Insights from Rini Hapsoro: SIRCLO’s approach to effective agency partnerships
Discover Rini Hapsoro’s insights on building impactful agency relationships to support SIRCLO’s e-commerce strategy.
At the recent Tech in Asia Jakarta Conference 2024, we had the privilege of speaking and reconnecting with Rini Hapsoro, the corporate communications head at SIRCLO, a leading e-commerce enabler in Indonesia.
In this exclusive interview with ContentGrip, Rini shared invaluable insights into SIRCLO’s strategies for agency collaboration, highlighting best practices and lessons learned from their journey.
About SIRCLO’s expertise
SIRCLO specializes in providing comprehensive solutions for businesses, particularly large brands, to streamline their online sales and distribution processes. Their end-to-end services cover every aspect of e-commerce, including merchandising, content creation, product uploads, campaign support, fulfillment, and customer service. To further enhance online selling strategies, SIRCLO also integrates live streaming services with its fulfillment processes, offering brands a dynamic way to engage with their customers.
SIRCLO focuses on serving emerging and large multinational retail brands aiming to expand their online presence and boost digital sales. While SIRCLO initially catered to MSMEs, the company has shifted its focus to B2C brands ready to commit to long-term investments in online channels.
Leading SIRCLO’s communications and PR strategy is Rini, who brings a wealth of expertise to her role. A distinguished MSc graduate in Media & Communication Studies, Rini earned her degree with distinction and has accumulated eight years of professional experience across industries in Singapore, Sweden, and Indonesia.
Passionate about social entrepreneurship, media, and cultural studies, she has been steering SIRCLO's corporate communications team for six years, solidifying the company’s reputation as a leader in e-commerce enablement.
Behind SIRCLO’s agency collaboration story
Corporate communications play a vital role in SIRCLO’s success as an e-commerce enabler. A strong public relations presence enhances the company’s visibility and credibility, particularly in Indonesia, where SIRCLO has established itself as a leader in the industry.
Searches for "top e-commerce enabler in Indonesia" consistently rank SIRCLO as number one, underscoring its reputation among media outlets and customers alike. Additionally, SIRCLO leverages its position by creating B2B insights tailored to its ideal customer profiles. These insights not only reinforce SIRCLO’s authority in the e-commerce space but also ensure the company remains top of mind for businesses seeking innovative and effective solutions.
Rini highlighted that SIRCLO collaborates with agencies to effectively address specific needs and execute specialized projects, such as rebranding initiatives. Back in 2020, SIRCLO’s corporate communications team consisted of just four members, making it essential to seek additional manpower and expertise through agency partnerships.
These partnerships provided essential expertise and flexibility to scale quickly, ensuring high-quality results despite limited in-house resources. Today, even with a team that has grown to 12, SIRCLO continues to engage agencies for high-impact initiatives.
Selecting the right agency partners
According to Rini, SIRCLO typically identifies potential agency partners through word-of-mouth referrals. This is because referrals help establish trust upfront and ensure a higher likelihood of finding agencies with a solid reputation and relevant experience.
Once potential candidates are identified, Rini emphasized the importance of engaging with multiple agencies to compare their offerings. “It’s not just about rates,” she noted. “Finding an agency is like finding a partner,” she explains further. Instead, SIRCLO evaluates agencies based on overall value, including their expertise, track record, and ability to deliver on key performance indicators (KPIs). This process helps ensure the chosen partner aligns well with the company’s goals and expectations.
She also advised prioritizing an agency’s value and potential impact over short-term cost savings. "It's not just about hiring an agency; it's about believing in the people who can deliver maximum impact for us." Rini explains.
From her experience, working with agencies that deeply understand SIRCLO’s industry—B2B, technology, and e-commerce—is essential. Industry knowledge ensures both parties are on the same page regarding terminology, market dynamics, and best practices. Without this understanding, SIRCLO often has to spend time educating the agency, which can hinder collaboration.
“If the said agency doesn’t understand SIRCLO’s business goals or if they don’t try to understand the core of what we do, this actually leads to a potential misalignment or challenges in execution in the future,” Rini said.
Best practices for agency collaboration
Clear communication and alignment on project scope, objectives, and expectations are essential from the very beginning of an agency engagement. Rini’s perspective is unique, as SIRCLO itself functions as an agency for its e-commerce clients while also partnering with external agencies for its own needs. This dual experience has given her valuable insights into what makes agency collaborations successful.
She emphasizes the importance of providing context about the company, its evolution, the competitive landscape, and other relevant details to help the agency better understand the client’s needs and challenges. Ongoing open communication, regular check-ins, and transparency are also crucial to avoiding misalignment and ensuring both parties stay on track.
When it comes to how SIRCLO engages with agencies, Rini shared that they primarily opt for project-based engagements. “Retainer models could also be beneficial if there’s an area where we know we need a very strong expertise at, but we are also not in the position to develop that capability in-house,” she explained.
For dynamic or short-term projects, the project-based approach allows flexibility and adaptability to changing requirements and market conditions. By balancing project-based and retainer models, depending on the specific needs and expertise of the agency, SIRCLO ensures more effective and sustainable partnerships.
"The relationship with an agency must be a two-way street, built on mutual trust and respect," Rini emphasizes. Ultimately, both the client and agency need to work together to define success, manage expectations, and ensure mutual benefits from the collaboration.
"Start small with a pilot project to establish trust, and if it works out, you can scale up gradually from there," she advises.
Deciding between in-house and agency resources
Rini highlights a unique benefit of working with agencies: they offer an opportunity to learn alongside experts, enabling companies to gradually build internal capabilities. Agencies bring specialized knowledge and flexibility, but over time, Rini notes that businesses can save costs by developing in-house expertise—particularly for tasks that are closely tied to critical business areas.
The transition from agency reliance to in-house expertise is typically a gradual process, and SIRCLO’s journey is a prime example. Initially, they partnered with Content Collision to handle their public relations (PR) comprehensively. This included strategy, content creation, media relations, and media monitoring. As their internal capabilities grew, SIRCLO began incrementally transitioning specific components to in-house teams.
Examples of this phased approach include:
- Strategy: Initially handled by an agency, it was transitioned to an in-house team, which then took on managing other key functions.
- Content creation: Shifted from agency support to being managed through platforms like ContentGrow and freelancers.
- Media relations: Evolved from agency-led efforts to a hybrid approach utilizing tools like Telum and freelance professionals.
- Media monitoring: Once fully outsourced, this function is now handled in-house using tools like Brand24.
Rini recommends an incremental approach, emphasizing that if a role or function is expected to remain relevant for 3-5 years or more, it is often more cost-effective to build internal expertise.
She also highlights that sensitive tasks—such as managing confidential information—are better handled by an in-house team to mitigate risks. She notes, “When we're engaging with sensitive information, it’s critical to have internal capabilities that can manage the process end to end, reducing the risk or other issues that could arise when working with external parties.”
Rini encourages brands to adopt a pragmatic approach to in-house hiring. For ongoing tasks or functions that are core to the business, developing internal talent provides greater control and efficiency compared to relying on agencies indefinitely. However, she underscores the importance of striking a balance: leveraging in-house expertise for critical functions while partnering with agencies for specialized or short-term needs.
This hybrid strategy allows companies to optimize resources, reduce costs over time, and build a foundation for long-term sustainability.
Do’s and don’ts in working with agencies
When collaborating with agencies, Rini emphasizes the importance of setting the stage for success by avoiding common pitfalls and adopting best practices. A strong foundation ensures smoother execution and better outcomes.
Here are several common mistakes to avoid:
1. Providing limited briefs
One of the most significant mistakes is offering insufficient information or context in briefs. Without a clear understanding of the project’s goals and requirements, agencies may misinterpret needs, resulting in misaligned deliverables and subpar outcomes.
2. Assuming the agency knows everything
Expecting an agency to fully understand your business or objectives without guidance is a recipe for miscommunication. Clear and ongoing communication is essential to ensure alignment and avoid last-minute issues, particularly as deadlines approach.
3. Focusing solely on budget
While cost is an important consideration, prioritizing upfront savings over potential impact and return on investment (ROI) can limit the effectiveness of the collaboration. The emphasis should be on the agency’s ability to deliver meaningful results rather than just cutting costs.
4. Neglecting ongoing involvement
Agencies are not a “set-it-and-forget-it” solution. Active participation, regular reviews, and timely feedback throughout the process are crucial to maintaining momentum and keeping the project on track.
On the other hand, Rini outlined key strategies for effective partnerships. Clear goals, detailed briefs, and open communication set the foundation for success. Treating agencies as collaborative partners, not just vendors, fosters trust and alignment.
"At the end of the day, you just need to understand what your objectives are with the partnership, and you also need to make sure that the relationship goes two ways. It's not just us hiring people, but it's also us believing in the people who will be able to produce maximum impact for us," Rini explains.
This post is created by ContentGrow, providing scalable and tailored content creation services for B2B brands and publishers worldwide. Book a discovery call to learn more.
