What Does It Take To Be A Successful Digital Agency In 2018?

The world of digital is certainly exploding all around us and if you haven’t jumped aboard the rollercoaster, you’re going to get left behind as it zooms past you. In conversation with Togglehead, a Mumbai-based digital agency. They breakdown what it takes to make it in a space that is rapidly becoming swarmed and cutthroat. Head Togglers: (L-R) Krish Ramnani, Aatef Bham, Akshay PopawalaAs we enter a new era of digital, we must allow technology to wrap us up in its lucrative embrace and if you don’t, your resistance is absolutely futile.

Since its inception, Togglehead has been driven by its creativity and ability to adapt. It has been a hotbed of innovation and ambition. What started out as a 3 person team has now grown and expanded to 65 strong and continues to grow rapidly. The three young men behind Togglehead begun operations merely five years ago and have now serviced over 300 clients from across industries and from all over the world.

However, the question still remains, what are the business considerations a digital agency needs to make when it comes to scalability and sustenance of a business in a highly competitive industry? We dive head-first into both the development and operations of the organization to gain insight into what it takes to be successful.

The most vital of the factors that ensure a company’s success in the digital space is to create a great product, in Togglehead’s case, a service, that constantly adds value to the client. What separates Togglehead from the clutter in the industry is the accountability it ensures its clients. “To under-promise, over deliver and exceed expectations of the client, must lie at the core of any business to fortify its success. It is also essential to empathize with the client while maintaining a balance between internal and external communication”, says Naitri Shah, Lead of Client Servicing.

Another important attribute of a forerunning agency would be consistency. There is no room for one-hit wonders, and to safeguard the longevity of any business is to continuously and relentlessly deliver a quality product. In Togglehead’s view, growth is only valued if it is consistent. To improve, elevate and consistently deliver on metrics across spheres, must be the end goal. In their experience, the only way to grow and remain afloat is profitability and liquidity. From a strictly business stand-point, growing vertically and laterally is only possible, if there are enough financial resources to ensure the smooth transition. In its five years, Togglehead, has made it its business objective to have a steady stream of clients being on boarded in a cyclical manner to make sure there is a constant influx of finances. Jash Choksi, from the New Business and Strategy Team is of the opinion, “analyzing the qualitative and quantitative value that potential clients add to our repertoire, are the most important metrics when it comes to new business.” The digital space is in a constant state of flux. To be able to adapt and simultaneously innovate is the mark of any successful agency. Every day the digital space evolves, and to stay on top of it while modifying and altering the course of action, is why this field continues to remain extremely dynamic. And to be able to acclimatize in real-time is vital for success. As a growing agency what Togglehead has learnt is that holding training sessions, a.k.a., ToggleTalks, regularly is not only important for the upskilling of the team but also to keep clients in the loop of current trends and happenings. Employees lie at the heart of any agency. To be able to attract and retain talent is the hardest hurdle for any agency to overcome. Each employee brings something unique to the table, and to develop and grow their skills is the only way forward. The average age of the Toggler is 26, but don’t let that fool you. Kainaat Rizvi, Senior Human Resource Executive says, “The maturity of ideas has nothing to do with age. Millennials populate the digital space most widely, therefore we need talent that can speak their language, think in tongues and understand the expanse of digital. In the service industry your biggest investment is human resource and ultimately, you’re only as strong as your team.”