Q: What's your name and position in the company?
A: Vincent Zegna
Q: Describe your company in 5 words.
A: Innovative agency providing turnkey solutions
Q: What's your business philosophy?
A: We do not take clients on a short-term basis (unless it is a straight matter of web design) we nurture our clients over years and some of them have been with us 8 years or more. We believe to effectively build a client�s business online there must be short, mid-term, and long term goals. Working with this philosophy we have a rate of success in bringing our clients global recognition for their products and services.
Q: Describe your office environment.
A: A hive of creativity and a buzz of acitivty. We love we do and take it very seriously - at times this can spill out into constructive debate on how to get the best out of a project - lively debates and solutions really make our studio buzz.
Q: Describe how your team interact and work together.
A: When we work all of us wear many hats but have one specific discipline we specialise in. A project will come into the studio where we write up a functional specification this will include the online marketing, design, development and brand with each of us playing our role to the completion of the job. A project like this would take a lot of interaction with each other to get the best results.
Q: What makes you different from other web design companies?
A: Each company has its own way of how it runs a business. We differ from many other companies in that we don�t just build a website and turn it over to the customer. We develop an entire solution to make this website work well into the future.
Q: How do you get the majority of your business?
A: Our business comes from three different directions which include referrals from existing customers. Online advertising and search engines and customers in a specific business category will see what we have done for others and want a similar solution. We have seen a fair bit of this attitude in the hotel and hospitality industry where a lot of our clients have come from. We have also noticed a similar trend in the industrial sector.
Q: Describe how you manage projects from the initial client contact to completion and handover.
A: Starting with initial client interviews, proposal stage, design and build, future of the website and planning of its online presence.
Q: What do you think is the most crucial element of creating a good client relationship?
A: Keeping it simple - we try not to blind our clients with �web speak� and its associated terminology. We find by explaining the project and any issues that may develop in layman�s terms, that our clients understand us better and are more willing to talk openly about what they want out of a project.
Q: How do you manage demanding clients?
A: This is where diplomacy plays the biggest factor � we generally find that clients can become demanding when they don�t understand what is going on with a project. To this end we explain every part of the build and solution what we are doing.
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: We have consulted to companies to help find the right web firm and generally it depends on what the client wants. If they are looking for a solution that will increase their bottom line then we would suggest going with a firm that has long-term stability and proven results.
Q: Where do you see your company in 10 years time?
A: Good question � though I would like to see us growing to a full-fledged agency developing applications that enhance sales online. A lot of this will depend on where the web is in 10 years and its trends at the time.
Q: Where do you see the web design industry in the future?
A: The future of the industry is looking good and it�s not a profession that is going to disappear anytime soon. No matter how may tools and systems that are created to automate the process of a website these applications will be useless if there is not an experienced individual or team to manage them. Businesses expect more from a designer today and in the future a web design firm will have to wear many hats to ensure the success of a project.
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: SONET comes from three different areas: it is an acronym for Southbourne Internet which is how we started. It is also an Acronym for Synchronous Optical Networking in which an original member of the team got his start. Then the other is acronym comes from Social Media Networking which is one of the services we provide. As for Digital it speaks for itself in the kind of work we do.
Q: If you were to give your clients one tip on how to get the most from their website what would it be?
A: Take your time � do not rush the website out of the door and expect it to deliver results overnight. The best websites work by careful long-term planning and nurturing � make sure you hire a professional to guide you through the stages of your online solution.
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