As with all relationships, finding, establishing and developing the right client-agency partnership is a 2-way street and one that both parties have to work hard at. A little planning and methodology, as detailed over the following 3 sections, should help to improve your chances of finding the right digital agency next time around.
Being in a position to choose the right agency is also about being able to choose the best agency fit from a range of options, so setting out your stall clearly and investing in getting quality responses from potential suppliers is just as important as making the final choice.
No one wants to have to pick from the best from a bad bunch!
Understanding your own requirements and defining a realistic project scope
An awareness of the type of organisation you are, the level of expertise you currently have about digital, the main project requirements and the internal resources (both in terms of man-power and budget) you have available for any upcoming digital initiative is critical to developing a good brief.
For example, do you need branding, creative design, a particular content management system such as Drupal or WordPress, a bespoke database driven portal, an e-commerce platform, iPhone and Android app development, PPC, SEO, social media management or a combination of any of the above.
If you do, do you have a realistic timeline or budget to realistically cover each requirement adequately? If you don’t know exactly what you need that’s fine, it’s just good to be clear about it from day 1 and a good agency will help you to define your options and refine your strategy.
Engaging with potential suppliers
Being able to choose the right supplier means having a good choice of relevant candidates to start with. Follow these steps to ensure you get suppliers properly engaged and make sure their quotations are relevant.
- Don’t leave things to the last minute. More time, understanding and planning will help you find the right digital agency.
- You would be amazed at how many don’t but providing a detailed project brief will support you in receiving more quotations and responses back from potential suppliers.
- Providing a detailed brief also ensures that suppliers are responding on a similar understanding of the works involved making the next job of comparing them easier.
- Being proactive and calling the supplier in person before sending them the brief is good practice. Talk to them about the project and ask them if they have any questions and whether they are going to respond.
- Be available to clarification throughout the quotation process. The more comprehensive a suppliers understanding of your requirements are the more relevant, realistic and accurate the final responses and quotations will be.
- Think about setting out an initial project schedule in the project brief, which defines when responses are to be submitted, face-to-face meetings are likely to be, contract awards are to be made and project is to start and go live.
Deciding which agency is right for you
Agencies inevitably vary and it’s not possible to capture all eventualities in this blog post but in any event the following considerations will help separate the good from the not so good.
After engaging with several potential agencies it should start to become increasingly apparent (call it a gut feeling) which agencies are interacting with you in a more informed, timely, responsive and enthusiastic manner. If you have to chase for responses or updates at this early stages it is a very big early warning signal.
Their own digital presence and approach
- Make a conscious effort to assess how well the agency itself comes across initially online and throughout the quotation process itself.
- Was it easy to contact them and engage with them to explain the project?
- Did their own digital presence provide a great user experience and engaging content?
- Did their response demonstrate a clear understanding of your project scope and requirements or did you have to chase for further clarifications and details?
- Is the pricing structure designed to be open, transparent and fair?
- Have they achieved relevant industry recognition or won any awards?
All important questions to consider.
Face-to-face meetings
Depending on the complexity of the project, having regular face-to-face meetings leads to a much more informed, productive and successful project implementation.
Good agencies should promote regular meetings / project reviews within context of the project length, complexity and budget.
Any reputable agency should also be happy to allow clients to visit their premises for those meetings but also to meet the entire team and experience the working environment.
Relevant sector experience
Depending on the nature of your project and industry you may want to seek a specialist agency in your sector. This can especially important if you have more complex requirements such as B2C e-commerce or specific 3rd party systems integration needs.
Look for an agency that not only has a great portfolio page but one that is detailed and informative about the work they have done for others.
Project management and communication
No matter how small or large the project, all worthwhile agencies should ensure a clear channel of communication is provided via a dedicated account manager and publish a clear, detailed project plan to ensure a successful project outcome.
Good potential partners will also utilise a clear project methodology that defines clear milestones from project initiation through to final delivery. Furthermore, each milestone should allow for client sign-off before the project is moved to the next stage. This helps to ensure the client retains control over the ‘product’ that is being developed.
Sharing expertise and contributing to the strategy
If you are looking for a great digital partner then one of the best ways they can add value to your partnership is by contributing ideas, expertise and enthusiasm throughout the duration of the partnership but this should start from the time you first contact them.
Score each potential supplier on the added value they have demonstrated in the early stages of your interactions with them.
A 'one-stop-shop-agency'?
Do you choose a full-service one-stop-agency to engage with or, depending on the size of the project, a selection of various specialist service providers?
Having multiple services being delivered under from one agency can provide many benefits such as more efficient account management, better strategically aligned multi-channel initiatives or even just less administrative burden on the client.
Sometimes, however, specialist or niche agencies can provide specific expertise that may pay dividends due to their sector or technology knowledge. It all depends on the project in question.
Trust and reputation
Don’t be afraid to ask for relevant references that you can contact directly.
Written testimonials are all well and good but you can gather far more insight in to what it’s actually like to work with an agency from talking to recent client with a similar profile / needs to you.
On-going support
Great partnerships are for the long-term.
Seek an agency that wants to provide agile and accessible support and NOT one that insists on tying you in to long-term expensive contracts.
Company stability
If you have credit checking facilities it is always worth a quick look to see the company is stable. Although not conclusive… positive and steady growth year on year can be a good sign that a company is doing the right things but also means they are far less likely to disappear over-night or half-way through your project.
Do the T&Cs restrict you in any way?
Depending on the type of project the terms can be very simply, however, make sure that if there are any specific requirements that they are in place before the agreement is signed and the project starts.
Make sure the payment terms are fair and beware of front-loaded payment milestones. If appropriate, make sure you discuss and agree on any IP rights or ownership of code base following completion of the project.
Good luck with your project!
I hope this in-depth blog post has helped you to think about how you can make your next digital project a huge success.
To ensure you get a great end result you have invest the time and effort in to creating a desirable and well defined project scope to attract the best agencies, allowing potential suppliers to really shine and do a great job for you!
About the author
Jason Wilkes is Sales Director of Bristol based digital agency, Nudge Digital. Nudge is a full service digital agency offering fully bespoke website design and build services, mobile apps (iOS, Android) and digital marketing services (SEO, Google Adwords, social media.)
You can connect with Nudge on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn or call them on 0117 332 1002.
- Log in to post comments