How long does it take for Setup to conduct the assessment?

The time it takes to conduct an assessment largely depends on how quickly Setup can gather the information it needs (client/staff interviews, agency startup docs). Once all of the necessary information is collected, Setup can turn around a report in roughly two weeks. On average, a typical Agency Assessment process takes about a month.

What are my agency's responsibilities within this assessment?

Agencies are responsible for filling out startup documents (questionnaires that help Setup get to know your agency), for introducing Setup to the right client contacts, and for connecting Setup to the right employees.

What is the output of the Agency Assessment?

The output of the agency assessment is 2-hour presentation that summarizes our findings, along with a detailed report that includes all raw data inputs used to generate the presentation. Both the presentation and report have five sections:

• Client Assessment - Highlights of the insights derived from interviews with current clients, past clients, and clients who chose another agency in a pitch process.
• Team Assessment - Highlights of the insights derived from the interviews with staff members. In this portion, we evaluate the alignment of how agency leadership perception differs from lower level employees. The responses are kept anonymous in order to encourage honest feedback.
• SWOT Analysis - We take the insights derived from the interviews and the startup docs and synthesize the information into a comprehensive SWOT analysis.
• Agency Scorecard - During the interview process, clients and staff are asked to give numerical data on key aspects of the agency (project management, pitch process, work output, etc.). This section of the assessment shows how the agency’s scores stack up against other assessments we’ve conducted. We also dive into how your agency’s positioning compares to other comparable agencies.
• Competitor Positioning Review - We will compare your agency’s positioning with that of comparable agencies.
• Advice & Recommendations

How often should I conduct an Agency Assessment?

We recommend conducting an agency assessment yearly to maximize client and staff retention.

Who do I need to connect with Setup?

When connecting Setup to people outside of your organization (current clients/past clients/lost pitch clients), we recommend including as many contacts as you can, as many clients are hard to get in touch with. Connecting us with more helps protect against clients who choose not to respond.

• Current Client Contacts - Up to 6 current clients. Ideally, we want to have four clients included in the assessment.
• Past Client Contacts - Up to 6 past clients. Ideally, we want to have 3 past clients included in the assessment.
• Lost Pitch Contacts - 8 lost pitch contacts is recommended. This kind of contact is the hardest for us to get responses from, so the more contacts you can connect us to, the better. Ideally, we want to have at least 2 lost pitch client contacts included.

What kinds of team members/how many team members do I need to connect with Setup?

For the maximum amount of insights, we recommend that you have team leaders/department heads, recent hires, and the executive team fill out our staff survey. 10-15 responses spread across these categories is ideal.

Are the staff interviews anonymous?

Yes. In the final report, we omit the names and roles of each respondent to keep them anonymous. Unless they identify themselves through their comments, they will remain anonymous.

What if I do not want to connect Setup to a particular client?

At the end of the day, the clients that you connect with Setup are your choice. We will not reach out to anyone that you do not directly connect us to.

My agency is new. What if we do not have any past clients?

That's okay. Special circumstances - connect us to more current and lost pitch clients.

What if Setup cannot get in touch with the contacts I provide?

This happens. That's why we recommend connecting us to as many contacts as possible. Read more.

What if we recently surveyed our clients or employees? Can Setup leverage that feedback?

The short answer: probably. We would have to take a closer look at what questions were asked, and then decide what parts of our assessment we could skip/adapt to the circumstance.

Generally speaking, we would still want to do some interviews ourself, as our assessment is specifically designed for the agency-client relationship. It dives into things that most assessments do not. Our goal is to give you deep, meaningful insights - and while we'd be happy to incorporate your previous results, we'd want to gather even more information.