The Most Overlooked Tool for Agency Success

The 4 Cs - Curate, connect, co-create, calibrate. This is the process we use when working with clients on their initiatives. It’s also how we approach our internal business processes.

Curate: The need for formalizing a process usually comes from a specific need or pain point. Our first step is always to explicitly define the issue, what’s currently in place, what works and what doesn’t, and the goals or outcomes we’d like to achieve.

Connect: Once needs and goals have been articulated, a plan is built for next steps, and we identify if any new tools are necessary to make an efficient, effective and scalable process.

Co-Create: After some options have been explored and prototyped by one or two team members, we like to get opinions. How many opinions are solicited depends on the audience a process will affect, but a flow of ideas and feedback is the goal. Collaboration is crucial to creating processes that are functional and easy to use. 

Calibrate: Even if a perfect process or solution is created after all these steps, things change. Regular evaluation of existing systems allows for improvement and creates a foundation for adaptability.

We apply this process management system to both our client work and internal work because, well,…it works, but it’s also vital to agency success. Believe it or not, establishing efficient, and preferably automated, systems is key to solid customer relationships, and allows the team to spend more time on creative work.

While each customer relationship requires individualized considerations, there are also many interactions and needs that are similar among most. Those similarities allow us to create a standard, yet customizable, architecture to ensure every client gets service and deliverables representative of our core values and their brand.

As a small business, most team members are responsible for more than one function. Efficient and automated processes assist with everything from prospecting to product delivery, making necessary multitasking easier. Automating daily tasks and reminders for our team creates mental space for the creative process. Instead of worrying that an email has been forgotten, focus can be directed toward a client’s new website design or social strategy.

The amount of consideration put into all the small things may seem tedious, but sticking to the curate, connect, co-create, calibrate process ensures community, authenticity, connection, and excellence are infused into everything we do.

Let’s Build This Together

Have you had frustration with partners who could improve in their processes? Looking for a smooth partnership with continual improvement and collaboration? Let's talk!