> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.fieldko.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Work with Merchandising Agencies and Brand Partners > Run store work through a merchandising agency or brand partner in FieldKo: write a testable service brief, define a completed call, and set up fair access. Many brands deliver part of their store work through a merchandising agency, and many agencies serve several brands. Each hand-off between the brand, the agency, and the rep in the store is a place where expectations can slip. This page is for brand and agency managers who agree the work, and for admins who give agency reps and brand partners the right access in FieldKo. The outcome is one shared record of what was planned, what was done, and what still needs someone to act. ## What Good Looks Like * A written service brief that both sides can test: which stores, which work, what evidence, and by when. * One agreed definition of a completed call, so "95% done" means the same thing to everyone. * A short, shared list of exception reasons, each with an owner who acts on it. * Weekly and monthly reviews that use the same FieldKo reports, not parallel spreadsheets. * An agency judged on what it controls: coverage, work quality, honest exception reporting, and timely data. ## When to Use It and Common Failure Patterns Use this page when store work is planned by one organization and carried out by another, or when brand partners need to see results from your FieldKo org. Common failure patterns: * **"Completed" means checked in.** A visit can be **Completed** without the required work or evidence. * **Each side keeps its own store list.** The brand's list and the agency's list drift apart, and nobody knows which stores are in scope. * **Exceptions with no owner.** A rep reports "stock not delivered", and the report goes nowhere. * **Agencies blamed for what they can't control.** Replenishment and listing decisions belong to the brand or the retailer. * **Access granted in a hurry.** Partners get more access than they need, or less than the work requires. ## Operating Procedure **1. Write a Testable Service Brief** Agree the eligible stores, the visit window and expected duration, the mandatory tasks, the evidence required, the escalation contacts, and the reporting deadline. Also agree what happens when a visit can't be done, such as a closed store or stock that wasn't delivered. **2. Define a Completed Call** Write down the conditions, not only "checked in". For example: the rep checked in at the store, completed every mandatory task with its required photo, or recorded a reason for each task they couldn't do. Measure coverage and work quality as separate numbers. **3. Agree a Shared Exception List** Keep it short and specific, such as no store access, stock not delivered, stock in the stockroom but not on shelf, product not authorized, display material missing, incorrect price, and system or data issue. Give each reason an owner: the retailer, the brand's supply team, the agency supervisor, or the brand's account manager. **4. Agree the Evidence Standard** Use the same rules for check-in, task status, photos, and notes. Don't require photos where the retailer's policy or privacy rules forbid them. Review a sample of evidence together and train both teams on what's acceptable. **5. Review Together on a Fixed Rhythm** Hold a short operational review each week and a strategic review each month. Use the same reports and definitions, and look at aging exceptions and scope changes. **6. Manage Changes Fairly** Agree how to cancel visits to stores that are no longer eligible, change campaign windows, record retailer restrictions, and dispute an observation. Write each change down before it takes effect. ## How to Implement It in FieldKo FieldKo has no separate agency or partner object. Agency reps work as FieldKo users, and what they see and sync follows Salesforce sharing, permission sets, and FieldKo's account assignment rules. | Need | In FieldKo | Availability | Learn How | | - | - | - | - | | Give agency reps the app | Each agency rep needs a Salesforce user license, a FieldKo license, and the FieldKo rep permission sets. | Configured | [How FieldKo Licensing Works](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/licenses.md) | | Decide which stores each agency rep gets | The app syncs the accounts a rep owns or shares through an account team. In public group mode, it syncs the accounts shared with the rep's public groups instead, which suits agencies working across several managers. | Configured | [Set Up Manager Visibility](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/access/manager-visibility.md#use-public-group-mode) | | Keep each brand's stores separate | If your org uses brands, reps receive only accounts linked to a brand where they're a **Brand Team Member**. | Configured | [Add a New Rep](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/day-to-day/add-a-rep.md) | | Let agency managers plan for their own reps | **User Reporting Hierarchy** decides which reps a manager can choose: by **Manager** field, **Role**, or **Public Group**. Sharing still decides which records they see. | Configured | [Set Up Manager Visibility](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/access/manager-visibility.md) | | Keep one store list | Save the in-scope stores as an **Account Set** and use it in every campaign. | Built in | [Create and Edit Account Sets](https://support.fieldko.com/managers/field-campaigns.md#create-and-edit-account-sets) | | Put the agreed work on visits | A field campaign or visit template adds the same tasks and surveys to every in-scope visit. | Built in | [Run Field Campaigns](https://support.fieldko.com/managers/field-campaigns.md) | | Record exceptions in the shared vocabulary | Fill in **Possible Reasons for incompletion** on each task type with your exception list, so reps choose a reason with **Can't Do**. | Built in | [Task Types](https://support.fieldko.com/admin/call-cycles-and-visits.md#task-types) | | Hand a store to another agency rep | **Transfer Visits** moves **Not Started** visits to a rep who owns, or is on the account team of, each account. | Built in | [Transfer Visits](https://support.fieldko.com/managers/field-campaigns.md#transfer-visits) | | Share results with the brand | Give brand users access to the reports through report folder sharing, the role hierarchy, or sharing rules. | Configured | [Report Folders, Sharing, and Custom Report Types](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/reports/folders-and-report-types.md) | | Check data arrives on time | The **Sync Details** tab shows each rep's recent syncs. | Built in | [Check Sync Activity](https://support.fieldko.com/managers/monitor-your-team.md#check-sync-activity) | ### Portals and Partner Logins FieldKo's standard portal setup shares orders, price books, and products with retailers, through an Experience Cloud site that you build. It uses the FieldKo community permission sets, such as **Community View FieldKo Orders**, and the **Share Records with Community** custom setting. See [Customer Portal (Optional)](https://support.fieldko.com/admin/installation.md#customer-portal-optional). Partner-licensed reps use the **FieldKo Community Permission Set**; to give community-licensed reps the FieldKo Atlas app, contact FieldKo support at [support@fieldko.com](mailto:support@fieldko.com). > [!NOTE] > > A portal where brand partners see their own visits, photos, and results is customer-specific configuration, not part of the standard FieldKo packages. If you need one, ask your FieldKo contact. > [!WARNING] > > Give partners only the access the service brief needs. Before anyone outside your organization gets access, agree what they can see, including photos and location data, and how long it's kept. See [Use Location and Attendance Data Responsibly](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/location-and-attendance-data.md). ## Fictional Example A fictional snack brand, Bramble Snacks, uses a fictional agency, Shelfwise Merchandising, to check a display in 120 stores in a month. They agree that a completed call means the rep checked in and either completed the display task with its required photo or chose a **Can't Do** reason. At the end of the month: | Result | Visits | | - | - | | **Completed** | 108 | | **Cancelled** with a reason | 7 | | Still **Not Started** after the planned date | 5 | | **Total planned** | **120** | Of the 108 completed visits, 99 had the display task done with a photo, and 9 had **Can't Do** with the reason "Stock not delivered". * **Coverage:** 108 of 120 planned visits completed, or 90%. * **Work quality:** 99 of 108 completed visits with the task done and evidenced, or about 92%. All 108 meet the completed-call definition. * **Agency's own gap:** 5 visits with no record and no reason. This is the number the agency fixes. * **Brand's gap:** 9 stores without stock. This goes to the brand's supply team, not the agency. ## What to Measure | Measure | Definition | Population | Denominator | Exclusions | Owner | | - | - | - | - | - | - | | Coverage | Planned visits that are **Completed** | Visits in the service brief's store list and window | All planned visits | Visits canceled by agreement because a store left scope | Agency supervisor | | Completed-call rate | Completed visits that meet the agreed definition | **Completed** visits | **Completed** visits | None | Agency supervisor | | Unexplained misses | Visits still **Not Started** after their planned date, or canceled without a reason | Planned visits | All planned visits | None | Agency supervisor | | Exception aging | Open exceptions by reason and age | Tasks with a **Can't Do** reason | Not a rate; review the list | None | Owner of each reason | | Evidence acceptance | Sampled photos that support their answer | A sample of photo answers each month | Photos reviewed | Photos the retailer didn't allow | Brand and agency together | | Data timeliness | Completed visits whose survey answers reached Salesforce on the day of the visit. A survey answer's **Created Date** is when it synced. | **Completed** visits with a survey | **Completed** visits with a survey | Days with a known outage | Agency supervisor | Exception aging, owners, and closure need your own process or configuration, because FieldKo has no standard owner, due date, or closure status for an exception. See [Close the Loop on Store Exceptions](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/close-the-loop.md). ## When It Goes Wrong * **An agency rep doesn't see their stores.** Check the account owner, the account team, or, in public group mode, the account sharing to the rep's group. If you use brands, check **Brand Team Members**. Then ask the rep to sync. * **Brand users can't see the reports.** Check the report folder's sharing and the brand users' access to the underlying records. * **The two sides disagree on a number.** Go back to the written definition and the shared account set. If either is missing, agree it before the next review. * **Exceptions pile up with no action.** Check that every reason has a named owner, and review aging exceptions in the weekly meeting. ## Checklist * A service brief with stores, window, tasks, evidence, escalation, and deadline. * A written definition of a completed call. * An exception list in **Possible Reasons for incompletion**, with an owner for each reason. * One account set for the in-scope stores. * Agency reps with licenses, permission sets, and the right accounts. * Partner access agreed and limited to what the brief needs. * Weekly and monthly reviews on the same reports. ## Industry Best-Practice Context For the principles behind brand and agency partnerships, read the FieldKo guide [How Brands and Merchandising Agencies Can Execute as One Team](https://fieldko.com/best-practices/brand-agency-retail-execution/). To write the agreement, use the [brand and merchandising agency service brief template](https://fieldko.com/best-practices/toolkits/brand-agency-service-brief/). ## See Also * [Segment Stores and Set Visit Frequency](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/coverage-and-call-cycles.md) * [Launch a Product or Promotion in the Field](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/launch-playbook.md) * [Capture Photo Evidence That Holds Up](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/photo-evidence.md) * [Security Model and Sharing](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/access/security-model.md) * [Recommended Access by Role](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/access/recommended-access.md) * [Run Field Campaigns](https://support.fieldko.com/managers/field-campaigns.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.