From underused retainers to extra revenue
How House Dentsu turned underused retainers into a flexible, transparent pay-as-you-go model, powered by time tracking in COR.
Clients who weren't using their full retainer
The fixed-fee model had a weak spot: some clients weren't using everything they paid for. That created friction in the relationship and put renewals at risk, because clients felt they were paying for hours they never used.
Underused retainers
Months when clients paid for more than they actually needed, putting the agency's value in question.
Variable demand that was hard to capture
When clients needed more, there was no quick way to bill for the extra work.
Little visibility for the client
Without a clear usage report, it was hard to justify the work delivered.
An hour bank that works like tokens
Daniel Jiménez Schmidt, COO of House Dentsu, designed a new model: instead of a rigid retainer, the client buys an hour bank that's drawn down like credits. They launched with the first client in October 2025, and today the model is already running across 5 of their accounts.
One of their clients ended up investing twice its regular fee in a single month, based on the workload it needed at the time.
The rate card as the engine of the model
Every hour logged in COR is valued against the rate card, so hour bank usage is calculated automatically and accurately.
Fixed allocation + on-demand usage
The account executive's fixed allocation is deducted from the bank, and the rest is used as the client makes requests.
Weekly cutoffs with a balance report
Every week, the client sees how much credit is left. As they approach the limit, they decide whether to pause or keep investing.
Time tracking as an auditable foundation
The model only works because the team logs its time in COR with discipline. Without that record, there'd be no way to audit usage or bill for the extra.
Client Partners: from managing accounts to managing resources
The model also transformed the role of the Client Partners. With the hour bank, they don't just manage the client relationship: they build and manage the team's schedules so every hour in the bank goes where it creates the most value. Wendy Quesada, Account Director, leads this way of working: she plans allocations, organizes each client's demand and prevents rework that would burn hours without adding value.
From underused retainers to extra revenue
Less rework
With schedules planned by the Client Partners, hours from the bank go into work that moves forward, not into revisions.
Clients no longer feel they're paying for hours they don't use: they see exactly where every hour goes and make informed decisions. When demand grows, the agency captures it instead of absorbing it.
The problem was never the fee. It was that the client couldn't see where each hour was going. With COR's data, we stopped defending the fee and started showing the value.
Operational excellence as a competitive edge
House Dentsu proves that operational excellence isn't just about keeping your house in order: it can also be a commercial advantage. With reliable data in COR, the agency built a billing model few agencies dare to try, one that now lets it grow with its clients instead of fighting over the fee.
Frequently asked questions
What was House Dentsu looking to achieve with its new model?
To solve the problem of clients who weren't using their full retainer, while also capturing extra demand whenever a client needed more.
How does House Dentsu use COR?
To log the team's hours and value them against the rate card. That's how it calculates usage for each hour bank and reports the weekly balance to every client.
What results has House Dentsu achieved with COR?
It now runs 4 to 5 clients on the hour bank model. In one case, Holcim invested twice its base fee in a single month.
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