From Valued Vendor to Trusted Partner
When agencies pitch new business, the focus is typically on the service offerings they can bring to the prospective client – presumably centered around solutions to achieve charted goals and objectives. But what happens after the deal is signed? Does the client consistently receive the attention they expect and deserve?
As an agency, it’s typical to view a suite of service offerings as your “product”– since that’s the reason clients want to work with you, and what won you the business in the first place, right? Similarly, in the online space, we’re often guilty of assuming that our multi-faceted approach to a client’s specific online needs is the reason clients hire us, and continue doing business with us. Yet, in survey after survey, year after year, clients consistently list an insufficient relationship as the number-one reason they look for a new agency – translation: poor client service. So why do so many agencies miss the mark in this respect? I would contend it’s a combination of weakened focus and that age-old relationship killer, complacency.
After tours of duty at big and small agencies, I’ve seen many different approaches to client service. I can safely say I’ve seen the good, the bad, and occasionally even the ugly. That said, there are key components common to any effective client service approach – let’s call them the three P’s; Persistence, Proactivity, and Partnership.
Persistence might seem a “no-brainer,” but it’s amazing how many times this simple component is neglected. All good client service teams must be prepared to do whatever it takes to help the client’s business succeed. This could be as simple as spending a late night in the office ensuring a project is delivered to meet the high standards set by you and your agency. Only a relentless drive toward mutual success will best support a long-term, fruitful relationship.
So persistence is what begins to separate you from the masses, but it’s not acceptable to simply react with persistence – you must proactively identify and develop creative ways to help your client’s business succeed. Often this falls well outside the scope of your current engagement, but if you’re in it for the long haul, and truly in tune with the challenges to your client’s business, you must maintain this proactive mindset. It’s what agencies did back in the day, when it was more about making the client successful, rather than just producing the next great campaign.
If the first two P’s begin to separate the good from the average, the final P represents the shift from good to great. But this critical move from vendor to partner can only happen over time, with consistency and commitment. This means truly and verifiably adding value to your client’s business, and of course their bottom line. It takes walking the halls of the client to really understand their challenges, customers, and culture; attending conferences within their industry for meaningful insight into the competition, and trends; and generally treating their business as your very own. The most productive client/agency relationships blur the lines between the two separate organizations, and effectively function and produce at a much higher level. With traditional barriers removed, this is where the magic happens.
The client services team is more than just the face of the agency – it’s the heartbeat of a successful relationship… and ultimately the relationship is what it’s all about.
