11 common Client service mistakes and how to deal with them

Recently I posted an article highlighting the 5 key learnings I believe one can take from Robert Solomon's 'The Art of Client Service', a book which offers top tips and advice for delivering the best service to our Clients.

If I’ve learned anything however from working in the Agency world as an Account Man for over 10 years, it’s this - shit happens. And it happens regardless of who we are, how many books we've read or how meticulously we plan for it not to.

In fact it's extremely rare for campaigns to roll out without hitches, unforeseen bombshells or pitfalls we can do almost nothing to avoid. It's the nature of this wonderful beast we've chosen to try and tame.

Likewise, the relationships we are responsible for managing and nurturing, both from a Client and internal perspective, can often be tested and pushed to breaking point, again seemingly from out of nowhere. The best we can hope for is to come out the other side unscathed by performing at our optimum, remaining vigilant as team leaders and proactive forward thinkers.

Even when we do plan ahead and apply best practice however, we can still make the odd mistake from time to time. Below are 11 of the more common gaffes we can all be guilty of making as members of the Account management department at some point throughout our careers, and how we might seek to tackle them if and when they do happen.

Mistake 1: Getting visibly frustrated with the Client

We've all been there. Round after round of feedback, refining the minutia with our Client and they're finally happy with our layout, script, storyboard, animatic or concept. Before signing off on it however, "as a formality" they need to share it with their Head of Marketing and/or legal department for one final approval. Low and behold at 8pm that evening, we receive an email littered with bullet points and red type. Having previously been complimentary of the work, our Client has suddenly become 'concerned' about the font/headline/idea/layout/hierarchy/music etc having received opinions from their 'higher ups'. In some ways, it's literally back to the drawing board. It can be easy to feel frustrated and disillusioned in instances like these, but they can and do happen often. Failure to take a deep breath can often result in us sending a prickly or blunt email response we'll regret or a frustration-fuelled, knee-jerk phone call that may make us appear defensive and combative - we'll spend the next few weeks trying to mend the damage of these types of responses.

How to deal with it

In cases like the above we should take a short break, go for a walk or engage with our team-mates rather than immediately reacting with an email or picking up the phone in frustration. When it does come time to write our response, we must try to remain constructive - present solutions, not problems. Keep 'push backs' to only the comments the Agency fundamentally disagrees with and support these with supporting rationale and/or evidence. Then read back through our response, not only to identify any spelling mistakes and syntax errors but also to sense check our tone. Could we be a little less direct? Are we being defensive? Or constructive? Have we discussed the feedback with our team first? Are we presenting solutions and clear rationales that will generate understanding and take the Client on the journey that our team have been on? Emails written in frustration, if interpreted as overly defensive or divisive, can cause long lasting damage to the relationships we've worked so hard to solidify. A 5 minute pause to consider our retort can be the difference between a spiteful or resentful sounding response and a constructive one.

Mistake 2: Over-Promising & Under-Delivering

There is no quicker way to weaken a Client relationship than failing to follow through on our commitments. This could mean anything from promising that a deliverable will be sent on a certain day and not delivering it on time, to committing to deliver something extra then not executing on that at all.

We genuinely mean well when we give assurances to our Clients. After all, we want to be as helpful as possible and deliver precisely what we committed to. But sometimes circumstances beyond our control can cause delays or complications in the process that can snowball contributing towards missed milestones/deadlines, 'slippage' and outputs that don't ultimately meet the Client's requirement or expectations. Plotting delivery deadlines for material dispatch day for example should always be avoided to allow additional time to address any unforeseen hiccups.

How to deal with it

We can set ourselves up for success by being strategic up front and setting realistic expectations for ourselves and our Clients. Under-promising allows us to over-deliver, surprise and delight our Clients.

While over-promising and under-delivering does happen from time to time, it can start undermining our Client relationships when it becomes a regular occurrence. To prevent this from happening, we should try setting internal deadlines with our team and separate external deadlines with our Clients. This way, we are able to provide a cushion between the time the task needs to be completed and the time the deliverable needs to be shared. These should not be branded internally as a 'faux deadline' (every Creative's favourite term) but rather as a safety net for the benefit of the team should it be required.

Mistake 3: Allowing an 'Us vs Them' mentality

Most of us have had our fair share of “difficult” Clients – the ones that never seem satisfied regardless of us helping to achieve even their most successful end results or the ones who can be just plain nasty and unpleasant to work with simply because they feel that as they are are effectively paying for our time, we should simply be 'yes men'. As tough as it can be in cases like this to not to be disparaging of the Client internally or vent about them with the rest of the team, as team leaders, we need to rise above it and keep the sentiment around those we work with upbeat, constructive and positive.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s realistic and necessary to have discussions about Clients who are detrimental to team morale or quickly becoming the account no-one wants to work on. But it's also important for the team to remember who ultimately pays our bills regardless of whether the team agree with the Client's insistence on (for example) the size of the logo, the positioning of the headline or the casting of the TVC. They may not like it but when we boil it down, without our Clients we'd have nothing to work on at all.

How to deal with it

As Client service professionals, it is imperative that we always remember that our Agency is in many ways an extension of our Clients’ marketing teams. Of course, there will be situations in which disagreements on strategy or frustrations over implementation may cause tension. But, regardless of how things are going, we constantly need to remind ourselves and our team-mates that we all have the same common goal – to deliver the best work and outcomes possible. And that this is also what the Client wants to achieve.

If that means being the bigger person from time to time (no matter how frustrating it can be), it is our responsibility as Account people to do right by the Client whilst also nipping any negative internal chat in the bud rather than allowing or contributing towards any of it. It achieves little and creates a culture of animosity that is never conducive for the creation of amazing work.

Mistake 4: Not giving credit to our wider Agency team

When it comes to delivering top class creative campaigns, it really takes a 'village' to be successful, even if we may feel at times that it is us in the Account team who dig deepest, work longest, take the most heat and make the biggest sacrifices to make things happen for both our internal partners and Clients alike. The reality remains however that we are just one important cog in a machine of moving parts with each one playing an integral role.

As the main points of contact with the Client we are often the only recipients of their gratitude and plaudits at various points throughout the delivery of a campaign. 'Thank You' gifts, invitations to events/wrap up dinners and the like are often addressed to us directly. In some cases it can be easy to forget to share that recognition with our peers.

Equally, when we're up against the wall to deliver, we can be very demanding of our inter-departmental partners particularly to keep on top of timings and to meet Client expectations. Neglecting to show appreciation for or taking for granted the hard work of our colleagues during and following projects is another bad habit we can be guilty of falling into at times. And our colleagues in the Creative department in particular can have very long memories. It's therefore important we don't blow our own trumpet even when we feel we're deserving of it.

How to deal with it

We should always ensure that we give credit where credit is due, showing each of our team members that we recognise and appreciate the insightful strategies, amazing ideas and world class designs that 'wow' our Clients on a daily basis. Speaking from personal experience, this will motivate our colleagues to continue going above and beyond for us whilst further strengthening the Client-Agency relationship by ensuring quality outputs remain the focus moving forward. When a Client shares positive feedback and appreciation with us directly, we should always extend it to our wider Agency peers and at the same time remind our Client that it takes a team effort to make the 'magic' happen. We couldn't do it without the talent and effort from the teams we're privileged to work alongside. They're the ones who make us look good so we should always seek to return the favour.

Mistake 5: Stalling the tough Client conversations

As I mentioned earlier, the unforeseen occurs in almost every project. Something going wrong, or not panning out as we would have hoped is commonplace in this industry especially when it comes to taking ideas from sketches on paper and making them into a tangible reality. Sometimes, for example, the original vision doesn't ultimately translate to meet the expectations of all stakeholders. Equally, throughout the process of a campaign being delivered, oversights, errors of judgement, slip-ups, miscommunications or miscalculations can occur that will necessitate us, as the main point of contact, making a request for additional financial investment from the Client. Difficult news like this can be something we are inclined to 'sit on', waiting for the 'right moment' to break it to our Client. We might ponder for example if perhaps they'll react more favourably if they receive the news on a Friday afternoon when they're likely to be winding down towards the weekend? Maybe we'll stall until we feel we have some good news to offset the bad with? These are thoughts that can run through our heads when considering how we're going to present a problem, particularly when more money is going to be the only solution.

How to deal with it

If we find ourselves in a situation where we must deliver bad news to a Client, we shouldn't avoid it or put it off simply because it is a difficult conversation to have. Promptly try delivering the news strategically by balancing it out with a plan for addressing the problem. Being able to handle the difficult conversations strategically is what separates the good Account people from great ones. We need to be prepared with a plan of action for how our team is going to remedy the situation and/or help the Client understand why, in some cases, more money is the only solution. If we do need to ask for additional funds, we should explain how we've kept the extra costs to a minimum and where the money will be invested. It is never a good look to point at problems without a suggested resolution, even if that solution isn’t 100% perfect however, it at least shows our Clients that we are working through a plan.

While it may be a little awkward early on, the more transparent we are, the more respect we earn from the all stakeholders - internally and externally. It helps us build a healthy foundation with our Clients and allows them to rest easy in the knowledge that if an issue arises in the future, we won’t hide it from them. Transparency is the foundation of trust. A relationship built on trust can only go from strength to strength. If we or someone who reports into us makes a mistake, we must never point the finger, rather we should own up to it and take accountability. This will allow us to develop a reputation for integrity, leadership and it will become the anchor for all of our successful relationships.

Mistake 6: Conversational faux pas

This is a trap it can be easy to fall into, especially given some of the situations we are placed in such as when entertaining Clients or making small talk before a meeting kicks off. But there are certain topics that should be avoided when making conversation - these include politics, religion, industry gossip, speaking ill of or badmouthing another Client, team-mate or colleague and revealing personal or intimate details about our social life (unless we deem it appropriate to do so) that might be interpreted as inappropriate. It's important to remember that it takes a long time to build our reputations with Clients but it can take just a few seconds to damage them.

How to deal with it

Filling an uncomfortable silence with meaningful conversation (beyond weather, footy and traffic chat) is not always easy, but it's important to remember that there is a time and place for everything. Whilst establishing professional rapport with our Clients is of course a desirable outcome, this should not be at the expense of tarnishing our reputation or that of the Agency we represent. Stick to conversations that could not be interpreted as being controversial, taboo or intruding on any personal boundaries. One tip (once we've caught up on sports banter of course) might be to showcase our category expertise by chatting about some industry news we've heard along the grapevine, perhaps a competitor campaign or category trend we've read about. Another might be discussing upcoming 'pipeline' work or new business opportunities where the Agency might be able to assist with a solution. Establishing common ground and chemistry with Clients need not feel like a first date. Keep it professional, positive and out of the gutter and we'll set ourselves up for success.

Mistake 7: Not holding Internal & External teams accountable

Let's face it. When it really comes down to it, if a project is not rolling out as it should, the blame tends to fall on the shoulders of the Account team. Perhaps milestones are not being met, scope creep is taking place, the creative response is not answering the brief to the Client's expectations or feedback is coming in dribs and drabs rather than being consolidated in one response. These are just some examples of regular occurrences that can and do take place throughout our projects if we don't hold the appropriate stakeholders accountable for delivering their responsibilities and commitments in accordance with the schedule we've agreed to.

How to deal with it

Sometimes, we need to play the bad cop. We should never be afraid to make internal and external teams accountable. Checking in with our internal team regularly to ensure that all deliverables are being executed and are on time (commonly referred to as 'chasing') is an area we need to take ownership of. Schedule in internal reviews and touch base with key stakeholders to check on the status of their responsibility. We must also always refer back to the approved brief throughout to ensure everything remains on strategy. Not only does this help us keep tabs on the project, but it also allows the team to discuss any problems or hurdles with us.

Although it can be tricky, we also can't forget to hold our Clients accountable for holding up their end of the bargain. Sticking to review schedules and feedback dates can be difficult for them, especially if they have to run it through their legal or regulatory teams. However, delays in the receipt of feedback throughout our projects, conflicting or contradictory Client comments or receiving it in bits and pieces (rather than it being consolidated) can sometimes be detrimental to the timely and efficient delivery of a campaign and we should not be afraid to clearly communicate this as a risk to the effective roll out of the activity when it does happen.

Mistake 8: Not understanding the Client industry

This is a big one. It's crucial to know our Clients – and their business – inside out. A deep and comprehensive understanding of how their industry works, their recent history, the category, their positioning in the market, what the competitors are saying and how they're saying it can go a long way towards setting us up to help our Clients solve their business problems. Failure to do so can expose us as a weak link, give us the appearance of offering no added value, being apathetic or lackadaisical (effectively just a nodding head in a boardroom) and make it difficult for us to earn the trust and respect of the people responsible for channelling briefs (and therefore revenue) into our Agency.

How to deal with it

It may not be fun, but we need to roll our sleeves up and conduct our own market research - and we need to do it at least once a year (if not more frequently). Thankfully, this doesn’t have to mean focus groups and extensive polling. So much information is available online via the likes of YouTube, Industry & marketing websites and our Client's website. Equally, category research tools such as BigDatr, WARC and ibisworld can offer us a comprehensive overview of the market we're playing within.

We need to study the market carefully, and work with our Clients to understand who they're targeting and the insights we can leverage to add meaning to their brands. A combination of our own market research and our Client's supplied insights gives us a clear understanding of who we’re speaking to, and how best to speak to them. At the end of the day, Clients are paying for our expertise and if our research reveals something they may not have heard of, it’s our job to inform them. It will gain us respect in the long run, and respect strengthens our relationships.

Mistake 9: Not keeping the Client in the loop

In the often stressful pressure cooker of campaign delivery, when we're knee deep in internal creative reviews, versioning outputs, organising logistics, tracking time vs budgets, working through media plans, setting up suppliers and the myriad of other activities we tend to be responsible for, it can be easy to take for granted how important it is to proactively keep the Client updated on the status of the project they've briefed us to deliver for them.

Failure to keep our Clients in the loop can give them the wrong impression of us - that we're not taking their project seriously, that we're hiding something from them, that we're coasting or that we simply are not prioritising their brief.

Given a Client’s numerous priorities beyond advertising (such as PR, media planning, sales strategy, customer support, product development, market research, product pricing, distribution and community involvement) they can be pulled in a number of different directions and won't often have time to contact us to check on things. It therefore becomes our responsibility to be proactive communicators so they are not kept in the dark on where we are with everything.

How to deal with it

Regular check-ins may seem surplus to requirement or even gratuitous, but they are critical to the success of our ongoing engagements. Scheduling time to update the Client on WIP allows us to stay top-of-mind and encourages critical information sharing. As 'suits' we represent the Client internally and must always demonstrate that we have their best interests (and of course, business objectives) at heart. Proactively and periodically updating them either in person, via email or over the phone will keep the Client aligned and reassure them that we have everything under control allowing them in turn to update the senior stakeholders on their end and build our reputations as being a dependable and communicative Agency partners they see real value in continuing to work with.

Mistake 10: Not sharing our opinion on the creative

Creatives put a lot of time and effort into their craft. Generating ideas under time pressures, armed only with the creative briefs we supply them, they are the cornerstones of our industry weaving stories that capture the imaginations of audiences we're targeting wherever they might be. Before the first creative presentation is delivered to our Clients, internal creative reviews are scheduled in for the Agency team to assess the progress of the response. Within these creative reviews the Account team are given the opportunity to share our opinions on the progress of a creative territory or idea. It's an important part of the process, but there can be instances where we find it difficult to praise or critique the work of our peers, especially earlier in our careers or when starting out in a new role. Our inclination at times is to sit on the fence and not share our true feelings on the work we're shown during these reviews, to keep our creative colleagues onside or because we feel our opinions are irrelevant and not as significant as the Creative Director's or those from the planning department.

How to deal with it

Although our creative brethren might not necessarily admit it, we suits play an integral part of the creative review process. As the co-writers of the brief (usually in conjunction with a planner) and as acting brand or product experts within our Agencies, we are the closest thing to being the Clients within the team. So who better to share their opinion than us? Sure it's not our speciality, and we may not always have the keenest eye for aesthetic or design, but sharing our constructive opinions in a review garners us the respect of our peers and adding value to the session makes us more than just a nodding head in a corner. To give our feedback meaning however, it's important however that we offer thoughtful rationales for why we believe an idea will or won't work as opposed to simply offering closed, unhelpful opinions like "I don't like it" or "I think it's great".

Mistake 11: Inaccurate Client estimates

When we estimate a fee for a project, a number of factors go into the mix.  Client budget plays a role as does the anticipated delivery date, but the most important factor tends to be the amount of Agency resource (time) we believe we'll need to allocate to the project. This includes the services we're offering to craft a solution like Account service time, strategy, art direction, design, copy writing, finished art, proofing, file prep, etc. All are steps in the process for delivering most advertising campaigns we're briefed on. When pulling together an estimated project cost, we make a determination of the steps in the process with an anticipated number of hours required to complete each step. For larger projects we often do this in conjunction with a 'scope of works' which clearly outlines what exactly will be delivered in terms of concepts, outputs and versions.

As projects change and evolve our estimates can become inaccurate very quickly, which requires that we either submit additional estimates to the Client or run the risk of over spending on internal hours and effectively overdelivering on value. It's why capturing as much information in our estimates is critical.

One trap we can often fall into throughout this process is clearly defining what is included as being 'in scope vs out of scope' for our Clients. The following are examples of the types of questions that can cause issues if not agreed up front: What exactly are they getting for their investment at each point of the project? What is a 'version' of an ad vs a 'resize'? Can layered 'masters' of creative be handed over for the Client in house team to roll out? What counts as a 'round of feedback'. What do 'Contingencies' or 'Miscellaneous' line items cover in each estimate? If these are not spent can they be re-allocated? What is the internal Production allowance vs any third party Production budget? Does any unspent Production budget need to be refunded to the Client? When must the Client pay for the work being delivered? What happens if we spend all of the estimated hours and the job remains incomplete? The list goes on...

Failure to work through the types of questions above with our Clients can often result in our Agencies significantly overdelivering and undercharging on value which over several projects can see us effectively running our Account (our part of the Agency business) at a loss and causing unnecessary stress and tension for all stakeholders particularly at the pointy end of a project.

How to deal with it

Asking the right questions, and getting the specifics from the Client up front is necessary to truly understand a project and be able to accurately forecast the time and resources required to get a job done to the high standards our Agency and Client expects (and therefore charge them appropriately). For example: What is the requirement? Is the scope clearly defined? How many territories are they hoping to see? Is there a media plan? What are the deliverables? Is there a budget we need to work within? Understanding as much of this detail up front will go a long way towards us generating an estimate and scope that is as accurate, fair and unambiguous.

Further to this, throughout the project we should always endeavour to track our team's hours and budgets, sharing these regularly with our Clients in the spirit of collaboration, for transparency and so as to mitigate against any unexpected surprises. This will also allow instances where hours are running low or resources are being exceeded vs the approved estimate to be addressed and dealt with by key project stakeholders on both the Agency and Client side as and when they happen. Doing so will see us avoid significant overdelivery on resources or open up opportunities for requesting additional investment to see the project through to completion within a newly defined budget.

Summing up

No one is perfect. I have personally made most of the 'slip-ups' above at some point in my career, but the greatest thing about mistakes is that they are our most influential teachers. They make us better at what we do in the long run (although it almost never seems that way at the time).

Whether due to a lack of focus, understanding, guidance or diligence, mistakes will happen. But they help us grow, evolve and guide us to discover who we truly are. Preparing ahead, due diligence and a pro-active approach will serve us well in avoiding many of the above key mistakes all together. But if and when they do happen, the key is knowing how to rectify the situation ensuring that the Client still receives the best customer service, despite some bumps along the way to a resolution. When we recognise the inevitability of mistakes as part of our ongoing careers we begin to relax more and in doing so, make fewer of them.

Mistakes need to be seen not as a failure to learn, but as a guide to what still needs to be learned. As Thomas Edison once said, "I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." We're all going to make mistakes, it's just a question of choosing how we approach them. Are we going to finger-point or pretend they didn't happen? Or are we going to take responsibility and try to learn from them? The choice, as always, is ours.