An interview with Ziv Lazar, Lead Service Designer at Capgemini, about working in agency vs in-house in the Creative industry.
In this ‘agency vs in-house’ interview series led by Salt Senior Consultant for Creative, Holley Potts, we speak to customers from all different sectors within the world of digital to answer the age-old question – agency or in-house? This series is designed to give you a snapshot of creative career journeys and insights into what is currently happening in their businesses. Over to Holley…
Introducing our next guest Ziv Lazar, Lead Service Designer at Capgemini, who divulges his thoughts on the industry and what it’s really like working at a top consultancy…
Holley: It’s great to have someone like yourself coming from a consultancy to hear your journey between agency and consultancy life. So, what are your thoughts on the differences that you see between the two?
Ziv - Agencies and consultancies are very different. When I worked with advertising agencies, I felt like I wasn’t really touching the real substance, as it was more about the picture, which of course is still important. Whereas working in consultancies, especially going on this UX route and understanding people, is about the ability to talk more strategy to the business and position yourself in a decision-making area where you are making big impact, not just on the interface but on the whole business. It’s a balance between getting the complicated systems right and how you deliver that is just as important.
Holley – Like you said it’s about delivering a better offering to the client as a whole, instead of one part of the puzzle. How have you seen the traditional model of gathering information changing?
Ziv - Working in a consultancy which is more about design and delivery, IT solutions and product development services. Working with the clients you need to get deep into the client and business, then once you have laid the groundwork it’s off to the next place.
My favourite part is the learning, the beginning of when you get into UX, as it takes years to master it. You have to make your own blueprint of it and what is right for you, then you become an expert, then there is this whole other change of how you sell it to the client. People tend to stick to their old ways like workshops and requirements gathering and then they start to develop it and experiment. Where I am coming from now, we try not to assume anything but to understand it more by asking a lot of questions and spending a lot of time by not showing anything, but actually stopping and getting a lot of feedback first.
The agency model died a few years ago, as well as companies that used to sell MBA’s, which has also died. People don’t want to hear about the smartest person in the room who knows everything anymore, they want a collaborative environment who speaks to their users who use your product. People who are able to bring that product information and knowledge are the people who are shaping companies. Everything is user centric. Companies don’t create products, they create services. That’s the motto here. The services are for the people. It’s a learning process that people are going through. The old school agencies have learned to shift that way. They are moving their model. It’s more interesting and it makes sense.
Holley - Definitely agree on a more collaborative approach, I feel this is something that is already quite prevalent today which is good to see. This year more than ever has this collaboration can be seen, especially with the rise of remote working. How have you found this new remote working?
Ziv - Working from home will be the future now. People don’t want to go back to the office. We at Capgemini are working fully remotely now, I personally enjoy this remote lifestyle. It gives me more time. I had opportunities to work remotely before this role, but it didn’t suit me, but now, I am finding myself much more productive.
Most people were not using their time efficiently before with remote working but now that everyone is all set up, we are efficient now, especially with the likes of Teams where you can easily connect with everyone in your team.
Holley - So to round us up! What do you think the industry’s focus will come up this year?
Ziv - Sustainability will be a big focus along with becoming eco and reducing carbon emissions. After this year, it is something everyone should be mindful off.
A great snapshot from Ziv! Really honing into the process of how you reach the end delivery. I particularly loved his quote saying that “Companies don’t create products, they create services”.
Stay tuned for more interviews, coming your way. If you would like to find out more about the series or find out how we can help you with your hiring, get in touch with Holley via hpotts@welovesalt.com.
Read more of our agency vs in-house interviews here.
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