Design agencies, dev shops, marketing firms — anyone running distributed teams with mixed full-time + contractor headcount has a specific version of the collaboration-tool sprawl problem.

Connect fits this shape unusually well.

The agency-specific problem

Contractors don\'t have your Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 seats. So you either pay for extra seats they use occasionally, or you send meeting links to their personal Gmail.
You need to verify their hours for client billing. DeskTrust already does this — that\'s why you\'re here.
PMs and freelancers need to talk mid-project. Slack channels, DMs, impromptu Zoom calls, screen shares to review Figma files.
Clients occasionally want proof of what was done. Some agencies send screenshots. Some send timesheet exports. Some send screen-viewing recordings.

How Connect handles each

Contractors are already in Connect

Every DeskTrust employee — full-time or contractor — is a Connect user. No inviting them to Slack. No paying for extra Zoom seats. They log into DeskTrust for their timesheet, and Chat + Calls are right there.

Auto-team rooms per project

Create a DeskTrust Group for each project (or client). The team chat room provisions automatically. Contractors join the room when they join the group. Leave when they leave.

Screen-share Figma reviews

PM opens the project room. Clicks the standalone screen-broadcast button (🖥). Every project team member sees the "🖥 Alice is sharing" banner. They join to review the current design; drop out to finish their own tasks. No calendar invites.

Recorded coaching for junior contractors

Senior designer requests a screen view (with consent) from a junior contractor working on their first deliverable. Session is recorded. Contractor picks up feedback in real time. Later the recording is available if the client asks for evidence of oversight.

Client-facing evidence

This is where Connect shines vs. the alternatives. For clients that want to see how you\'re managing quality:

DeskTrust timesheets already prove the hours.
Connect recordings prove the quality-review activity — with employee consent baked in.
The audit log proves you were transparent about how oversight was conducted.

You export a summary. Client sees a real accountability story. Nobody\'s covertly captured.

Practical setup

Enable Connect for your DeskTrust org.
Turn on Chat, Calls, and Screen View. Recording is optional but recommended for client-facing work.
Set your DeskTrust Groups to match your projects or clients.
Onboard contractors normally into DeskTrust. They automatically get Connect.
Kill the Slack / Zoom / Teams seats they don\'t need anymore.

Rough savings for a 30-person agency

Slack Pro — 30 × $8.75 = $263/month
Zoom Pro — 10 licenses (PMs + senior designers) × $15 = $150/month
Extra Google Workspace seats for contractors — ~$10/user × 15 contractors = $150/month

Total: ~$560/month, or ~$6,700/year. All replaced by Connect at $0 extra.

What you don\'t get

Slack Connect (external channels shared with clients) — not a Connect feature.
Zoom webinars for large client presentations — Connect caps at 25 people per call.
Google Docs / Microsoft docs collaboration — that\'s a different product category entirely.

For most agencies, those aren\'t the daily-driver features. If they are, keep those tools — Connect still saves the other three.

DeskTrust Connect for agencies with distributed contractors