Today, many businesses work hard to start selling their goods and services online. However, there is an easier option to make your business work online that is to choose a Magento agency to develop the e-commerce website for you. There is a wide variety of Magento development companies on the market, so it is not easy to pick one. It is even more difficult to pick the right one. Ideally, a Magento agency is able to offer an effective solution for your business and is generally keen on innovative solutions in e-commerce.
Ten Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing the Best Magento Agency
In the next several paragraphs, we will discuss the criteria that might be used to make a good pick.
1. Do you know about the experience of the agency?
Think carefully about the projects that the company did and how well the company did them. For example, the SoftLoft Magento development agency has built the e-commerce project for world-famous H&M, and guys are happy with the developed solution.
In addition, when asking questions, make sure to ask how long the agency has been developing the projects. At this point, it is important to keep in mind that the average length of the Magento project is 6 to 7 months. The most efficient workflow allows handling the projects close to this timeframe. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to the size of the teams and the organization of the workflow in teams.
2. Do you like the reputation and level of popularity of the agency?
Popularity is not a flash in the pan. Being popular means being consistent with successful performance. According to the data provided by Magento.com, the Magento platform is the #1 spot on the internet Retailer 1000 list for four years in a row. So, there are a lot of customer reviews and plenty of feedback. As a result, when searching for the best Magento development company, make sure to check the feedback provided by the customers of this company. This can be done by gathering feedback from those people who worked with the agency.
Sometimes, it is not easy to gather feedback. It is even more difficult to make sure the feedback is real. In other words, the review is valuable when there are specific metrics in the review. If there are no specific data, try using such rating resources as Clutch to evaluate the prospective Magento development agency. The Clutch shows a rating of Magento development companies. For example, for SoftLoft, our rating is 4.7, which means that we do provide effective and innovative solutions for the e-commerce market.
3. Do you know the workflow of the agency?
It is highly recommended that the workflow of the Magento agency you are choosing is well developed. Ideally, the processes of development and communication are detailed pretty well on the website or in some kind of a document. If not, just ask the company about their workflow. This will help you to establish a connection with the agency and understand whether you like working with them or not. As a rule, reliable companies devote enough attention to elaborating on their own workflow. So make sure the agency works effectively and reliably.
4. Have you got the timeline or a brief for your project from the Magento agency?
Ideally, the Magento agency needs to ask you many questions because the questions are a solid base to understand your idea of the project. The agency is expected to clearly understand what exactly you are selling and who is your target audience. The catch here is that if they do not get your point, your eCommerce project might not be as successful as you want it to be.
A general rule of thumb is the more questions, the better. The specs and briefs are going to be built on the basis of your answers to these questions. If no questions are asked but you are already provided with estimations, this is a red flag. Most probably, the company just wants to engage you with their services, and they are not interested in the quality of the end result.
5. Is the chosen agency asking you many questions about your project?
When contacting a Magento Agency, be prepared to pay attention to the way they talk to you, and how quickly the company responds to the initial request. How many questions about the work do you hear from the company? How fast do they respond to your questions? Did you get a business offer as a real document or you just got a few lines in the email? Finally, how detailed the business offer is, and did you get what the budget was going to be? How is the company going to spend that budget? Do you have a responsible person to contact with the issues about the project?
All these questions are important to consider as soon as the success of your project depends on the quality of communication between you and the Magento agency.
6. How many solutions have you got?
Were you offered different solutions for your eCommerce project? How traditional or innovative are these solutions? An innovative approach is important because technology solutions that are chosen are going to impact your business later on. No doubts, you need a Magento agency that is able to help you to build a profitable online store or business. However, to do that, the company needs to be focused on fulfilling your goals, not just the development of the Magento store.
7. How many INNOVATIVE solutions have you got?
This point only resembles a previous one, but the focus is totally different. Does the Magento development agency of your choice work with new technologies? How innovative is it? To assess this, it is enough to read about the last trends of Ecommerce and compare it with the approach of the chosen company. If the company follows the trend in technology and organizes presentations, you are more likely to get a financially successful product with such a company.
8. Are developers certified?
Of course, people will be developing your project, not certificates. However, having one ensures a higher probability that the developers are skilled enough to provide high-quality projects. Moreover, certification shows the attitude of the company towards its employees. When developers are certified, this means that the developers are prepared well, and the company invests in the professional development of its engineers. Finally, this is a good sign showing that all developers in the company have basic and standardized skills. For more detailed information about our attitude to certifications for developers click here.
9. Is your company an official partner of Magento?
Magento development companies that are on the market for a long time, usually pay attention to his partnership. The thing is, such a partnership provides the company with access to the latest development trends and information provided by Adobe и Magento. For example, we, SoftLoft are official partners.
10. Do not hesitate to talk to the Magento Agency you are going to contract!
Plan for a call, organize a meeting, and never hesitate to contact people about everything. How do you feel about trusting them with your business idea?
Summary
Today, businesses are more successful when they sell online. Therefore, selecting the best Magento agency to develop your project might be the best solution to boost your sales. When choosing a Magento agency, make sure that the agency is experienced and well-rated. Check the reviews and the reputation if it’s possible. When contacting the agency, make sure to ask about the expected timeline for your project and take a look at their workflow. Thus, be ready to answer a lot of questions about your project and evaluate the solutions that are offered. Do you like the solutions and the approach? Do you feel the agency is innovative enough to meet the needs of your project? Talk to the Magento development agency and ask them about the certifications of their engineers and about their partnership with Magento. We bet you will feel what agency is the one that you need.
Anyway, if you still have any concerns about developing a Magento online store, just contact us, and SoftLoft representatives will be happy to assist you.
