Accountability in the Agency-Client Relationship

We took this one on the chin. We accepted 100% of the blame. The client was happy and we continue to do good work for them, but truth be told: I was not entirely comfortable with the outcome and how we handled the meeting.

An emailer for one of our largest clients went wrong recently. We got called in and left the meeting taking most of the blame on the chin. It wasn't really a 50:50 or a 60:40, it was a 100:0 state of affairs. The customer is always right, the Account Manager handled it well, offered solutions to make sure it never happens again, and generally took it on herself. The client was happy, we kept the account, but I was left thinking is this really how this should play out? Where does client accountability begin and end in the client-agency relationship?

We have a great relationship with the client, and I know both parties enjoy working together and together we produce some great work.

In this instance, we were able to implement a fix within 30 minutes of clicking send to their client base, and only those recipients that opened the mail prior to the fix were exposed to the error - an incorrect link. The error was considered very serious due to the nature of the email and the Marketing Director called the meeting. We sent two agency partners and the Account Manager to the meeting. The Marketing Manager and Marketing Director were present from the clients' side.

Situationally this was the status, and I'm sure we'll all agree that none of the points below is out of the ordinary in the average daily exchange between agencies and clients around the world.

1.    The client requested multiple content changes to the emailer (even though the final signed-off content was delivered before design and development phases) and there were multiple stakeholders giving feedback. Our agency team eager please, allowed the multiple rounds (and sources) of feedback.

2.    The Marketing Manager had changed recently and a few months into the job was not yet as sharp as the previous individual in the position. Our Account Management and QA team had come to rely on a team effort between client and agency to pick up errors. It "was" effective.

3.    On the Marketing Manager's approval to send the mailer, our Account Manager suggested the individual run it by the Marketing Director before sending. The Marketing Manager declined the suggestion and told Account Manager to pull the trigger.

4.    The erroneous link was difficult to pick up. The links connected to two new company director profiles, and without knowing what the new directors look like - it was an easy error to make. Our developer did make the error. Our QA team did not pick it up. When agency management reviewed the error - we conceded it was a very easy error to make and then overlook in QA. The client overlooked it too.

So we took the blame, promised we would do better next time, and live on to fight another day.

We took this one on the chin. We accepted 100% of the blame. The client was happy and we continue to do good work for them, but truth be told: I was not entirely comfortable with the outcome and how we handled the meeting. Yes, we introduced the error as the developers of the email, but multiple iterations and sources of feedback can be a nightmare. I feel the client and agency are a team. There should be a sharing of responsibility. It was not for our Account Manager to take the heat here. The Marketing Manager got away scot-free, even though the Account Manager accommodated a poorly managed process from the client side and recognised this and called for the Marketing Director to check the email before sending.

1.    We should have pushed back at the multiple changes and sources of feedback much earlier. The agency was at fault here.

2.    The client has final sign-off accountability. The agency suggested one more high-level check from the client. The client was at fault here.

Where does the blame lie? My final analysis is that it's a 50:50. But how do you tell this to a Marketing Director who thinks it's you, and a Marketing Manager who is trying to avoid the blame? Easier said than done when you want to keep the account. So we took the blame, promised we would do better next time, and live on to fight another day.

Do you sit on client side or agency side? Have you recognised this situation in your client-agency relationship? What processes have you put in place to effectively handle this approval process under tight deadlines so that it doesn’t result in problems down the line? Share your comments with me below.