How to Make an Agency an Extension of Your In-House Team
From bridging skills gaps and filling in on resources to scaling your entire operations, partnering with a digital agency has countless benefits. However, if you’re not working with your agency in the right ways, you’ll be sure to miss out on the true value you can gain.
To ensure a seamless partnership, it’s essential to integrate your agency partners as an extension of your in-house team. While a lot of this will be down to the agency you choose, there’s a few things you can do on your side to help the process.
Let’s explore how you can turn an external agency into a collaborative partner that works harmoniously with your internal teams and delivers the best possible return.
7 Ways to make your agency an extension of your in-house team
- Make sure your communication is on point
- Establish onboarding and rapport building from the get-go
- Share resources and insights wherever possible
- Set up collaborative tools for everyone
- Define roles and responsibilities
- Foster a feedback loop
- Align goals and KPIs
#1 Make sure your communication is on point
The foundation of any successful partnership is clear communication. From the outset, ensure that expectations, goals, and deliverables are well understood by both your in-house team and the agency. This way, there’ll be no crossed wires and everyone will have the same objectives in mind.
To do so, you’ll need to define project objectives and agree on timelines with your agency team, assign a point of contact who’ll manage communications on your side, and establish which communication channels you’ll be using. Use tools like Slack for daily comms and quick questions or use email for longer updates, and set up regular calls on Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, to keep everyone aligned.
#2 Establish onboarding and rapport building from the get-go
If you want the agency to function as an extension of your team, they need to feel included. Establish a collaborative culture by treating them as part of the organisation, especially for long-standing agency partners.
Just like new hires, agencies need to be onboarded into your company culture. Share company values and processes so that they can align their work with your internal standards. This way, they are more likely to live up to the expectations of your company and reflect your brand values within their work.
For greater synergy, invite key agency members to attend team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and even company-wide events when appropriate. Depending on your relationship, you could even encourage informal conversations and build better rapport on a personal level for greater trust and collaboration, just like you would with colleagues.
#3 Share resources and insights wherever possible
To ensure the agency fully understands your brand and business, provide them with access to key resources and insights. A good starting point would be to share your brand guidelines, tone of voice documents, previous campaigns, and any other assets you have that would be helpful.
Depending on privacy policies, provide the agency with as much data as possible, including performance metrics and customer insights as this will help inform their strategies and support your goals. There’s no point in gatekeeping information as this will just hinder your success.
#4 Set up collaborative tools for everyone
Effective collaboration requires the right tools. Use digital platforms to foster seamless cooperation between your team and the agency. Platforms like Trello or monday.com can help both teams assign tasks and manage deadlines.
Use tools like Google Drive or Dropbox to easily share files, assets, and important documents. And if you’re holding collaborative sessions often, use real-time editing tools like Miro or Figma to plan and share ideas.
At Semetrical, we’re flexible and use the tools that work best for our clients. Some of our favourites include Google Drive, for easily sharing documents and implementing suggestions for collaborative work, and Slack for instant messaging. We also hold regular meetings with our clients, either via Google Meets or Teams, or even face-to-face if that’s what our client prefers.
#5 Define roles and responsibilities
For an agency to function effectively with your internal team, everyone must know who is responsible for what. Clarity here prevents miscommunication and ensures accountability. You don’t want anyone treading on anyone else’s toes.
First, define who’s responsible for different aspects of the project. This helps avoid duplication of effort and confusion. Empower both teams to provide input and make joint decisions, however, we also recommend that you trust the agency’s expertise. While your internal team may be heavily involved, it’s important to give the agency room to contribute their expertise and bring fresh ideas to the table. After all, that’s what you’ve hired them for!
#6 Foster a feedback loop
Feedback is essential for improving processes and outcomes. Establishing a feedback loop helps ensure that the partnership continuously evolves and improves. Issues that might be obvious to you, might not be to the agency. Ensure they know what’s up so they can improve their service to the standards you require.
Schedule periodic reviews to discuss what’s working well and areas for improvement. This can include project milestones and overall collaboration. Try to foster a culture where both the agency and in-house team feel comfortable providing honest feedback as this is the only way to keep improving.
#7 Align goals and KPIs
The agency can only be an extension of your team if both sides are working towards the same goals. Align your objectives to create a unified direction. Setting shared KPIs is a must in order to ensure both sides are accountable for the project’s success.
Celebrate milestones and acknowledge achievements together with your agency as this will build motivation all-round and encourage the good work to keep coming.
When done right, working with an agency can bring immense value to your business by providing fresh perspectives, specialised skills, and scalable resources. By treating the agency as an extension of your in-house team, fostering open communication, aligning goals, and sharing resources, you can ensure a seamless, productive partnership that benefits both sides.
Ready to have your own extension of your in-house team? Our team of marketing experts are excited to help you realise your digital ambitions. We’d love to hear from you!
