For supposed masters of digital communication, digital agencies’ messaging on their own websites tends to sound very much the same. If you’ve evaluated a few in succession (as you’d naturally be doing when looking for a new digital agency) the drumbeat can get a bit numbing and they can quickly blend together.
To get beyond the usual notes about great work, clients and people (all great things – just not differentiating) try these 8 questions to get behind the facade and truly level-set an agency you’re considering. These questions aren’t “pass / fail” per se, but designed to elicit the key information you’ll need to determine if that agency is the right fit for you.
Put another way, I’ve run digital agencies and delivery teams for years if not (cough) decades, and if I were on the buyer side, these are the questions I’d ask.
- What’s the largest scale challenge you’ve solved?
- What happens if there’s a critical issue with my site at 3:00am on Sunday morning?
- Who does the work? Who’s likely to work on my website specifically?
- What’s your initial instinct about the architecture of our solution? What information would lead you to toss that recommendation out?
- What’s the most beautiful site you’ve created recently? What was the thinking behind the design?
- Do you have a security policy? Can I see it?
- How will AI be used in my solution? How will its use create value for me?
- What’s your company’s animating purpose?
1. What’s the largest scale challenge you’ve solved?
Digital agencies have a range of capabilities. Problems that extend beyond that range can lead to the agency getting stuck at a crucial juncture. Find out where the ceiling is. Even if your initial requirements may not yet test that limit, you’ll want to know where the limit is.
2. What happens if there’s a critical issue with my site at 3:00am on Sunday morning?
Will you have true 24/7 support? Don’t accept vagueness. 24/7 support is hard. It’s also binary. You have it or you don’t.
A yes answer will be specific:
- “If you reach out to us with (or our monitoring detects) a critical site issue any time day or night, there will be a guaranteed response from our core team within [specific timeframe].”
A no answer may be more vague:
- “We usually respond pretty quickly.”
- “Sure. Unless the senior engineer is camping that weekend.”
- “We’ve contracted with [third party entity] to provide support.”
- “Our sites never have critical issues. They are literally iceberg-proof.”
Even if you don’t think you’ll need 24/7 support initially, it’s good to know whether the agency has the structure in place to provide it.
3. Who does the work? Who’s likely to work on my website specifically?
If your work is not going to be done by the core team, and is instead going to be handed off to a subcontracting entity, you deserve to know about it. Offshoring or nearshoring arrangements are common, but better known for generating savings than quality.
Also watch out for the “Big Consulting Co Switcheroo” where the Expert Team sells the job and leaves the implementation to the Team of Well Meaning Interns. Fabulously profitable. Just not for you.
So find out who’s likely to be on your team, and if that changes, find out why.
4. What’s your initial instinct about the architecture of our solution? What information would lead you to toss that recommendation out?
Agencies exist on a spectrum between pre-packaged solutions and custom solutions. Answers to these questions will help you pinpoint where.
At one end of the spectrum, if your agency specializes in a single technology, guess what? Your problem is presumed solvable by that technology until proven otherwise. At the other end of the spectrum, if your agency disavows anything “off the shelf,” you can spend a lot of budget reinventing the login screen.
The answer will also give you a sense of how the agency balances its ability to lead with its ability to listen. The creative tension between the two often sparks the energy where great solutions are forged. Find out how that conversation will go, what kind of ideas the agency will bring to the table on day one, and what kind of information will inspire them to revise their working hypothesis.
5. What’s the most beautiful site you’ve created recently? What was the thinking behind the design?
If you’re looking for a partner with design chops, ask directly about their design achievements, inspirations, and philosophy. If they lead with design, they should bring not just a lot of energy to the discussion, but also a framework. The best designs have a rationale behind them. Ask them to articulate why the design example you’re looking at was chosen from among all the possibilities for that client. You’ll get a preview of how you can expect the discussion to go when your own design solution is created, presented and discussed.
6. Do you have a security policy? Can I see it?
Security threats continue to increase at an alarming rate across the internet. An agency with an active security policy available for review is likely to be more security aware, disciplined and response-ready than an agency without one.
7. How will AI be used in my solution? How will its use create value for me?
The correct answer here isn’t “lots of AI = good / no AI = bad.” In fact, we’ve seen some organizations’ early overreliance on AI lead to some serious problems. However, AI is now enough of a fixture in technology that there should be a clear answer about what you can expect with regard to its usage in your solution, and specifically how AI is going to be – more than just a “cool new thing” – something that delivers value to your organization.
8. What’s your company’s animating purpose?
The best partners have a point of view. What’s theirs? Is it specific, strongly held, and even with a bit of edge to it? Does it match well with the ethic and energy of your organization? Don’t settle for a flat citation of a core purpose statement; ask for an example of their work that illustrates that animating purpose in action.
Curious about our answers?
To start the Q&A and find out if we’re a fit, contact us via the form below.