6 Questions To Ask Before Hiring Remote Teams For White Label Services

The arrival of the Internet shrank the world. Six degrees of separation turned into one. With the shift to remote work, the world has shrunk even further; more and more digital agencies are open to hiring remote teams to deliver the whole gamut of white label services. These comprise social media marketing, web and app design and development, PPC, analytics, content development, video marketing, and SEO services, to name a few. 

With the growing popularity of video conferencing and access to superior communication tools like Slack, partnering with a remote team for white label services can be a seamless experience. But it’s very important to do your due diligence before selecting your preferred white label agency partner. 

Here are six factors to observe before coming to a decision.

#1 What Is The Mode And Frequency Of Communication?

When vetting white label agency partners, it’s necessary to understand how often you will be updated on the progress of your project. Also, understand what will be the primary mode of communication. Expectation setting on the onset will reduce chaos and anxiety levels, and make communication very streamlined. 

For example, the team could send regular updates at a mutually-agreed-upon interval. With so many modes of communication available, it helps to identify just one or two modes that are most convenient, yet not intrusive. Pre-defining how often video conferencing and calls with core team members can be done is also a good practice.

#2 How Does The Reporting Work?

White label agency engagements must always be outcome-driven. To ensure this, it’s important to understand how the team will report the progress of activities. Regular reporting helps the team evolve strategies in real-time while empowering digital marketing and growth hacking agencies to keep an eye on the ROI of the engagement. 

The format of reporting can be both quantitative and qualitative. It can be presented in the form of a PPT, an in-depth research-based report, or via a dashboard, depending upon what white label services are being delivered. It also helps if the white label agency comes back with suggestions on how to evolve their strategies in a way that delivers more value.

#3 Will You Have Access To A Dedicated Project Manager? 

While a number of team members may be working on a project, having a dedicated project manager helps streamline all communication, and navigate the project in a structured way. 

This is especially important for remote teams, as lack of accessibility and miscommunication is at a higher risk. It is even more important when the remote team itself operates from multiple locations, due to the current pandemic, or in general. Project managers must have excellent communication, articulation, and presentation skills, as they are the face of the agency. 

They must be accessible in case of an emergency and be able to make quick decisions during crunch time, while also communicating well to their own teams. A project manager who does not show up for you as a client on account of internet failures, electricity issues, and other problems, one too many times, raises a red flag. Accessibility and communication are non-negotiable assets, especially for remote teams.

#4 What Are The Exact Terms And Conditions?

White label agencies typically sign non-disclosure agreements to protect the confidentiality of their clients. This ensures that they cannot publicly take credit or talk about the work. They may also be required to add a non-solicitation clause, which legally prevents them from approaching a client’s client directly. 

Other terms and conditions that must be made clear are – the scope of work, consequences of timelines, and deliverables not being met, potential budget extensions when the scope of work increases, as well as performance-based agreements. 

Sometimes a project may get scrapped for reasons outside of the white label agency’s control. In this case, a kill fee may be negotiated. It’s important to have a legal framework that defines these rules very clearly.

#5 What Is Their Crisis Management Strategy?

With the digital world moving at such a fast pace, there is always scope for unforeseen emergencies and crises relating to the brands you serve. White label services play a key role in all aspects of their digital presence, and hence it is important for the agency you hire to have a plan for such situations. 

How will the communication work, especially if it is across time zones, and when issues escalate after office hours? Sometimes you may need to flip one’s SEO strategy overnight or execute a new project in a matter of hours. Remote teams must have a sense of urgency and be able to respond in real-time to such needs and requests.

#6 How Do They Approach Time Zone Differences?

There’s a high possibility that the remote team delivering white label services to your agency is located in a different time zone. Time zones, naturally, trigger a lag in communication. They might also come with cultural and language differences. Yet, you might be keen on a particular agency because they deliver the best value for your budget. 

Understanding how savvy they are in serving overseas clients is really important. Being able to agree upon video conference timings is especially an important factor in this scenario. Request them to walk you through how times zones impact their existing overseas clientele. 

For example, some agencies function in shifts to address this issue, ensuring that a project manager or core team member is accessible at all times, especially in a crisis.

Gear Up To Work With Remote Teams

While it’s important to ensure that the agency delivering your white label services is professional in the context of remote work, it is equally important for hiring agencies to be accountable. 

Ensuring you give feedback in a timely way, offer concise briefs, scope the work correctly – these are all important steps in any engagement, but even more so for remote teams. So, gear up for this paradigm shift early on. 

This empowers you to hire the best white label agency anywhere in the world, one that can deliver the best results for your clients and faster growth for your agency.