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At the forefront of our coaching model is the need for optimizing our client’s agency operations so that they can achieve operational excellence and we are going to give you a sneak peak into what that process looks like in this article. We will highlight the 7 components that we see as mission critical if you want to achieve operational excellence for your creative agency. The founders we work with have mastered each of these core components and as a result, they are absolutely crushing their revenue goals and scaling bigger than they ever dreamed possible.
But before we dive into these core components of your creative agency operations, we need to talk about what achieving operational excellence looks like from a strategy standpoint. So let’s cover that and then dive into the core components that make up the tactile approach to this process.
The Conceptual Process of Achieving Creative Agency Operations Excellence
Okay, up front, you should know that this process isn’t as simple as just setting a goal and tracking your progress towards achieving it. That’s definitely part of this process, but it’s only one part. Goal setting is important, but it’s more of a check-box transaction. We view the process of achieving excellence in your creative agency operations as a journey, rather than a to-do list item. It’s a journey that has a tangible starting point and an end destination. It’s a journey that has ups and downs, cross-roads encountered, setbacks and victories. That’s how we see the process and that’s how we teach it to our clients.
It’s important to note that this journey looks different for each agency. As a general rule, the bigger your agency is, the bigger and more involved your agency operations are. This makes sense as bigger creative agencies have bigger teams to manage, which means bigger payroll expenses and more accounts in their tech stacks. The bigger your agency is the more moving parts there are, which makes on-point communication that much more important (taking advantage of your tech stack and optimizing your communication channel are two of the 7 core agency operations components we will discuss below).
Just remember that if you are planning on scaling your agency, your agency operations will also expand and this journey will add a new chapter. That’s a win in our book as it’s not just an extra step, it’s another chance to continue the story of your agency. It’s a sign that you are growing and not dying, but with growth comes growing pains. These core concepts for optimizing your agency operations will help ease the discomfort of the growing pains of scaling.
So, on that note, let’s get into it.
7 core concepts of operational excellence for your creative agency operations.
1. Get Everyone Onboard
Team buy-in is a requirement to achieve operational excellence in your creative agency operations. This means that everyone from you and your co-founders to your on-the-ground managers, and all the way down to each individual team member needs to be on board with what success looks like for your agency and how they can help get there.
2. Be Process Centric
Your agency operations should run like a well-oiled machine. Every part of your agency needs to be in alignment with one another. For instance, when you are working on new business, each team member must know the way in which they contribute to generating success for your creative agency. This means that you need to be very process centric, so define your workflow processes with detailed SOPs and agency training and make a daily point to make sure your processes are followed. If problems arise, dissect them and update your processes as needed.
3. Use a Single Communication Channel
You want all your team members and clients to be using the same communication channel for sending messages. This makes it easy (and more efficient) to keep everyone on the same page. It also allows you to seamlessly transition conversations from one topic to another by employing consistent subject lines within each thread of conversation. You also might be surprised at how effective it can be to just take five minutes every day or two to set up deadlines and due dates into your calendar, which syncs with everyone else’s calendars via email notifications.
4. Use a Single Workflow Platform
Your creative agency operations should be streamlined according to your processes, which means that you need to employ a single workflow platform. This will allow for better communication and faster response times in the long run. It will also streamline your agency’s creative process (and subsequently increase productivity).
The platform can be anything from Hubspot to Asana, but the important thing is that you find one and stick to it. Make sure to hold an agency training for all new team members so you can teach them how to use your workflow platform in the way that you want them to use it. It might be beneficial to record this training so you can include it in your team member onboarding process instead of having to teach it every time you bring on a new team member. An agency training library is highly important if you are scaling quickly.
5. Take Full Advantage of Available Workflow Technology
Most creative agencies simply don’t use all the available workflow technology that’s out there. As a result, they are not taking full advantage of all the benefits that things like workflow automation can offer. If you are not utilizing your tech stack to its fullest potential, it’s time to dig in and get serious about working with what you have. Automating your agency processes can actually make you money! And because automation and AI have become such hot ticket items these days, a lot of workflow platforms already have them in their product offerings.
Don’t be embarrassed if it takes some time before you feel like an expert at using your tools. Finding the right tool and mastering it is just part of the journey towards achieving excellence in your creative agency operations. Playing around with different workflow tools can help you find the right ones for your agency. Once you get a good handle on what a new tool can do and how to get the most out of it, hold an agency training for your team so they can learn how to use it to make their job easier.
6. Bring Your Strategy and Concepts to Life
Your concepts shouldn’t just live on a Google doc. They should be brought to life in your agency operations through the ways you communicate, the way you run team meetings, your culture, and especially your agency training. The best way to do all of this is through the use of design thinking. And it should be said that even though you may not have a designer on staff, you should still be engaging in design thinking of yourself as the agency lead. This means that your creative process needs to include empathy mapping, ideation sessions, prototyping tools, and plenty of collaboration.
7. Work at the Pace that Works for You
Speed is a crucial element in your agency operations if you want to be competitive and stay ahead of current trends, but it’s important to remember that quality should never take a back seat just so you can move quickly through tasks. In fact, one way to enhance the quality of your work is to slow down and spend extra time on the details. This can be hard to do but it pays off in the long run. It’s important for you as an creative agency founder to realize that there is no one-size-fits all approach to your agency operations. There are lots of ways to get things done, so try out different things and see what works best.
Ready to Achieve Operational Excellence in Your Creative Agency?
Coaching creative agency founders is the staple of 8 Figure Agency, with a special focus on helping founders scale their agency to seven and eight figure revenue generation. We’ve helped hundreds of creative agency founders achieve their revenue goals, and we’ve got them there without the need to put in 14 hour days. We can do the same for you. Contact us today to get started.
