5 Signs It’s Time to Evaluate Your Current Digital Partner
11/01/2023
A digital partner plays a pivotal role in the success of your business. While it’s natural for partnerships to change or shift, how do you know if it’s time to evaluate your current digital partner and start looking for a new one? In this blog, we dive into the five key signs.
1. Cost Concerns
Every (good) business partner aims to maximize its value while ensuring the utmost quality. When it comes to a digital partner, unexpected or unjustified costs can signal deeper issues. If you notice your partner’s fees consistently exceeding what was initially agreed upon, it’s essential to question why. Similarly, when projects routinely exceed their allocated budget without a clear reason, it suggests potential inefficiencies, mismanagement, or, perhaps worse, a lack of transparency on the part of your partner.
2. Missed Deadlines
It almost goes without saying that a trustworthy partner should be reliable in terms of delivering what they said they would, when they said they would. On top of missing deadlines, if you find yourself constantly needing to review their work, it may indicate that they aren’t meeting the expected standards. In addition, phrases like, “We’ll get to it when we get to it,” are clear indicators of lax attitudes and that your projects aren’t their priority.
3. Are You More Than a Number?
Your business deserves personalized attention from your partner, and it should be clear that they value you, regardless of how you stack up on their client roster. Oftentimes, clients find themselves in one of these two camps:
- Small Fish in a Big Pond: If you’re overlooked because your account isn’t one of your partner’s largest, it’s time to find a partner who dedicates the same level of attention and care to all their clients.
- Big Fish in a Small Pond: Conversely, if you’re the biggest client and stretching the limits of what your partner can handle, you might not be getting the innovative solutions or quality of service that your business deserves.
Your business deserves personalized attention from your partner, and it should be clear that they value you.
4. Not Forward Thinking
Innovation is key in the digital landscape, which is why a great partner stays up-to-date on the latest trends and information in the space. They’ll also always be thinking about what’s best for your business, even if the next step is outside their immediate scope of work. Furthermore, a great partner will be proactive, suggesting new strategies to propel your business forward. If your partner spends every meeting highlighting the challenges or problems they faced instead of providing potential solutions, it’s time to re-evaluate.
5. Always Saying ‘Yes’
While it might feel good to always hear ‘yes’ from your partner, the reality is that it’s not always in your best interest. A valuable partner will challenge you when necessary, offering constructive feedback and suggesting alternative approaches if they believe it will yield better results. Remember, their expertise is one of the main reasons why they’re your partner!
Create Meaningful, Strategy-Driven Digital Experiences
At Arkane Digital, we partner with you to create meaningful digital experiences based on strategy and experience. Led by a team of industry veterans, we bring years of experience in a technology landscape that is ever changing. Projects never stop at discovery, and we are a full-service digital agency that gets you from start to finish, whether that's launching the redesign of a new website or modernizing your e-commerce system.
Interested? Let’s start a conversation today.
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