Interview with Dr Riaz Agha, Chief Executive Officer of Rich Media House Ltd for Web Designer Magazine

To coincide with a great set of Flash resources on this month’s CD, we have a word with Dr Riaz Agha, Chief Executive Officer of Rich Media House Ltd about why their dizzying array of web development services is giving them a competitive edge in this industry.

1. Firstly, how would you describe the service that Rich Media House (www.richmediahouse.com) provides in your own words?

We offer website design, hosting and marketing services to Startups, SMEs, Corporate clients, the Public Sector and as an outsourcing option for other website design firms. The websites we build for clients are custom-made but we also have a range of templates for other website designers to use, enabling them to focus on their core competencies.

2. How would you classify your majority customer base, and what kinds of requirements do they generally look for in your products?

Most of our customers are UK-based businesses looking for either a completely new company website or a redesign of an existing one. We are also interested in having more website design, PR and marketing agencies outsource to us. As an outsourcing option, we offer customisation services, good value and rapid turnaround. We listen carefully to our clients needs and always assign a dedicated project manager to them, providing friendly and reliable customer service.

3. In a web world where creative originality over content is so important, how much emphasis do you place on providing templates or bespoke services that can easily be tailored?

We agree that creative originality is paramount and most of our clients expect this of us. We provide a dual service of both full bespoke design as well as templates which can be either taken ‘off the shelf’ or customised in line with the client’s requirements (we always provide clients with the full source code file).

4. Which products or service types are proving most popular with Rich Media House clients these days?

Our most popular service is website design (including flash and custom programming) but the vast majority of our clients end up hosting with us as well and increasing numbers of clients use our online marketing packages as well. Simply having a website is not enough anymore, people also want large volumes of highly targeted traffic as well.

5. From the little guy starting his first home page to the more serious eCommerce outfit, what price points do you have for delivering great site templates or services?

We custom build entire websites at prices starting from £499. Adding flash, content management, e-commerce or login systems all adds to the price. Many people have started their own website design company from such outsourced custom design services.

6. The templates you’ve provided for us have been specially designed by an in-house team. Can you tell us a little bit about that team and the experience you have at your disposal?

We use a team of ten programmers and six designers which ensures our websites are both functional and aesthetic. We also have a specialist team of four for search engine optimisation. Our depth of expertise and experience is evidenced by the fact that we are Adobe Solution Partners and Google Adwords Professionals.

Our web designers embrace the latest software, accessibility guidelines, usability recommendations and world wide standards from industry bodies such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and are able to deliver solutions in over 20 programming languages including the latest and best technologies such as XHTML, CSS, XML, Adobe Flash, Adobe ColdFusion, Microsoft.NET and Java..

7. Would you ever accept original template submissions from budding designers if they were commercially viable?

Absolutely, we welcome creative input from others and an exchange of ideas is always exciting.

8. If you weren't doing what you do, what business would Rich Media House take on instead and why?

We have a very broad range of services from website design, hosting and online marketing. Having diversified our range of services over the years, we are now really focussing on delivering a quality service in all areas. We aim to become the preferred outsourcing option for many website designers, allowing them to focus on sales and marketing whilst we use our expertise in design and programming to deliver high quality websites.

What is it in general that sets Rich Media House apart from other web design consultancy firms in this market, and are there any projects or specific products you’d like to refer to?

Since we offer website design, hosting and marketing services, our relationships with clients are often longer term and our interests are in line with theirs. Our professional and multidisciplinary teams provide high quality bespoke designs (as well as templates), rapid turnaround and good value for money. We use cutting edge web technology in our designs, have a very wide range of programming and design expertise and ensure our websites are search friendly and accessible. We always assign a dedicated Project Manager to each client and provide full after sales support and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We are an ambitious and rapidly expanding firm and wish to empower agencies with our expertise in design and programming, allowing everyone to play a role in the exciting industry of new media.

Rich Media House Ltd - Company Profile

Rich Media House Ltd is an independent, privately held limited company which launched in 2004 and which aims to provide a comprehensive range of website design, hosting and marketing services to Startups, SMEs, Corporate clients, the Public Sector and as an outsourcing option for other website design firms. We ensure that each website we build maximises its aesthetic appeal and functionality and allows for seamless navigation of content.

Over the past year we have produced over 30 websites and flash presentations, our website designers embrace the latest software, accessibility guidelines, usability recommendations and worldwide web standards from industry bodies such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). We are able to deliver solutions in over 20 programming languages and we always assign a dedicated project manager to each client (providing a single point of contact), we don’t use templates, always design bespoke and provide comprehensive after sales support.

We are a registered member of the UK Web Design Association, Adobe Solution Partners and Google Advertising Professionals. We are registered with the Data Protection Act 1998 and have also adopted the Information Security Management standard BS7799. Rich Media House Ltd will conduct its business fairly, impartially, in an ethical and appropriate manner, in accordance with the company’s values, and in full compliance with all UK laws and regulations. The highest standards of ethical business conduct and compliance are required of people associated with Rich Media House in the performance of their company responsibilities.

If you are interested in our reseller service, please contact us at: sales@richmediahouse.com or 0800 195 7528..