We’re about to start re-negotiation of our web analytics contract. I’m happy with our current tool and will likely renew, but here’s some things you might want to consider if you’re in a similar boat:
Did you get everything you paid for the first time around? – Often secondary services, training and consulting time are rolled into analytics contracts. Have you leveraged the time you paid for to improve your knowledge of the tool or the conversion rate on your site? Re-read your contract and make certain you have.
How’s the support been? – I’m very impatient when it comes to poor service. Simple and personal service wins the day in my books. Consider how we’ll you’ve been loved as a customer. Yes loved. Does your account manager know your name and phone number? Have you actually been able to get answers to the questions you’ve asked of your support contact? Do you constantly have to re-explain how your site works and how you have your code configured for your particular business and site needs to the guy/gal at the other end of the phone OR do they already know that? Do they like it when you call/e-mail or avoid your interactions? Do they dig deep when you have tough questions? Are they honest when they don’t know the answer? You’re paying their salary afterall. Speak up.
Did you really need that many page views/visits? – most contracts are structured around traffic blocks. When you first negotiated, was your estimate reasonable or do you need to adjust your analytics costs to your actual costs this time around?
What are the terms? – 1 year? Longer? What if they’re no longer in business 6 months from now or aquired by another analytics firm? WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW?
Is the tool meeting your business needs? – Are you getting the data out of it you want? Does it fit into your current and future plans? Does your boss and your bosses boss actually read and leverage the reports your providing?
What else is being offered in the market now? – Remember those organizations you looked at before you chose the tool you have? What are they doing now? Something better? Less expensive?