Maintain transparency on both ends

Transparency is important and a key factor in building trust. We ensure all timelines for completing projects are made clear to all parties and provide frequent progress updates. By keeping everyone in the loop, we can all collaborate more effectively.

A key part of transparency involves being smart about our promises and keeping them.

• If we recommend a certain strategy or say we will do something, our actions must be consistent with our words.
• If something gets delayed, takes longer than expected, or changes scope in another way, we flag it as soon as possible to troubleshoot.

Be solutions-oriented

Speaking of troubleshooting…any good agency or work partner needs to come to the table with a problem-solving attitude. We want to be proactive in finding the solution before the client comes to us, not reactive.

So when an issue is identified, bringing it to the attention of the client is not enough.

• We also think through multiple solutions and present our recommendations to the client so we can all move forward.
• If we cannot solve an issue for whatever reason, we make sure to have a clear plan in place and options on how we can help them resolve the issue at hand.

Think ahead and think big picture

At the most basic level, our job is to help our clients execute high-performing digital marketing strategies. However, we strive to be a true thought partner to all our clients, someone they can trust, rely on for expertise, and whose opinion they seek and respect.

The best way we can be that partner to our clients is by thinking about their biggest-picture goals and long-term plans. Certainly, we recognize the importance and need of achieving short term-wins sometimes. But we never lose sight of the major things a client is trying to achieve and always seek to help them meet those goals.

Case study: doing right by our client

A client once asked us to recommend a strategy for their SMS communications and gave us access to their existing performance data to inform our proposal.

• As we reviewed the data it became clear that the brand was churning contacts (more unsubscribes per month than new subscribers) at an alarming and unsustainable rate.
• We flagged this as an urgent issue and proposed several strategies as part of the SMS communications plan to address this problem in our next meeting.

This wasn’t something we were asked to do; in fact, the client wasn’t aware of the issue until we brought it up. But taking the time to notice, identify, and troubleshoot these issues proactively goes such a long way in building mutual success.

Why it matters

Client relations are at the core of what keeps our business going; no clients means no business. It’s essential that we recognize the importance of customer satisfaction every day in every aspect of what we do to serve our clients. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because our success as an agency is directly linked to the success of our clients.

As a marketing agency, we apply our motto, “Make Every Message Matter” to our relationships with our clients. Every email, meeting, and touchpoint matters, and is another chance for us to create success.

Response Labs is a Capitol Communicator sponsor.