Digital agency Dept has launched Deptify, an AI orchestration system that integrates with existing client workflows to prioritize performance-based billing over traditional technology licensing fees for its marketing services.

Key Points

• Deptify uses a persistent AI assistant named D to connect existing client tools like Asana and Adobe Workfront without requiring a new interface.
• The system is currently deployed across 20% of Dept’s global revenue, with projections to reach 80% adoption by the first quarter of 2027.
• Dept does not charge for the AI technology layer, instead billing clients through three tiers: input, output-based asset fees, and outcome-based growth bonuses.
• The agency uses a third-party tool called Optimal to verify asset effectiveness, ensuring objective quality control before charging for output.
• To maintain data privacy, the AI assistant operates as a "multiversal" tool, isolating client-specific context and history to prevent information leakage between accounts.

Why it Matters

This shift toward outcome-based billing challenges the traditional agency model of charging for time and materials by aligning financial incentives directly with client growth. By absorbing AI compute costs and focusing on orchestration rather than proprietary software, Dept aims to differentiate itself from larger competitors burdened by high overhead and rigid operating systems.