As we await the Prime Minister’s Lockdown statement this weekend, it’s looking more and more likely that life may be starting to return to some kind of normal.
With this, businesses who have been out-of-office for the past seven weeks are already planning back-to-work strategies to get things moving in the right direction, while keeping employees and customers safe.
That said, it won’t quite be business as usual – and the way that clients work with the creative industry is no exception.
Remote
Working.
Lockdown has forced us take on a different way of life on many levels, and none more so than the thousands of companies who’ve had to adapt to remote working during this period.
For many, it was a hectic turnaround of ensuring IT systems were up to scratch, that staff had the provisions required and that business continuity plans were firmly in place. For most, it was unchartered territory.
But here’s the thing.
After the initial anxiety around logistics subsided, many organisations have found that they have switched to remote working extremely well – and after seeing the benefits it brings, may well consider retaining some elements of this new way of doing business going forward.
A not-so new
way of working.
For businesses in the creative industries, the concept of remote working is nothing new. Indeed, some of the most successful agencies around have been operating this way for almost a decade – Awesome Creative being one of them. For us, there have been no huge cultural changes or steep learning curves – it’s already an integral part of our business model.
As business owners and marketing managers slowly begin to release their budgets, looking at their agency roster may be top of the agenda. In our post-lockdown world, attitudes have changed and choosing an agency which operates via mainly through remote working may now be a serious consideration.
And the benefits are huge.
A hot bed
of talent.
At Awesome Creative, remote working allows us to work with the very best creatives out there, giving us access to a pool of talent that may not be available through a more “traditional” working environment. Our extended network of Manchester-based creatives and developers who are all client facing – so customers can deal directly with them throughout project development.
Our approach also means that we’re able to draft in specialists as and when they are required. After all, every project undertaken requires a different skill set and this method means that we can offer an even greater level of service.
This of course allows for a leaner, slicker team allows for a leaner team and customers may now begin to realise that using an agency with 100+ staff may not actually be necessary, and that an agency that works remotely will more than fulfil their criteria.
What about
premises?
We know that clients (quite rightly) still want to be able to visit their agency for face-to-face meetings and briefing sessions. That said, a base is still important – but customers need to ask themselves if they really need to plump for the agency at the swankiest joint in the trendiest part of town? After all, someone has to foot the bill for those luxuries.
Creds are creds.
Businesses know that the best way to select any new agency is to check out their credentials. As the world has changed, so has business – and in our era of “the new normal”, those with the best credentials and the happiest customers will reap the rewards – particularly those who work remotely.
