Last week I had a call with a new client and his online marketing agency. During this pleasant conversation, we stumbled upon the topic of quality. As a client, it is extremely difficult to compare the quality and deliverables between the different agencies. All parties promise golden mountains. As a client, how do I know if my current/new digital partner delivers good quality? What is a good quality platform or website? What exactly will they deliver?
Architect & Seniority
Just like building a house, it is important to have a good technical design in advance. Taking the future into account. A design that is ready for the future. So that when you are finishing the carpentry you don't find out that a electrical group for your induction stove is missing. Adjustments at a later stage are always much more expensive than in advance. It is therefore not for nothing that we take our time in the preliminary process. In the preliminary stage, we define all functionalities in user stories, make wireframes (sketches) and determine what we will tackle first. This way you are in control and you know exactly what the consequences of each choice are.
It also helps that we employ a lot of "old timers". If you've just finished studying HBO-IT, CMD or computer science, you think you can build anything yourself. Many of our colleagues have fallen into these traps in the past. By doing research we select open source frameworks and modules that have been proven and will still be supported in two or three years. This is also the reason why we do not develop our own CMS. We prefer to focus on making smart microservices and beautiful interfaces to make the difference.
Full service vs Specialist
The other day I spoke with a party who was looking for a full service agency. If you choose for a full service agency there is a big chance that you get poor quality in one or more areas. Anno 2021 there are so many specialties that it is no longer doable for agencies with less than 100 people to be specialists in everything. In the end, he made the choice to go for three different agencies. An agency specializing in design & technology, an agency for SEO & SEA and a party specializing in social marketing. He indicated that this was the best choice ever. Specialists at the table for everything and also specialists who keep each other sharp. Now you may think that it is easier to have one point of contact. That may be true, but it also means that the agency you work with is weakened. After all, you are already a client and there is no one with knowledge to look over their shoulders. Collaborating with another agency provides more focus and when you work with good specialized agencies is just as easy as working with a full service agency.