Choosing a Better Web Design/development Agency

Nailing down every detail isn't always necessary in every life context, but in a client-firm relationship we believe it very much is. Truth be told it's a big job, but well worth the effort when a project is successful, a client is happy, and the testimonials and referrals start pouring in.

That being said, today we'd like to go over some items that clients and agencies alike should make it their business to iron out as early on in a relationship as possible. While this article makes no attempt to assert what specific arrangements make for a pleasant client-firm relationship, it does aim to keep you mindful of important terms of engagement that should always be well defined. At the end of the day, we hope to have helped clients enter better relationships by being more informed and helped firms work towards better experiences by being more prepared.

The Basics

These have been covered time and time again by many a blog post, but it never hurts to go over it all once more.

  • Know the agency's offerings - Learn what they offer and have a good sense of their core competencies, with specific examples of these from their portfolio. It may seem obvious, but it's important for you to be doubly sure that what you require is actually something that the firm offers.
    • Beware of "jack of all trades, master of none" shops!
    • Present preexisting examples of what you want to the firm. A picture is worth a thousand words.
  • Know their payment details - After you know the agency offers the service and quality you are looking for, the next thing to consider is pricing. Make sure you have all of these questions answered in writing before you sign off on an engagement:
    • What is their rate?
    • What are their standard working hours?
      • Some firms have "Google Fridays", where the company "takes off" to do open source or other community work, business development, event hosting, or other activities supplementary to the business.
    • What tangible product do you get for your money and when do you get them (deliverables)?
      • This includes but is not limited to source code, design assets, passwords to third party services, hosting credentials, software licenses, documentation, and anything else essential to the functioning of your project or used in the creation of it.
    • Who do you get for your money?
      • Sometimes agencies scramble to patch in freelance or overseas personnel who are poorly paid, overworked, under-qualified, or all three. This can have a negative impact on the relationship, so be careful.
    • When do they send invoices?
    • How should invoices be paid?
      • Different places like to be paid differently. Some only entertain wire transfers, others do PayPal, while larger firms with more volume might let you pay by credit card. Basically it comes down to the fees game. Know this information ahead of time to ensure it makes sense for you.
    • When do sent invoices need to be paid by?
      • It's "industry standard" for firms to allow for 30 days before payment is due (NET 30), but we've also heard of NET 3, 5, and 15 arrangements. This is definitely something to have in writing before you start working with anyone.
    • What fees apply for late payments, if any?
      • Assuming that you are getting the service you've requested, please don't be late. It's disrespectful and puts a serious strain on the relationship!
    • How long can you be late on a payment before there are contractual repercussions?
      • You should never let it get to this point, but agencies will usually have a stipulation for this should it occur. Know what it is (such as if they reserve the right to terminate the contract early) and never let it get there!
    • What kinds of items may be expensed to you by the firm and what expenses are anticipated, if any?
      • Expenses might include hosting, software licenses, travel (for client meetings) and others.
  • Know how they will communicate and collaborate with you - Expectations on both ends typically vary greatly with regards to communication and collaboration throughout the course of a project. A client usually wants work done yesterday, yet the team has to balance time communicating with the client and actually getting work done. There are a couple of things you can ask to get a clearer picture of a firm's process:
    • What project management tools do they use for collaboration (e.g. Basecamp)?
    • What is their availability for calls and meetings?
      • If you're working with a smaller shop, chances are the people managing the project are the same people coding and designing it. Have mercy, but make sure it works for you.
    • How often can you expect to get status updates, demos, and deployments?
  • Know their policy on bug fixing and general maintenance after the project has been completed and the engagement has ended.
  • Know their policy on contract termination to learn under what conditions either party can terminate the contract.
  • Know their policy on confidentiality to find out if they take the security of your data and trade secrets seriously. Be meticulous about what they consider to be public domain versus proprietary to your project.

Advanced Stuff

  • Know the details of how they typically host their projects - The key point here is that you don't want it all setup on one host that turns out to be unreliable or cost-ineffective. Before you get this far, see if they can prepare a cost analysis over time for you as your project scales (if applicable). Nevertheless, make sure you get your hands on all of the deliverables as well as any documentation so that you have what you need to hand over hosting responsibilities to another party should it come to that.
  • Know their technology/platform recommendations and opinions with regards to the work you want done. Be prepared to run these by other experts in the field (it helps to have some connections here), but please, don't ask a network technician his thoughts on web application development.
  • Know if their design and technical employees maintain their creative freedoms - This is a tough one, but kind of a big deal. Company culture is important, and you want to make sure you're working with a shop that promotes a positive and nurturing atmosphere among its workers. This tends to yield better quality, and dare we say, inspired work.
    • One way to go about this is to see if you can locate the social profiles of any team members. Check tweets and comments on Twitter, Dribbble, Forrst and GitHub. Get a feel for their vibe (and their work), but don't contact them directly. That would be unsavory.
  • Know if they take their time - It's tempting to be promised Rome in a week, but it's not realistic. If you're shopping around and being quoted by several shops, with one that sticks out as being able to do twice the work in half the time, be skeptical. Quality work takes time. You don't want a rush job, but on the same note you don't want to wait a lifetime either. Put your trust in the sweet spot: a realistic, yet challenging deadline.
  • Know if they work to build a rapport with you - Watch out for the quick sell. If they take the time to build a rapport with you and learn about your project, it's a good sign that they are honest and care about the relationship. On the flip side, be courteous. Ensure you're timely with your feedback and decisions on if you're moving forward or not. Take them seriously and they will take you seriously.
  • Know if they take contracts seriously - You'll want to work with someone that takes paperwork seriously. Think about it: if they take the time to iron out all of the necessary details we've just fleshed out above, they respect you, their relationship with you, and your project.
  • Know if they respect you enough to say no - Realize that you're not an expert at knowing what you need, only at knowing what you want. It's very easy for a shop to say yes to your every desire (remember, they can just bill more). To say no and to push back is much harder, and its a sign that they respect you and your project. They have the foresight of knowing what will be the best for your needs while working to reconcile it with your wants. Trust them. If you don't you're either working with the wrong crowd, or needing to learn to build stuff yourself!

Hopefully we've been able to outline some basic and some advanced items here that, by being more clearly defined in a working relationship, will ensure a better experience for all parties involved.

Work hard, but work smart!