What's important besides technology?

It feels like you can't impress anyone in the US with the same tech stack anymore; everyone has more or less the same: popular frameworks, modern CMS, responsive design. So when you read about the best web development companies USA, it becomes clear that it's no longer about the stack, but about the process: how the team manages the project, how they respond to edits, how honest they are about deadlines. The market is noticeably more focused on UX, analytics, and hypothesis testing, not just visuals. So, the "best" often turn out to be not those with a flashy website, but those with whom it's easy and stress-free to work remotely. What's more important to you when choosing a studio: specific technologies or the team's communication and development process?