VML AI Tools
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The tools that
run the agency.

Four platforms, purpose-built for VML South Africa, working together to capture time, run the workflow, manage relationships, and create the work.

VML AI Tools — The Stack We've Built
April 2026
The premise

Why we built our own

WPP Open is a powerful global platform for making the work. But running an agency — the time, the workflow, the relationships — demands tools that fit how VML South Africa actually operates.

01
Customisation
Off-the-shelf tools assume generic workflows. We've built for the way our teams brief, deliver, and bill — not the way a vendor imagines we should.
02
Systems integration
Live, two-way connections with Workbook, Box, Microsoft Graph, and OKTA — not exports and uploads. Data flows where the work flows.
03
Enhanced AI
AI tuned to our processes, our briefs, our resource patterns. Not a generic copilot — agents that understand how VML SA actually works.
04
Slicker process
Daily-use UX designed around the friction points our people hit every day. Less clicking, less context switching, more focus on the work.
The stack

Four tools, one operating model

Each layer solves a distinct problem. Together they're the operating system of the agency.

Time
Chronos
Our timesheet system. The system of record for how our people log billable and non-billable time — making time easy.
Workflow
Bloodstream
The agency heartbeat. AI-powered brief management and delivery platform — from intake to production tracking.
Relationships
Heart-Attack
Client relationship operating system. Portfolio RAG health, structured signals on every interaction, air traffic control for senior leadership.
Creation
WPP Open
Our global work creation platform. Custom agents and tools to make the work — powered by WPP's foundational AI.
Time — the foundation
Chronos screenshot
Chronos

Making time easy

The system of record for how VML logs time.

  • Weekly timesheet capture — fast entry against jobs and tasks, with bulk import and billable classification
  • Smart task prediction — auto-suggests likely tasks based on recent activity
  • Calendar-aware capture — pulls Microsoft 365 meetings and turns them into time entries
  • Approval & reconciliation workflow — pending → approved → transmitted → reconciled
  • Reporting suite — utilisation, productivity, time-vs-target, PO summaries
  • External time entry API — lets Bloodstream and other apps post time into Chronos's full validation pipeline
One source of truth for time. Replaces ad-hoc Workbook entry with a single, validated pipeline — built to handle the messy reality of timesheets at scale.
Workflow — the agency heartbeat
Bloodstream screenshot
Bloodstream

The agency heartbeat

Every brief has a pulse. We keep it strong.

  • AI brief enhancement, vision extraction, pulse-check quality scoring
  • Traffic Command Centre — Book & Brief, dispatch, attention lanes, revisions
  • Scheduling, Quoting (with live Rate Cards), Job Vitals & Client Health
  • Social Planner — content calendar with client review and approvals
  • Living Timing Plan — AI-generated, drag-to-reschedule, syncs with tasks and timesheets
  • Client Portal — separate client-facing deployment for brief intake
From intake to delivery, in one platform. Built specifically for VML South Africa — the operational rhythm of the agency.
Relationships — senior client management
Heart-Attack screenshot
Heart-Attack

Client relationship OS

Air traffic control for the portfolio.

  • Portfolio RAG dashboard — every client rated Red/Amber/Green across Revenue, Resourcing, Delivery, Relationship, Team
  • Client profiles — brand, key people with influence ratings, agency team assignments, full RAG history
  • Contact Matrix — recurring engagement rules so cadence isn't left to memory
  • Interaction logging with intelligence layer — tone, signals (risk, misalignment, fatigue), takeaways, exec-attention flag
  • Growth Plans, Growth Meetings & Global Schedule — one calendar of every planned engagement
  • Tier-based filtering — Strategic / Growth / Maintain, so the right level of investment lands on the right clients
Replaces spreadsheets and gut-feel with one shared picture of relationship health across 47 clients. Catches problems while there's still time to fix them.
Creation — the global platform
WPP Open screenshot
WPP Open

Where the work gets made

Custom agents, real creative output.

  • AI-powered campaign planning — strategy, audience, competitive analysis
  • Generative content at scale — on-brand, channel-specific assets in seconds
  • Agent Hub — codified WPP expertise as advanced AI agents
  • Open Intelligence — the universal model powering the platform
  • Adobe + Google Earth integrations — geospatial AI, brand consistency
  • Custom VML agents and tools layered on top of the global platform
The global creation engine we plug into. WPP Open makes the work; our other tools make sure the agency around it runs.
Four tools.
One agency operating system.
Built for VML South Africa.
VML AI Tools