Making sure client's vision shapes the final product
As client service manager at Eight Custom Media, Ellis Tsang ensures that writers, editors, designers and web producers convey the final message and are on the same page
I like reading publications of all sorts and I thought it would be fun to be involved in a company that produces them. That's how I started. I began as an editor but later realised I was more suited to dealing with the client side of the business. With rapid developments in web and interactive media, content has gone beyond printed material. Customer interaction is an integral part of client publishing, as editorial and production teams need to be sure that the final product is shaped by the client's vision.
My role as a client service manager in a client publishing company is to manage the day-to-day contact between customers and the company. Put simply, my job is to ensure that the needs of the clients are understood by the editorial, design and web people in the company, and that the work we produce does help clients achieve business objectives, within the timeline and budgets set.
At the same time, a client service manager should be the go-to person when it comes to the history and culture of the client, and should form a point of view on the client and the brand's strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. The benefits are that I get to learn a lot of new things as I work on different projects with different clients. Then there is the satisfaction of managing a project from A to Z. Like every project, there are likely to be problems, so I have plenty of opportunities to resolve them. As a client service person, everything happens on your watch, so if anything goes wrong, you are responsible.
Client service managers need to have good language skills and people skills. I need to write briefs, make presentations, run meetings, and manage, communicate and collaborate with my clients. It is important to be positive and open to new ideas, to be honest, flexible and ready to take ownership, and the blame when things go wrong.
This means a day can vary quite a lot during the different production stages. But usually a typical day entails a lot of communication with the client, from planning, and discussing a project, to execution and conducting reviews. I also spend a good amount of time working with our writers, designers and web producers, to ensure they understand what the clients really need. I think the logical progression career-wise is to become a client service director and it is also possible for a client service person to pursue other senior management roles within the company.
There is a lot of advice on how to become a great account person. There is a very good book called The Art of Client Service by Robert Solomon that I have read and tried to practise what it advises. The top three words of advice that I think could be really useful for someone who has just started out in client service are 'Do not sell'.
A great account person should be viewed as a trusted partner, not a salesperson for your company's interests. Great work wins business; a great relationship keeps it. It is business and business is about relationships. Discuss, negotiate, collaborate and solve the problems together.
When the client and your colleagues say: 'Thank you', it's amazing how much power those two words have. A thank you from the client acknowledging your contribution or appreciation from your colleagues goes a long way.
