One thing we see all too often in small to midsize agencies is the solo account executive. This means that the agency assigns an account executive to service an account and the AE basically assumes sole responsibility for that account. This is dangerous.
Account service is a team effort. Accounts need to see more than one person from your agency. Accounts deserve better than a single account executive, even if that AE is the best thing since sliced bread. Following are some reasons why you should make sure you double-team—and possibly even triple-team—your agency accounts.
You keep accounts longer. When more than one person services your accounts, you give yourself and your clients options. If the client has a question one member of the account service team can’t answer, they can turn to another, perhaps more senior service person. Also, chemistry is an important part of any ongoing agency/client relationship. When one person seems unable to cut it with a new contact, perhaps another can make the relationship thrive.
Two minds are better than one. When two people are focused on a particular account there is a higher level of substantive marketing going on. And, when two account service people say input or concepts are on target, the statement gains more credence with agency creative staff.
It’s tougher to lose the account. One of the most damaging issues in agency-client interaction is the agency switching account personnel because someone has left. Assigning two people to an account means there is less chance of losing that account through turnover.
You get better input. Have you ever played the “whisper down the lane” game? One person whispers something to the person sitting next to them, and so on and so on. By the time it gets to the end of the line, it generally doesn’t sound much like what the first person said. This often applies in account service situations. The clients speak to the AE, who speaks to the creative director, who speaks to the copywriter… In our experience, if two account service people are present at the input session, the input is clearer and more accurate.
You get more billings from the same account. It’s tough to win new business these days, but even tougher to lose accounts. The best of all worlds is to keep the accounts you have and expand your relationship with them. Partnered account service helps bring this about. More agency people roaming the clients' halls make more contacts and pick up more projects.
It’s a tradition. We’ve said this before, but classically, account service is a tri-level process.
The best agency account service departments are structured as follows:
Account Supervisor – The account supervisor is involved with more strategic client matters and attends the bigger, troublesome meetings, but generally does not work the accounts on a daily basis.
Account Executives (senior and junior) – These people handle the daily client relationship. They should be experienced and savvy enough to work with clients on a marketing level.
Account Coordinators – These are great young people who man the fort while the AEs and account supervisors are out-of-office. They handle all of the processes that happen as a result of the full-service, marketing-oriented client relationship the more experienced account executives have established. Needless to say, these younger folks are very promote-able, and form the nucleus for your next group of full-service account executives, leaving their positions open to hire more bright youngsters.
Of course in a smaller agency you can’t have someone in every seat, so the secret is to embrace the philosophy of bi- or tri-level account service by using your service team properly. We know one agency where the principal was the account supervisor, several full-time account executives did the daily service, and the receptionist was the account coordinator.
Restructure your client service into account teams and await the benefits.
