The quality of the service provided is evaluated by each company as one of the indicators of customer satisfaction with it. Of course, it is very difficult to attract customers, but their retention is no less great work.
Both of these functions are often performed by the account manager. He is the link between the customer and his company. His work is invisible, but extremely important for any organization that wants to establish itself in the market of services or goods and turn its name into a brand. Next, we will talk more about this post.
A new term is a well-forgotten old
In the English version, this intricate phrase sounds like an account-manager. Oddly enough, we are already familiar with its translation. Yes, this is a customer service manager - the vacancy is familiar and widespread. But still, some differences can be found. So, if you are an account manager, what kind of responsibilities will fall on your shoulders?
Selection of candidates
A specialist of this kind may consider the creation of a motivational base for the company's customers to constantly cooperate with her as his key occupation. Therefore, often his competent, professional work can be the key to the success of various events and projects, and possibly the positive reputation of the agency itself. A person applying for such a position should have a number of qualities. These are such as:
- Sociability. The ability of a person not only to communicate beautifully and competently, but also to conduct business negotiations, tempting to offer ideas for cooperation is the basis of the foundation in this profession!
- The ability to file yourself. Often, the account manager is the only person with whom the customer contacts and who for him will be the “face” of the company. So in the list of mandatory requirements you can often see a presentable appearance.
- Loyalty. A good customer service specialist can feel the desire and mood of his opponent and use them for his own purposes. He must skillfully combine the wishes of the boss and the requirements of the customer into one, while not forgetting about the purpose of the transaction.
- Stress resistance. Any work process always involves the emergence of objections when communicating or performing their professional duties in a tight time frame. Get ready for it!
- Skill to work in team. Sometimes it is this quality that helps to fulfill all the requirements quickly and efficiently.
- Quickly switch between tasks. It happens that one account manager is involved in several projects at different development levels.
The list of responsibilities under one project
So, we will consider those actions which the manager on work with clients should carry out.
The list of responsibilities includes:
- coordinate the plan of work with the client, the requirements of both parties (company - customer);
- establish and develop strong long-term partnerships;
- timely provide the client with the required project information;
- organize the production process, starting with the development of a plan and the collection of information and ending with the monitoring of the work of performers and other specialists;
- carry out paperwork (execution of acts, contracts, reports);
- track the timeliness of payment of bills, prevent debt;
- It is profitable to present the company's services to the client;
- be able to work with objections;
- conclude transactions as a result of positive business meetings;
- analyze the results of cooperation in order to identify the causes of dissatisfaction, claims from the customer;
- be able to take operational measures to eliminate them;
- Develop customer loyalty programs.
The list is quite impressive, but for a specialist who has at least minimal experience in the business field, the listed tasks will no longer seem insoluble.
Who does this specialist work with?
As already mentioned, many business processes in the company depend on the correct actions of the account manager. This is due to the fact that according to the duties of his duties, he contacts not only with the client, but also with other support departments and specialists. So, for example, they can entrust him with cooperation with:
- usability by specialists (in the case of a site and other information resources);
- copywriters;
- analytical department of the company;
- SEO – specialists responsible for the promotion of a resource, brand, service or product;
- contextual advertising developers.
In the case of a long-term or labor-intensive project, the obligatory coordination of actions with these employees rests with the client base specialist.
What can’t be expected from an account manager?
You need to immediately clarify that the person in this position is not involved in sales and is not associated with them. His area of activity is consulting, that is, participation in business processes, their control at various levels and adjusting the work of the above specialists. Therefore, to make a complaint to this employee about a decrease in company sales or orders from the online store site will be fundamentally wrong.
He has completely different tasks - satisfying customer desires and adjusting the work of all departments of the company in accordance with them. Then one more prerequisite that the account manager faces will be fulfilled - attracting customers, concluding deals for long-term and mutually beneficial progressive cooperation. These two tasks, of course, are interconnected, and a knowledgeable professional knows how to combine them in the best way.
To summarize
Yes, an account manager is not an easy job, but interesting, useful and in demand. Many businessmen started in this position and became successful, as it provides the necessary skills for doing business with clients. Do not think that you are waiting only for the office and dull paperwork. In fact, in any company, the account manager very rarely has to spend his working day in four walls. And all thanks to the fact that this position involves high activity.