Article from
Planning Confidence Instead of Workarounds: How a Berlin Branding Studio Works with MOCO
Capacity planning, leave management, bank account reconciliation – FORMLOS Berlin spent a long time looking for software that truly reflects day-to-day agency life. With MOCO, they have not only gained a clearer overview, but also a lead process that works end to end, from first contact through to Billing.
The Company
The Berlin agency led by Miriam Horn-Klimmek and Lukas Kerecz specialises in strategically driven corporate design and branding – from brand strategy to websites and print products, right through to exhibition stands. The six-person team at FORMLOS Berlin mainly supports NGOs and B2B companies that want to develop their external communications consistently, or realign them as part of a rebrand.
In this case study, co-founder Lukas Kerecz explains how the Berlin branding studio made the switch to MOCO – and what ultimately convinced them during the decision-making process.
In this case study, co-founder Lukas Kerecz explains how the Berlin branding studio made the switch to MOCO – and what ultimately convinced them during the decision-making process.
Starting Point: The Previous Tool Reached Its Limits
The previous tool served us well for many things, but the more we wanted to grow, the more gaps we felt. Plan capacity? Hardly possible. Manage leave and absences? Not included. Distinguish leads from quotes and link the two properly? That was missing too. On top of that, the overview of cash flow, income, and purchases simply wasn’t what we had in mind.
So we started looking at what else was out there.
Why MOCO
MOCO had been on our radar for a while. What we were missing for a long time, though, was the option to connect our bank account directly and reconcile our purchases properly. When that feature became available, we didn’t wait long – we took a closer look at MOCO and then switched fairly quickly.
So it wasn’t so much a single feature as the way everything works together: we wanted software that genuinely brings finances, leads, and project processes together. And MOCO does exactly that.
How We Use It Day to Day
We use quite a lot of what MOCO offers. We considered the planning area from the start, but we hardly use it actively today – because we also use awork for tasks and to-do management, and that works well for us.
How We Use MOCO Every Day
- Time tracking – this was possible in the previous tool too, but with MOCO it’s more easily embedded in the overall context.
- Lead and quote management – our entire lead process now runs completely in MOCO. Previously, we used parts of our project management tool for this. That has changed completely, not least because the automatic reminders really help ensure nothing gets left behind.
- Billing schedules – one of the most valuable areas for us. The forecast we get from it gives us real planning confidence.
- Contact management – we sync our contacts via CardDAV and can transfer them into different applications. That has noticeably improved how we maintain our contacts.
- Custom fields – for a bit more flexibility and to adapt MOCO to our workflows.
The integration with awork also works very well: accepted projects can be transferred directly into awork, which saves us a step and keeps the handover clean.
What Has Changed in Practice
The biggest difference is the lead process. We now have a clear flow from the first enquiry through to project handover – all in one place. It used to be spread across several tools; today, MOCO is our central starting point for everything to do with clients, projects, and finances.
A good example is our ongoing project with NAKOS. We have been supporting the organisation for several years – from the rebrand and annual reports through to the current overhaul of their website. It’s a long-running, multi-layered project with many quotes, coordination loops, and budget phases. We map all of that in MOCO. Our client can also check for themselves at any time how much of the budget has been used and what is still outstanding – which aligns perfectly with our own standards for transparency.
Thanks to MOCO, our overview of projects has improved significantly. And the effort required to get that overview has dropped just as significantly.
Conclusion
For us, MOCO is the central place where we can quickly get a clear financial overview of our business and our ongoing projects.
If you run an agency and value a tidy interface that makes sense without a long onboarding period, we would recommend MOCO without hesitation. The important things are visible quickly. And that’s what matters.
