Thrive Creative Ltd

Q: What's your name and position in the company?
A: Managing & Creative Director

Q: Describe your company in 5 words.
A: Creative, professional, honest, transparent, reliable

Q: What's your business philosophy?
A: It’s really quite simple. The more you thrive, the more we do.

Q: Describe your office environment.
A: Our office is open plan - we have a non-hierarchical structure so its important to us that everyone gets a say on every project. It also gives the office dog (Sam) plenty of space to run around!

Q: Describe how your team interact and work together.
A: Our Account Managers, Designers and Developers work closely as a team, we know from experience that this produces a better more robust end product.

Q: What makes you different from other web design companies?
A: Web is just part of our service - we really call ourselves a Brand Communication agency because the channels we use to get results for our clients are integrated. In addition we work in collaboration with clients which gives us the opportunity to really get under the skin of your business.

Q: How do you get the majority of your business?
A: We've grown organically over the last 4 years so the majority of our work is from client referral.

Q: Describe how you manage projects from the initial client contact to completion and handover.
A: Unlike a lot of web design agencies we won't simply do what you ask us to (unless you insist!). We'll take a step back, look at your strategic objectives and then propose the most suitable solution to meet your objectives. Then we'll develop an excellent piece of digital collateral which is results focused. We have a strict QC process and each site is subject to rigorous user acceptance testing before publication/handover.

Q: What do you think is the most crucial element of creating a good client relationship?
A: Communication, being open, honesty and trust.

Q: How do you manage demanding clients?
A: We find that demanding clients are often ill informed, we take the time to explain what's involved in any work we do and often clients then become more understanding and appreciative of our input.

Q: If a client was trying to decide between a shortlist of web design companies, how would you recommend they go about selecting the right one for them?
A: Make sure that agencies you're talking to don't outsource and only recommend technical solutions that they have the skill set to deliver. If they do outsource ensure that this is done with transparency. Find an agency that feels like a good fit for your business; chances are that you'll have an ongoing working relationship so it should be a happy one! Always check capacity - if that guy in the bedroom goes on holiday what happens if you need something amending on your site?

Q: Where do you see your company in 10 years time?
A: Hopefully we'll still be working with the clients we have currently and will continue to grow organically by acquiring new ones.

Q: Where do you see the web design industry in the future?
A: One word. Regulated. And that will be most welcome - you only have to look at the WWDC site to read about too many bad customer experiences!

Q: What computers do you have use in your offices, PCs or Macs?
A: Both PC and Mac

Q: How was your company name chosen?
A: We wanted to allude to organic growth which is our core ethos - hence Thrive.

Q: If you were to give your clients one tip on how to get the most from their website what would it be?
A: Invest in it. It's a cliché but the worst thing you can do is launch a site and then wait for the orders to come flying in. Be prepared to spend your own time - or allocate and internal champion - to adding content, blog articles etc.