Many digital agencies are born out of either a creative or technical (development) lead owner/manager. Whilst in the early days this works – the owner/manager is in control – as the digital agency grows there becomes a tipping point. The owner/manager is too close to the digital agency doing a multitude of activities from account management, financials, payroll, project management etc. and sometimes needs a little assistance turning the corner and forging ahead to the next big project.
An agency audit can assist in this transition in a number of ways:
- Allows the owner/manager to see the strengths and weaknesses of the digital agency
- Highlights any key client concerns
- Gives a list of priorities to tackle to improve the overall outputs of the agency
The 7 ways an agency audit can benefit the owner/manager:
- Systems; a review of all your internal and external systems – do you use ticketing software, project software?
- Processes; do you have a process in place for onboarding a new client or project?
- Projects; how do you manage projects on a day to day basis, is it a formal process or does each team member have their own preferred way of working?
- Reporting; what reports do you send to your clients, do they understand or more imprtantly do they actually read them?
- Proposals; how do you prepare proposals, are they all bespoke, do you follow a system, what is the success rate?
- Financials; are your projects profitable, how do you monitor delivery against budget?
- Communication; how do you communicate with your clients, staff, suppliers, do they know what is expected of them?
Taking that step to an agency audit is the first step towards a successful digital agency.