Ad Reform vs. outsourcing ad screenshots to a BPO
When an outsourced screenshot team makes sense, and when automation does the job better
Landon Bennett
Many agencies and publishers hand ad screenshots to an outsourced team, often a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider working offshore. It takes the work off ad ops’ plate, but every screenshot is still made by hand, billed in hours, and only as consistent as the person taking it. Here’s how that compares with an automated platform like Ad Reform.
How the two approaches compare
Outsourced BPO team | Ad Reform | |
|---|---|---|
How screenshots are made | People capture each one by hand | An AI agent captures and verifies them, and our team reviews anything that doesn’t pass |
Turnaround | Depends on team hours and the queue; overnight handoffs are common | Starts when you hit generate or when a new line item launches, and runs in the background |
Busy seasons | Hire and train more people | The same setup handles a small month or a huge one |
Consistency | Varies by person; needs checklists and spot checks | The same rules every time: URL bar, timestamp, device frame, file names |
Targeting and geo | Staff need VPNs and instructions to find the right page | Follows your ad server’s targeting and your organization’s capture settings |
Integrations | Usually none; ads and instructions arrive by email | Google Ad Manager, DV360, CM360, The Trade Desk, Xandr, API and webhooks |
Data access | Campaign details are shared with another company’s staff | Campaign data stays in one platform, with single sign-on available |
Pricing | Hours or full-time staff | Software subscription |
When a BPO still makes sense
Outsourcing can still be the right call when screenshots are a small part of a bigger bundle of manual work, or when most requests need judgment calls no rule could capture.
Many teams end up using both: automation for volume, people for the exceptions. Ad Reform includes the people part. Our global team, working in every timezone, reviews screenshots and handles special requests, so you don’t have to manage a second vendor for the edge cases.
How to switch from a BPO
List what your outsourced team does today: which campaigns, sites, devices, deadlines and deck formats.
Connect your ad platforms, or plan to upload ads by CSV or API.
Turn those instructions into settings and tactics in Ad Reform. We do this with you on an implementation call.
Run both side by side for a month.
Compare turnaround, error rates and cost, then move the volume over.
See how automated ad screenshots work, or ask us to run one of your recent campaigns.
