Account Servicing Guide

Here’s a guide I share with new account servicing teams who join my company, Paprika. These are methods of working I’ve picked up through the years and working styles I‘ve come to value and see in individuals that stand out.

The following areas are covered:

A) A MOMENT BEFORE WE PLUNGE IN
Given the pace of work and the lack of time seniors in the industry have to mentor new account & client servicing teams, it is easy to get caught up with project work so much so that you end up “running around like a headless chicken”.

Make a constant effort to stop and ask yourself these questions from time to time.
a. What role do you serve as client services?
- Are you a messenger carrying messages back and forth or do you contribute more?
- If your role is a messenger, isn’t it easier for the client to speak directly to the creative team?
- Do you help clarify and adjust the needs and requirements according to what you think is best?
- Do you check work before sending it to the client to make sure its accurate and correct or do you just send it through without looking at it? Do you catch mistakes or do you let mistakes reach the client?

b. Are you a problem solver in the client agency relationship?

c. Is it a true relationship you are in or is it one-sided?

d. How much initiative do you have?
- Do you wait for deadlines to be missed or do you chase both your colleagues and your clients to meet deadlines set?

e. How much time do you spend on keeping your skills relevant?

f. How much time do you spend on learning new things?

The greater your ability to solve problems, the more your colleagues and your clients will rely on and respect you.

The better you understand your client and be able to get a sense of what they will approve / not approve, the greater your value as an account servicing person.

The more time you spend reading, surfing, watching, listening, testing and playing with new technology, the faster you’ll grow in this industry.

A piece of advice I’d like to offer is that communications is not about drawing lines. It’s about integration across all lines (ATL, BTL, POSM & Digital), all disciplines (PR, CRM, events & communications) and all channels that a customer engages with.

Times are changing the dynamics of our industry and we’re fast moving away from advertising to communicating and engaging.

B) OUTLINE OF WORK AREAS

C) THE BASICS OF ACCOUNT SERVICING
1. Organisational Skills
2. Time Management
3. Written Communications & Presenting Information
4. Relationship Building

D) BEYOND THE BASICS
1. Watch, Listen, Read & Understand
2. Communicating
3. The Art Of Presentation
4. Knowing Which Buttons To Press
5. Difficult Clients

Jermynisms’ Account Servicing Guide (PDF-188KB)

Let me know if you found this useful.