Account managers are a vital part of an agency’s team, as they focus on serving customers and building relationships with them. This department is the bridge between clients and specialists. That said, managing client accounts can come with its own challenges. Here, we look at how to organise the process and maintain a healthy client-agency relationship.

What is Account Management?

Account management is the process of handling and overseeing projects, business relationships, as well as ensuring client satisfaction. More specifically, an account manager is the one who oversees and manages a customer’s account within a company and fosters the agency-client relationship.  

Typically, an account manager’s responsibilities within a digital marketing agency include communicating with clients, understanding their requirements and business objectives, pitching effective digital campaigns, and collaborating with internal departments to deliver successful solutions and achieve desired KPIs.  

With account managers being the point of contact between agency and client, communications are smoothed out. This arrangement also allows agency specialists to focus on delivering services to achieve better results, while account managers keep clients updated of their progress.

What are some Top Account Management ‘Musts’?

The exact responsibilities of an account manager can vary depending on the business and sector they work in, as well as the type of clients they work with. Nevertheless, there are a few common tasks and duties that an account manager must provide to effectively manage their client’s accounts. 

Communicate with clients clearly 

Account managers must clearly communicate with and actively listen to the clients they work with. This way, they can better understand the client’s needs, challenges, goals, and expectations. Effective communication is a must when it comes to establishing and maintaining a good relationship, writing detailed reports, and making professional presentations. A good account manager is one who can clearly explain their company’s products or services and discuss their benefits persuasively, without being pushy.

Understand the client’s industry

To better serve their clients, account managers must immerse themselves in the client’s world and stay on top of their industry’s developments. Having a strong knowledge of the client’s industry shows commitment and expertise. It also allows them to make better-informed decisions and ask the right questions to guide marketing strategies and campaigns.

Collaborate with internal teams effectively

Account managers need to collaborate with their company’s internal teams effectively to deliver solutions that align with their client’s goals, budgets, and timelines. This starts with identifying resource gaps your client may have and making use of internal specialists within the company. It is important to remember there is no one-size-fits-all strategy, and any approach should be fully justified and offer the best chances of success regarding the client’s business objectives.

Provide transparent reports and results

When it comes to reporting the results of campaigns and services delivered, transparency is crucial. For example, in a marketing agency, a team might spend money running advertisements on behalf of a client. In this case, the client should always know what they are spending and how their budget is being allocated. Marketing teams will also need to justify their decisions and show the impact of their decisions both qualitatively and quantitatively.  

Account managers need to identify how to best present the strategy and data to their clients, by firstly identifying the relevant information to include. The format or layout of the report should also be taken into consideration, as they should match the client’s expectations and preferences.

When reporting is transparent and easy to understand, account managers can build trust and rapport with their clients, which is the bedrock of any strong professional relationship. Moreover, providing regular, comprehensive reports helps clients better understand the impact of the strategies being implemented, as well as identify areas that can be improved or optimised.

Solve problems that arise

The business landscape in most industries is ever-changing, and companies are met with roadblocks and challenges that can arise unexpectedly. Account managers should keep a cool head and be adaptable and responsive should any issues come up when they are managing an account. By being attentive to clients’ needs and staying one step ahead of the competition, businesses can deliver exceptional results and keep clients satisfied.

Account Management Know-Hows

Whether you are working with an account manager or as one, below are some points to consider to make the cooperation as smooth as possible and build a strong company-client relationship.

Set clear expectations

One of the most important ways for companies and clients to maintain a good relationship is through effective expectation management. Setting clear expectations from both sides is a good way to establish trust and align needs and resources. It also helps to prevent misunderstandings from arising and can ensure both parties are on the same page.

Account managers can clearly communicate the capacity their internal teams have and the extent to which they will be able to provide solutions. Clients, on the other end of the table, can identify important points of contact for account managers and how much support they can afford from their own teams.

Set realistic goals for projects

Another way to achieve win-wins for both account managers and client teams is to set realistic goals for projects. As experts of the industry, clients should have a good idea of what they want to achieve among their competitive landscape, while account managers should be well-versed in the services and solutions their company provides. Together, they should come together to set realistic goals that are actionable to maximise the chances of project success.

One way to ensure goals are realistic and reasonable is to use the SMART framework:

• Specific: A specific goal outlines information on what is to be accomplished, who is involved, what steps need to be taken, and what resources are available.
• Measurable: While being specific is a good start, quantifying goals makes it easier for people to track their progress and know when they have reached the finish line. Assessing progress helps clients stay focused, meet deadlines, and feel excited when they get close to hitting their objectives.
• Achievable: Goals should be realistic and attainable. Identify limitations and constraints that can set the project back or prevent both sides from reaching their goals early, so everyone is aware.
• Relevant: Ensure the goal is relevant to the objectives of the client. For example, you can ask yourself – how would this contribute to any long-term vision? Is this something that we should be focusing on right now?
• Time-bound: Goals need a target date so that people have a deadline to focus on. Consider the time horizon, especially when it comes to seasonal projects such as product launches and marketing campaigns. By setting goals that are potentially rewarding yet still attainable, account managers and clients can create a reasonable and realistic plan of action.

Establish regular check-ins

One final thing that both clients and account managers can do to nurture their relationship is to establish regular check-in points. This could mean keeping each other up to date on new developments from either side by jumping on a call or sitting in a physical meeting. Not only can this increase the sense of familiarity for both parties and build rapport, but it can keep everyone up to date and answer any questions that may have arisen. By checking in regularly, account managers and clients can have a strong understanding of how the project is going and eliminate any problems early, instead of letting them grow and fester.

Some final words

Account management is crucial for the smooth collaboration between companies and their clients. An effective account manager is one that has good communication and interpersonal skills and is proactive in anticipating and meeting client needs. However, as true in all collaborations, it takes two to achieve success. Clients can play their part by providing timely feedback and setting clear expectations, and they can provide sufficient information that account managers can work with. Finally, with regular check-ins, both sides can build rapport and ensure a successful relationship that can take both businesses to new heights.