Zbudowaliśmy dział, a potem się z niego wycofaliśmy
We have set up a department, and then we withdrew from it.
A manufacturer of small household appliances didn’t want a permanent agency. They wanted their own team that would be able to do the job without us. After six months, we were down to just one day a month.
The challenge
The client had had a bad experience with their previous agency: sales had been growing for three years, but all the knowledge about the accounts, strategy and decision-making history remained with the previous agency.
He made it clear right from the first meeting: he isn’t looking for a contractor, but for someone who will train his staff and then leave. For the agency, this is a contract that, by definition, ends of its own accord.
About the client
A manufacturer of small household appliances, with over a dozen years’ experience in the market and a strong position in the traditional retail channel and in retail chains.
The e-commerce side of the business was run in a piecemeal way: the company’s own online shop and a single marketplace account managed by the previous agency.
What we’ve done
The decisions that determined the outcome.
We’ve set the date for the start
In the contract, we have set out the handover date and the conditions that must be met for this to take place: the team must be in place, processes must be documented, the reporting system must be operational without our involvement, and the client must have completed two full monthly cycles under our supervision.
We documented the processes before we took on staff
First, the documentation was drawn up: what a typical working day looks like in the role, how pricing decisions are made, what to do in the event of a complaint, and when to escalate an issue. Only then did recruitment begin.
The reverse order is standard practice in the industry, and the result is that whatever the first person hired happens to be doing becomes the process.
We handed over the reins two cycles before the end of the contract
Over the last two months, the client’s team has handled everything on their own, whilst we simply observed and took notes. This was the most difficult part of the project; on three occasions we refrained from correcting a decision which, in our view, was wrong.
Two of those three decisions turned out to be the right ones. One cost the client a bit of money, but it was the best money spent on the whole project, as the team learnt more from it than from all the documentation put together.
Course
Key stages.
- July 2025 Process audit and documentation Account statuses, access restoration, descriptions of roles and operational procedures. No recruitment as yet.
- August 2025 Recruitment for the roles described Three people: channel coordinator, offers and content specialist, customer service and complaints handling.
- September 2025 Working together The client’s team is working on it, whilst bTOP is overseeing and making adjustments on an ongoing basis. Launch of four new channels to be used as training material.
- October 2025 Taking responsibility The gradual handover of pricing decisions, advertising budgets and liaison with platforms.
- November, December 2025 Two cycles without us The team manages everything independently; bTOP monitors the situation but does not intervene unless pre-defined thresholds are exceeded.
- December 2025 Handover and new procedure The implementation agreement has come to an end. We still have one day of consultation per month and access to support when entering new markets.
The situation at the start and two months after handover.
| Credits | July 2025 | February 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Those responsible for the marketplace | 0 | 3 | , |
| Active channels | 1 | 5 | +4 |
| The operational processes described | 0 | 11 | , |
| Client-side account access | partial | full | , |
| External service, per month | 14 days | Day 1 | −93% |
| E-commerce turnover, 2 months after the handover | base level | +4% | +4% |
How we did it.
The hardest part of this project wasn’t building the team, but resisting the urge to do the work for them. The deadline set out in the contract meant we had to demonstrate each task rather than carry it out, even when doing it ourselves would have been quicker. We outlined the processes before recruitment so that people would be coming into pre-defined roles. Over the last two months, we watched as the team made mistakes, and we didn’t correct them, except where they could have resulted in the loss of the account.
Repeatability
Why do we think it wasn’t a coincidence?.
Start date recorded at the start
The handover date specified in the contract determines every subsequent decision: whether to train staff or simply get on with the work. Without it, the implementation project always drifts into routine operations.
Pre-recruitment processes
The roles described enable recruitment based on specific competencies. If the order is reversed, whatever the first person hired happens to be doing becomes the process.
Trial period without adjustment
A team that has someone proofreading their work does not take responsibility for it. A few errors spotted before handover cost less than a single one found afterwards.
What this case does not prove: This model isn’t cheaper than a managed service; in the first year, it’s significantly more expensive and slower. It’s worthwhile for companies that plan to use the marketplace as a strategic channel for years to come, not for those who simply want to see if it’s right for them at all.
Do you want to have this expertise in-house, rather than relying on an agency?
We’ll map out the processes, help you recruit staff, and train the team to manage your accounts and your data. With a handover date agreed at the start, not at the end.
Let’s talk about setting up the department
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