How to choose Magento Agency?
Let’s say that You have just decided to implement an online store – it will be Your first perfect store. After many days and nights of searching right platform, You state that the most ideal platform for You is Magento – easy to use with a huge potential platform. Anyway, who exactly can implement Your store?
When You type “Magento implementation” in search engine, this probably results in billions of answers. Do you choose the first company on the list? Maybe the cheapest would be perfect? Or the one that has the most fans on Facebook? Perhaps You have a friend who knows much about the computers? Maybe he can do that, who knows.
Well, the choice of company implementing Magento can be scarier than lunch with mother in law. Below are some steps that may help you in your selection:
1. Look for Magento Partners
A good place to start your search should be http://www.magentocommerce.com/partners/solution. Here you can find companies that are an official Magento partnersaccesas. Status Gold or Silver Partner allows to access to the forums, support and other places when can be properly qualified people who can make Your store implementation run smoothly. View the profile of company in order to see their skills area. Usually each partner’s website contains a logo which ensured the Client about the fact that the chosen platform is an official Magento partner.
Select the best partners up to Your needs. If you run a small business and put the shop’s free community version, you may not need the cooperation with gold or silver partner. It doesn’t make sense to shoot a fly from the cannon. However, if you are working on a major international project, then it is recommended to look for the larger partner.
What is the difference between gold and silver partner? Mainly the size of the organization and the number of projects implemented Enterprise version. However, if you have to implement only 15 thousand pounds, it doesn’t make sense to submit the queries to the gold or silver partners. However, some companies will have maybe just a little bit of free time to implement Your project.
2. Check the Agency’s portfolio.
When you have already found the relevant Magento Agency, you should check their portfolio. Search for the websited that they made and check whether they meet Your conditions, or not.
3. If it possible- meet them!h
Working through the Internet sounds perfect as You are not obligated to plan any business meetings. It doesn’t require Your private time, but You should think twice as this business needs Your money so if you have the possibility, time and conditions- try to arrange a meeting with the selected companies as to see how they work and what do they recommend with Your project. Try to figure out if the company is familiar with their offer as You are not interested in paying for the weak Magento platform.
4. Ask for references
If you have already selected a few companies, ask for references from entities who faced with their services .It doesn’t always mean that being a Megento developer, means to be qualified developer. We assure you that the last thing you want is the programmer teaching You the Magento system functioning. Personally I have supported many Customers who had this kind of tough experience with other developers. It is obvious that You see for the company that has extensive experience with the platform implementation and do not try to hide their recommendations.
5. Make sure that you explained your idea and concepts of business
When developing a new project or rebuilding the site already based on Magento, make sure that Your developer knows Your exceptations. The way You axpress Your idea will give a birth to the project. Do you need integration with ERP system? Or search engine optimization? Or individually built extension to an online store?
In case of selling tiles You will probably need features that are unique to your project. Matching order process, changing the image of the product, easy to change colors… whatever You’ve already dreamt, You are obligated to express it properly and precisely. Don’t leave this touch part to the end or do not think “We will know my mind” but go trough the explanation with passion and details that will ensure You about choosing the right poeple to the right thing.
6. You should necessarily judge Agency website
We suppose that You are not interested into choosing the company that will make Your website as it was designed in nearly 80’s. Although it was a great time for the e-commerce development, You wish You could have a website that follows latest technological trends. You are simply not interested into being an owner of an online technological museum. If You find out that website of the selected company did not refresh their website for a long time, we advice You to check Your companies list one more time in order to make another call.
7. Price versus quality
Ensure thatthe project will be adequate to the price. Sounds bit cliché, but You would be surprised with the amount of common examples as customer calling us with the half-unfinished project because the developer didn’t understand how Magento works what finished with an unfinished project. Keep in Your mind that he cheapest companies may be like a trap which teases with low prices and what happens next is fake job that needs to be repaired. Conslusion- once You cut costs You may loose as twice as much.
This doesn’t mean that You have to be ready for the most expensive company on the market but consider how much can You cut, how much can You loose, how huge responsibility does someone take for Your project. In this particular case You are the synonym of business. Business likes to be thought over, even twice.
