities. This fragmentation limits comprehensive portfolio analysis and optimization opportunities.

The research indicates agencies recognize automation as essential for addressing these operational bottlenecks. Technology solutions that integrate budget management, campaign execution, and data aggregation can eliminate manual processes while improving accuracy and speed.

Agencies pursuing automation report significant operational improvements within months of implementation. Case studies included in the report demonstrate budget pacing task reductions of 90% and campaign setup time decreases of 80%. These efficiency gains enable teams to focus on strategic planning and client relationship development rather than manual operational tasks.

The competitive landscape rewards agencies that successfully implement operational automation. Teams equipped with integrated platforms can handle complex multi-channel campaigns without proportional staffing increases, enabling profitable growth while maintaining service quality.

This operational transformation matters particularly for the marketing community as client expectations for sophisticated campaigns continue rising. Modern advertising demands require agencies to execute campaigns across multiple channels simultaneously, often targeting hundreds of geographic locations with thousands of customized advertisements.

The study's findings align with broader industry automation trends. Google's increased API release frequency reflects platform recognition that agencies need faster access to automation tools and enhanced capabilities for programmatic campaign management.

Data integration capabilities become increasingly important as agencies manage diverse client portfolios. The ability to combine performance metrics from advertising platforms with backend lead management systems enables more sophisticated optimization strategies than traditional channel-specific approaches.

Timeline

• September 18, 2025: Fluency releases 2025 Agency AdOps Benchmark Report revealing agencies seek 83% increase in client capacity
• September 4, 2025: Google announces monthly API releases starting January 2026
• August 14, 2025: Google upgrades Ads API documentation with unified reporting and enhanced discovery tools
• August 6, 2025: Google Ads API v21 introduces AI Max features and enhanced Performance Max reporting

Summary

Who: Fluency surveyed more than 75 independent digital advertising agencies and in-house advertising teams across the United States, representing both generalist agencies and vertical-specific organizations including real estate, automotive, health and wellness, retail, CPG, and quick-serve restaurants.

What: The 2025 Agency AdOps Benchmark Report reveals agencies want to increase account manager portfolios from 35 to 64 clients (83% increase) without expanding teams, while 64% of strategists now manage multiple channels and teams spend 46 hours monthly on manual campaign changes.

When: The study was released September 18, 2025, based on survey data compiled from agencies across Fluency's user base before adopting automation solutions.

Where: The research focuses on United States digital advertising agencies, with 81% of respondents working for agencies and 19% working for brands.

Why: Agencies face mounting pressure to scale operations amid increasing campaign complexity, fragmented workflows, and client demands for sophisticated multi-channel strategies, driving adoption of automation technologies to maintain profitability while expanding capacity.