23 Klaviyo Agency Vetting Questions

Most brands don’t vet their Klaviyo agency hard enough. They get sold on a slick proposal, a few flashy logos, and promises of better results.

But when it comes time to execute? The cracks show fast.

Here’s the thing—Klaviyo is only as powerful as the team behind it. This isn’t just about sending nice-looking emails. It’s about knowing how to build smart flows, segment with purpose, manage data across platforms, and keep your emails landing in inboxes, not spam.

That’s where this guide comes in.

Below are 23 essential questions you can use to separate true Klaviyo partners from the ones just winging it. These aren’t surface-level. They’ll show you who actually understands email marketing—and who’s hoping you don’t ask too much.

New to hiring Klaviyo agencies? If you’re still evaluating what a Klaviyo email marketing agency actually does, how pricing works, and what services you should expect, our Complete Guide to Hiring a Klaviyo Email Marketing Agency breaks it all down for you.

Why Asking the Right Questions Matters When Hiring a Klaviyo Email Marketing Agency

Hiring a Klaviyo email marketing agency is more than offloading email work. It’s about bringing on a partner who can:

• Architect your entire lifecycle strategy
• Grow retention revenue without reliance on discounts
• Safeguard your sender reputation
• Own execution from strategy to send

The right agency won't just follow your direction. They'll make you rethink how email fits into your bigger growth engine.

The wrong one? They’ll slap on templated flows and cross their fingers.

Use this list to vet for actual expertise—not just pretty decks.

How to Use This Klaviyo Agency Checklist

These questions are made for sales calls, proposal reviews, and any “get to know you” conversations. Ask each one directly. Then go deeper based on what you hear.

Strong agencies will respond with confidence, detail, and examples.

Weak ones will hedge, deflect, or keep things vague.

Now, onto the questions.

Strategy & Differentiation Questions

1. How do you approach email marketing strategy in Klaviyo?

You want to hear about a real planning process—think: lifecycle stages, segmentation strategy, timing, and testing cadence.

2. How do you tailor strategy based on a brand’s lifecycle stage, list size, and revenue goals?

No two brands are the same. An agency should be able to explain how it shifts focus depending on where you are in your growth journey.

3. What KPIs do you prioritize in Klaviyo—and why?

Strong answers include:

• Revenue per Subscriber
• Customer Lifetime Value
• Repeat Purchase Rate
• Deliverability

...not just vanity metrics like "open rate".

4. What makes your Klaviyo agency different from other agencies we’re considering?

Look for a clear POV. Perhaps it’s niche expertise, unique frameworks, or a deep understanding of Klaviyo flow setup and automation logic.

Full-Service Klaviyo Support Questions

5. Are you a full-service Klaviyo marketing agency, or do you only manage email marketing?

This will tell you if they cover just email marketing or handle the full funnel—like email, sms, direct mail, loyalty, subscriptions, and reviews.

6. Do you handle all creative including content strategy, copywriting, and design?

You want to understand who’s doing the work. Are their strategists, designers, and builders on the same team, or spread across multiple contractors? Fragmented teams often struggle to move quickly and maintain consistency.

7. Who actually does the work in Klaviyo?

Ask directly: who logs in, builds the flows, sets up the campaigns, and tests deliverability? Agencies that take full ownership will be upfront about this. If they can't point to an experienced teammate, your team may be stuck with poor results.

Klaviyo Platform Expertise Questions

8. How experienced are you with Klaviyo specifically (not just email marketing in general)?

Being good at email isn’t enough. You need platform pros who work in Klaviyo daily, not just dabble.

9. Have you worked with Klaviyo accounts of our size and level of complexity?

Don’t just ask about subscriber count—ask how they’ve handled similar flows, integrations, and personalization for brands like yours.

10. How do you handle advanced segmentation and personalization in Klaviyo?

This is where skill shows up. Great agencies can explain how they use customer behavior, predictive tools, and smart filters to deliver the right message at the right time. That’s where real Klaviyo segmentation happens.

Klaviyo Integrations & Retention Ecosystem

11. Which Klaviyo integrations do you actively use and manage?

From loyalty platforms to helpdesks and review tools, the agency should have a solid grasp of how these connect and contribute to the broader retention picture.

12. How do you use those integrations to improve first purchase conversion and customer retention?

You’re looking for examples where they used multiple channels tools to optimize the customer journey.

13. How do you ensure data is mapped correctly between Klaviyo and our other tools?

You’ll want details on how they validate syncs—do they test flows after integration updates? Are they tracking consent fields, attribution tags, or custom events? It’s easy to break a system if you skip these steps.

Klaviyo Campaign Management Questions

14. How do you plan, build, and send Klaviyo campaigns each month?

Rather than improvising, solid agencies build a campaign calendar tied to product drops, list segments, and revenue goals. They’ll walk you through their creative process, not just the end result.

15. Who is responsible for quality assurance and ensuring campaigns are error-free before sending?

You’re looking for a system here, not hope. Ask how they verify links, test layouts across devices, and review content before sending. Too many brands overlook this step until it’s too late.

16. How do you test and optimize campaigns over time?

Ask for examples of tests they’ve run and what changed as a result. The best teams don’t just test once—they treat optimization as an ongoing rhythm. That’s what makes Klaviyo campaign management effective.

Klaviyo Automation (Flows) Questions

17. Which Klaviyo flows do you typically build first—and why?

Look for a prioritized flow roadmap. The good ones start with high-impact flows—like abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase, and winback—and can explain the rationale behind that sequence.

18. How do you customize flows beyond Klaviyo’s default templates?

Generic templates won’t cut it. The agency should discuss branching logic, event-based triggers, and tailoring content to different user behaviors or product categories.

19. How do you coordinate automations across channels (email, SMS, direct mail) to avoid over-messaging?

Their strategy should factor in channel fatigue, cadence balancing, and audience suppression. If you’re layering in SMS marketing, you need to control for message timing across platforms.

Deliverability, List Growth & Ongoing Ownership

20. Do you manage Klaviyo deliverability and DNS setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)?

Deliverability is mission-critical. A credible agency should take full responsibility for the proper setup and know how to address issues that may arise. If they push this back on you, that’s a red flag.

21. How do you monitor deliverability and inbox placement over time?

Ask what tools they use to track inbox rates, bounce trends, and sender reputation. Ongoing checks—not just one-time audits—are a must.

22. How do you approach email list growth in Klaviyo (pop-ups, forms, checkout capture)?

Their response should include how they design and optimize forms for different traffic types (mobile, desktop), test form timing, and create compelling offers that actually convert.

23. How often do you optimize list growth assets and acquisition performance?

This shouldn’t be a set-it-and-forget-it approach. A good agency reviews performance every quarter (or even monthly), running tests on design, timing, messaging, and incentives to maintain high performance.

Red Flags to Watch For

• Unclear answers about data syncing or segmentation logic
• No real plan for improving inbox placement
• Lack of a structured quality assurance or testing process
• Strategy is siloed from execution

Catch one or more of these? Time to keep looking.

Final Takeaway: How to Hire the Right Klaviyo Agency

Klaviyo’s not a silver bullet. It only works if the people running it know how to build real retention engines—ones that are customer-led, data-informed, and performance-driven.

If you want real lifecycle growth, don’t gloss over the details. Ask better questions. Push for clarity.

Look for a team that can think strategically and execute without friction.

That’s the difference between another vendor and a true growth partner.

Need a Klaviyo Agency that brings strategy, speed, and revenue results? Let’s talk.