siliconindia | | July 20219· Build trust and steer around teething troubles which are com-mon; everything takes time to grow and bear fruit.· Figure out and lay down a sound mechanism of measure-ment, both qualitative and quanti-tative. This will set your stage for creating the SOW (scope of work).Once the agency is on board, it is important that they understand you and your organization. So, I strongly recommend a detailed in-duction to the business, to the di-vision and ensure they are aligned to your overall plan. Finding the right partner is your war won. So ensure you take the time to get the right one on board.GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR AGENCIES & PARTNERSOnce you have found the right partner, they are on-boarded and all set to go, you have to focus on getting the best outcomes pos-sible. Here's a quick list of things to do that can help you manage the cycle:· Much like any other relation-ship, building a connect with your vendor partner takes time and ef-fort. It is always good to put the team through a business and pro-cess induction, similar to the em-ployee induction. But here, they will learn about the business and the processes of teams that they will work with closely.· Briefing is a huge aspect, it can make or break the final out-come. So, creating a briefing document that lists all areas of re-quirements will go a long way, it will also help you plan.· It's good to talk, in person or on the phone to ensure that what's on your mind is what has transpired to the team .That will create the final output for you.· Ensure that you maintain consistency, clear lines of instruction and also provide the time & support needed to develop the final product.· Meet with the teams on a regular basis and hold strategy interactions, overall plan alignment meetings and reviews on a continu-ous basis and set up a calendar for interactions.· Much like managing an internal team, efforts to keep the team motivated and happy goes a long way. Be it recognition or team outings, getting the team involved and together will always yield better results.· Give the creators the freedom and flexibility to develop something they believe is the best fit. Most people in this space are creative. Give them a window to express their creativity and don't tell them how to do their job.· Communicate and give constructive feedback on a regular basis, and help with continuous improvements.· Monitor and track progress with scorecards and qualitative measurements, and do this activity collaboratively.· When you build good extended teams, they will bend over backwards in case there are crazy deadlines to meet or overnight things to achieve. They will always come together and deliver.Remember to be a good paymaster and to make those payments on time, so that there is no break in the delivery mechanism and no cracks in the relationship. We all hate a delayed payment. So why put others in the same spot. I have had the fortune of working with the best agencies so far and I have brought them along with me to every new assignment I have taken up. They are the rock stars that make it all happen. So, invest in your teams and drive a culture of happy and collaborative teams and reap the returns. Shreya Krishnan
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