Creating a work environment that’s sustainably productive is one of the biggest challenges for any team. Naturally, all digital agencies go through ups and downs, but overall, there should be a consistent pace of goal-hitting and solid progress. However, achieving this ideal level of productivity is much easier said than done. To get there, you need two essential things: vision and traction.
Every digital agency needs the foresight of vision and the momentum that traction provides to move forward.
If you need a helping hand in this department, keep reading. We’ve dived into what vision and traction mean in a work environment and what to do when your team is struggling to bring them into reality.
Vision and Traction: The Two Ingredients of a Productive Digital Agency
There are plenty of different strategies needed to create a fully functional and successful digital agency. From delegating the right team members to having access to the right tools, the needs of a healthy agency are vast. But when it comes to conceptual approaches, both vision and traction are essential.
- Vision – Vision embodies the core values and mission of a team. What is the purpose behind your drive for success? Where do you see yourselves in one, five, or ten years?
- Traction – Traction is the active motion behind your projects. It encapsulates the physical drive and force executed by individuals to achieve greater goals as one, cohesive team.
With the foresight of vision and the drive of traction, your agency can become more balanced in its approach to productivity. Once these two assets have been mastered, it will become much easier to tackle tasks – from the biggest projects to the tiniest details.
What to do When You Aren’t Reaching Your Agency Goals
Recognising what’s needed to achieve your goals and actually implementing them are two completely different things. If your team is struggling to uphold the torch of productivity, you might be looking for some straightforward, actionable steps you can take towards the improved output.
#1. Utilise Management Tools
We are lucky to live in a day and age where digital tools are just as accessible as physical ones. And yet, only a small percentage of digital agencies utilise them to their full potential.
Project management and productivity tools are designed to make our lives easier and more efficient. They help us save time, money, and energy, and show us more effective ways to do things. A digital agency that is struggling in the productivity department can definitely benefit from a software tool.
There is a wide range of different management tools available online, and many of them are completely free to use. From graphic design to task allocation and time tracking, management tools offer it all.
#2. Offer Flexible Work Hours for Employees
If your digital agency is struggling to hit its productivity targets, it can be helpful to look at the way your employee’s workflow is structured. Ever since the pandemic, we’ve all realised how much flexibility we can get away with – and the answer is… quite a lot. And it might even be better for us.
At the end of the day, what matters most is that deadlines are met. If you can provide employees with the option of working flexible hours, you might find they produce the same calibre of work without feeling as exhausted or drained at the end of the day. More flexibility, more energy, more productivity.
#3. Know When to Say No to Clients
Every office has those clients that trigger a chorus of groans in the workplace. The fussy clients, the demanding clients, the ones that drive everyone up the wall.
While signing up loyal clients is important for any agency, being more selective about who you choose to do business with could be the key to unlocking more workplace productivity. If a client is frustrating your team to the point that it affects their productivity, are they really worth it?
A tricky client can not only slow down your output process but can also negatively impact employee morale and cause tension in the workplace. Learning how to say “no” to clients you know will cause tension or upset is a healthy habit that every digital agency team should pick up.
#4. Invest in an Upskilling Program
Studies show that upskilling is one of the most desirable and effective programs to implement within a business. It boosts employee engagement by providing them with energising growth opportunities and adds value to the services you offer clients.
Skills like social media strategy, content development, coding, graphic design, and more are all highly sought-after skills that your agency can benefit from obtaining. It can expand your agency’s range of services, improve productivity, and keep employees feeling motivated to move forward.
#5. Prioritise Employee Mental Health to Avoid Burnout
Taking care of your employee’s mental health should be a top priority for any business. Burnout is not just a threat to the person experiencing it, but also to the projects they’re working on.
With burnout rates being reported at a record high, agencies should be doing everything they can to ensure that their employees are feeling rested, healthy, and as supported as possible.
This can be accomplished through a strong HR department, ample off days, good healthcare packages, and an attitude of empathy towards those who speak up about feeling overwhelmed. Set up your business in a way that people who are struggling with burnout are taken seriously.
Moving Forward & Maintaining Momentum
Striking the right balance of productivity and sustainability doesn’t happen overnight. It happens slowly, over time, as teams pick up healthier habits and are provided with better tools and resources to handle projects more efficiently.
Running a digital agency is no walk in the park – it requires a highly experienced team of professionals with a wide variety of different skills, some of which are still evolving. But with the right strategy in place, any digital agency can boost its productivity levels and achieve a constant state of motion.