Problems Businesses Face When Working with Agencies

What separates the good agencies from the bad? What sort of unique challenges do businesses face when they begin to work with an agency? And how can you avoid those problems before they happen? Let’s take a look.

One of the biggest challenges businesses face when working with an agency is that they don’t understand what they want or need. Some creative agencies don’t understand what their existing clients do and how they do it, and this lack of understanding can lead to top challenges.

If you’re working with an agency that doesn’t understand your needs, it might take them longer than expected to complete specific tasks and projects, which can end up costing you more in the long run.

Both parties need to be updated constantly, so there is no miscommunication. The agency should also not be afraid to ask you questions about what’s going on within your company, as it might help them better understand how they can help you.

Let’s take a look at some of the problems businesses may face when working with an agency and how to avoid them.

Challenges:
How to overcome these challenges
Finally, don’t forget to say thank you
Final Thoughts

Challenges:

Not understanding what the business needs:

When businesses don’t take the time to communicate with the agency they’re working with properly, it can lead to many misunderstandings and challenges down the line.

Both parties need to be on the same page to avoid any issues. The agency should constantly be asking the business questions about their operations and goals to better understand what they need help with.

Lack of Project Management:

When businesses hire an agency, they expect that their work will be completed on time and that the agency will manage projects effectively. It becomes problematic when there’s no project manager overseeing all aspects of the business’ needs.

Agencies must have a proper project management system where a designated individual oversees what’s going on within your business. Also, they must provide project management software where all the data regarding project work can be shared.

Poor communication:

This is another way that businesses can end up with poor agency work. If your team member doesn’t coordinate well, it can lead to misunderstandings or lack of communication between them and their representative at the agency.

This is crucial to look out for because if marketing agencies are not kept in the loop about what’s happening behind the scenes, they might not provide the best services to their clients.

Lack of agency experience with specific business types:

The agency you choose to work with must have experience in your industry. If they are more experienced, they are more likely to do a better job. If an agency doesn’t have any experience working with companies like yours, it can lead to poor results, which might be time-consuming and a waste of effort for both parties.

Agencies not asking enough questions:

If you’re looking for an agency to work with, make sure that they ask you plenty of questions about your business and what sort of help you need. They might end up doing a job for you that doesn’t match your needs, which can cause issues later on. If they don’t communicate well or ask enough questions, it can lead to challenges down the line.

Agency refusing to revise the work they have done for a business:

Sometimes, if an agency is unwilling to change the work they’ve already completed for you, it can mean that they’re not confident in their abilities or services. This problem might arise when businesses don’t consider what they want from their agency before hiring one.

By understanding your business and knowing exactly what sort of help you need, the agency should complete their tasks more efficiently, which will help avoid this problem.

Agency being unwilling to provide client testimonials:

If an agency is unwilling to provide testimonials when asked, it can mean that they are not proud of their work. If an agency doesn’t want to put their name behind their work, then chances are that they are not credible.

An agency having incomplete contact information:

If an agency does not provide you with complete contact information, it can mean that they are not interested in maintaining your business relationship.

If they don’t want to maintain a relationship with you, then chances are they won’t be willing to provide you with the best results possible, which could mean losing customers in the long run.

Not communicating deadlines:

You and your agency must agree on deadlines before working together. If deadlines are missed, additional costs might be added to what you had initially agreed upon with them.

Of course, sometimes things happen which might make it difficult for your agency to meet the deadlines that were set, but if something like this happens, you should be notified as soon as possible.

Agency being unresponsive:

If an agency is slow to respond to your questions or concerns, that could be a sign that they are not interested in working with you or providing their services. It would help if you looked out for marketing or advertising agencies that communicate well and are ready to answer any questions you might have.

If the agency you’re looking at is unresponsive, there’s a chance that they could do a poor job on your project.

Overpricing:

Many agencies are more concerned with making money than providing a valuable service. Agency work should not only meet your original expectations, but also offer more value for money and save time so that you get your money’s worth at a fair rate.

Unexpected Costs:

If an agency doesn’t fully understand what an organization needs, it might take longer than expected to complete specific tasks or projects, leading to further costs for the business. For example, if the company needs a website and the agency takes longer than expected to complete it, they might charge more money for their services.

Agency making clients wait for results:

Sometimes creative agencies make clients wait until the end of their project before starting the next one. It usually happens if there is some ongoing challenge with their work or when they’re running late with the task at hand.

If you’re working with an agency and they make you wait before getting started on the next assignment, it can be a sign that they aren’t efficient or organized enough to meet your needs.

Agency doesn't follow instructions:

When an agency doesn’t follow instructions, it can cause challenges later, increasing the project’s overall cost.

Suppose an agency starts making decisions based on what they think is best for your organization. In that case, it could lead to issues during the process because they’re creating the projects themselves instead of following the instructions. In this case, you must invest enough money initially to avoid any loss.

Agency asking for too much information:

During the initial stages of working with an agency, you should avoid providing them with too much information about your organization or personal life if possible. If they ask for more than what is necessary, it can sometimes mean that they are trying to either take advantage of you or scam you somehow.

However, if they need more information to complete the project, you should provide it without issues unless you have doubts about their abilities or intentions.

Personal Connections

If an agency makes connections with their clients, it can mean that they are trying to maintain the business relationship.

However, if this happens often, it could also be a sign that there might be some favoritism or unethical behavior. It’s important to look at their previous work before deciding.

You can lose potential customers:

You can lose potential customers if the agency fails to give you the desired results. However, it would help if you didn’t blame them entirely for this, as there could be many other issues that are taking place, such as your marketing strategy not being compelling enough. If this happens, it might be time to reconsider some of your marketing techniques before hiring another agency.

How to overcome these challenges

If you’re working with an agency that provides you with efficient and complete service, it’s important to work with them professionally.

Remember that if their way of doing things isn’t working for your organization, you can always find another agency to help you out. Make sure to use the following tips so that you don’t run into any issues later on.

Do your research

Before hiring an agency, you should always research their previous work. This way, you can better understand what kind of people they are and how well they can provide services for your organizational needs.

Discuss any concerns

If there’s something that you’re not sure about, then it’s important to discuss this with the agency. You can even ask to go over any parts of their contract if you’re unsure about something in particular. This will save both of you time and money in the long run, which is why it’s important to avoid having a negative business relationship from the start.

Make sure your agency is available for contact:

If an agency isn’t available for any contact, then it can be challenging to get in touch with them if you ever need to. If they don’t want to maintain a relationship with you, then chances are they won’t be willing to provide you with the best results possible, which could mean losing potential and new customers in the long run.

Agree on any terms beforehand

Before you begin working with an agency, you should always go over the terms of your contract. If they are unwilling to do this, it can be a sign that they aren’t willing to maintain a professional relationship with their clients, leading to unnecessary challenges in the future.

Keep in touch with them:

Since marketing agencies are hired to do some work for your organization, it’s important to regularly keep in touch with them. If they don’t like communicating with their clients, it can make things difficult for them, so the best relationships are where both parties communicate effectively.

Don't feel obligated:

Just because an agency is hired doesn’t mean that they’re contracted to do any work for you without your consent. If something isn’t working for your company, it’s important to voice your concerns without pressure.

Back out of the contract if necessary:

If an agency isn’t providing you with the best services possible, you do not need to stay in the contract with them. Professional agencies will understand if their client needs to back out of the contract and won’t hold it against you.

If you’re looking for an excellent agency to help you out with your organization, then one of the best things you can do is look at their social proof. You can find out how well they have been doing by going over all of their previous clients’ testimonials, social media, and reviews. If they have great reviews, it’s a good sign that they are worth hiring.

Integrated Approach

You and the agency need to work together as a team so that you can both meet your organizational goals. The best approach to working with an agency is using a more integrated system. It can benefit both parties since it allows agencies to have more flexibility while clients can work with someone they trust and respect.

Doing this will allow you to better understand the agency’s work methodologies, which can help them provide you with better services in the future. It also helps agencies since it allows them to have more control over their work instead of having someone else take everything away from them.

Finally, don't forget to say thank you

Agencies work hard for their clients, so it’s important to always show your appreciation if they’ve done good work for you in the past. It helps boost your relationship with the agency, which can be beneficial in the future.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s important to be aware of the red flags that indicate an agency isn’t suitable for your company. By being mindful of these signs, you can avoid working with an agency that might not be a good fit and ends up causing more harm than good. Remember that agencies should be willing to work with you in good faith and disclose all important terms before signing any contracts.

If they aren’t willing to do this, it might be time to look for another agency interested in maintaining a long-term relationship with your business.