# Is my agency reporting accurate? | Crank OS Source: https://wearecrank.com/insights/crank-os/is-my-agency-reporting-accurate Is your agency's reporting accurate? Why platform and agency numbers differ from your own sales, a ten-minute self-check, and what an independent read looks like. --- [![Crank - Providing your levers for growth](/images/crank-logo-full.png)![](/images/crank-icon.png)](/) [Book a live demo](/contact?enquiry=live-demo)[Chat now](https://wa.me/447457416922?text=Help%20my%20business) Guide · Independence # Is my agency reporting accurate? **Crank** Updated 28 October 2026 · 6 minute read The short answer Usually it is accurate by its own rules. The question is whose rules. Ad platforms count sales their own way, and your agency's report is built from those counts by the team spending the money. The quickest check is to put what the platforms claim next to what your own shop or sales records show for the same dates. If the two are far apart, in either direction, the report needs an independent look. ## Why the numbers disagree A report can be correct and still give you the wrong picture. Four things cause most of the gap. ### Each platform takes its own credit Meta and Google can both claim the same sale, so the channel totals can add up to more than you actually sold. ### Settings change the count How long after a click a sale still counts, and whether people who only saw an ad count at all, can move the results a long way with no change in real sales. ### Browser tracking misses sales Ad blockers and privacy settings stop some sales being recorded at all. That is the gap server-side tracking is there to close. ### Your own name counts as new demand People who already know you and search for your brand count as ad sales, even though many would have bought anyway. ## A ten-minute self-check Tick off what you can answer with a clear yes. Every ad account is in my company's name, and we have admin access. The report says which attribution settings it uses. The sales the platforms claim are close to the sales we actually recorded. Brand search is reported separately from new demand. For leads, we can follow them through to pipeline in our sales records, not just count form fills. Someone who does not spend our budget has checked the numbers. The report is produced by the people spending the money. That is not dishonest. It just is not independent. ## What an independent read looks like * Tracking checked and the conversion rules written down, so everyone counts the same way. * Your own sales figures shown next to what the platforms claim. * Read by someone who earns nothing more when you spend more. That is the read [Crank OS](/crank-os) gives you, while your media team keeps running the campaigns. ## Questions ### Should I change agency if the numbers do not match? Not straight away. A gap is often down to settings or tracking, which can be fixed. Find out why first. ### Can I check this myself? Yes. The self-check above takes about ten minutes. Fixing what it finds usually needs access to the ad accounts and your tracking. ### Should I tell my agency? Yes. A good agency will welcome both sides working from the same numbers. ## Read next [ComparisonCrank OS compared](/crank-os/compare) [PageHow Crank OS works](/crank-os/how-it-works) [PageCrank OS pricing](/crank-os/pricing) ## Want an independent read on your accounts? Book a live demo with Ben, and bring your latest agency report. [Book a live demo](/contact?enquiry=live-demo)[Message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/447457416922?text=I%27d%20like%20a%20live%20demo%20of%20Crank%20OS)