1. Take the strain off your digital team.
Delegating digital work to a development studio can keep your existing developers happy by potentially avoiding catastrophic burnout, whilst continuing to pitch on and win new work.
2. Access to technical assistance as and when you need it.
A good development studio will act as an extension of your own digital team, meaning that when approaching complex digital projects, you will have a team of tech experts at the ready to help with the pitch and boost your chances of winning the work.
3. Diversify your digital offering.
Instead of hiring expensive in-house developers with expertise in specific programing languages and frameworks, a good development studio will provide you with a plethora of developers with varying skill sets and expertise. For example, if your PHP dev is unable to work in .Net, then no problem. You will have access to an array of senior developers, each an expert in their own field, be that PHP, .NET, Java, Python, C# and so on.
4. Provide your clients with the best solution for their needs, not the solution that your agency can provide based on internal resources.
Know that you are providing your client with the absolute best service possible by making recommendations based on their actual needs and requirements, rather than the internal development resources you have available to you at that time. Your clients will thank you for the transparency which will boost your super hero status even more!
5. Win larger, more complex projects.
When you don’t have the internal technical expertise to pitch on a large, complex and often daunting project, turn to a development studio that can support you as required.
6. Offload smaller projects.
Your existing, internal developers may be overqualified to handle EDMs, banners or even front-end web development. If you offload these often fiddly and low margin jobs to a development studio you can ensure that you are getting the most value out of your internal resources, as well as keeping them engaged!
7. Improve cashflow forecasting with no hidden surprises or open-ended development costs.
By receiving fixed-price project quotes, you are able to forecast cashflow, and predict expenses when it comes to development. It also means that projects will cost exactly what you expect them to (assuming there are no changes to the agreed scope of work), offloading the bulk of the risk to the development studio, and negating the downside if an internally resourced project overruns.
8. Expert assistance with briefing.
A highly qualified development studio will have extensive experience in creating and interpreting briefs for a huge array of different types of projects. This experience is vital in nailing down the client’s ideas and ensuring all their requirements are thought of.
9. Expenditure on a project by project basis.
This means that when you don’t have digital work on, or a project for one particular developer’s skillset, you are not wasting money on expensive internal developers twiddling their thumbs and clocking up their Reddit hours whilst waiting for the next project to roll in.
10. Grow and diversify into new digital areas that you have not ventured into before.
Using a development studio will give you the confidence to offer digital products and services that you have not offered before. Increasingly popular digital products and services include augmented reality, blockchain dApps, IOT and gamification.
11. Project Management & Quality Assurance Testing.
PM & QAT is usually included when using a development studio meaning you can be sure that the product you receive has been thoroughly tested before it lands in your lap. This will reduce the impact on your precious internal resources, saving you countless hours of work and allowing you to focus on growing your agency in other areas.
12. Stop saying no to the digital element of a project.
Don’t allow your clients to look elsewhere when it comes to certain elements of their overall needs. Strengthen your relationships with your clients and keep the entirety of their project within your agency.
13. White labelling.
Market yourself as a digitally experienced agency and provide digital services without hiring an expensive team. A white-labelled digital offering will mean that all services are provided under your brand name, with developer-to-client communication and interaction completely under your control.
14. Scalability.
Most importantly, a development studio gives you the option to scale, without the risk! As and when new and exciting projects come through your door, don’t say no to them. Instead, dip your toe in the water with the support of an experienced technical team, and then grow the resources of your agency at a pace you are comfortable with.