Pace’s Client Services team recently filmed a TikTok titled “Comments we get as Client Managers” (side note, check it out here vm.tiktok.com/ZMFy46TLY/).  

It included the classic lines “there is no budget” and, my personal favourite, “I’ll know what I want when I see it”. But the one that was unanimously top of the list for inclusion was “why am I paying for your time?”

I was beside myself with pride earlier this year when we jumped (quite literally) on stage to receive the Prolific North Champions Award for Best Client Services Team. It was a huge accolade – not just to win in a category where some great agencies were shortlisted but also as a validation of my team’s constant hard work.

I’m biased I know, but having been on the delivery end of things at a previous agency I feel I’m qualified to say a client services role is one of the toughest, which means it isn’t the right role for everyone.

You need to be thick-skinned, organised, positive, resilient, good at communicating and fostering relationships both with clients and team members, be able to have multiple tabs open in your mind (and browser) at once…the list is endless! 

As a client, a good relationship with your client manager will save you time as it means you’ll barely need to brief your agency because they’ll know you inside out. They’ll also be better able to proactively spot, and jump on, opportunities on your behalf – putting you a step ahead of your competition. 

Client managers also help reduce the load – managing internal sign-off or information gathering while you’re busy focusing on the day-to-day. They’re at the end of the phone, email, or WhatsApp whenever you need them, or every time an idea pops into your mind.

For some clients, your client manager acts as your own marketing manager, for others, we support internal marketing teams. 

Something that sets Pace’s client service team apart from the rest is that we don’t act in a purely ‘project manager’, transactional way. We’re never just the middleman. 

When they receive a brief, the Pace client manager’s job is to use their expertise to sense-check and potentially challenge it, before becoming the voice of the client when briefing our social, content and design teams on the strategy they’ve developed. 

The Pace client services team is unique in our make-up too: each of us has our own specialism that we can draw upon. For example, Lauren is our film production extraordinaire who’ll whip up call sheets in no time and has the eye for the edit, whereas our newest recruit Kathryn has a wealth of experience in creating engaging events for some of the biggest brands. 

You’ll already know that an agency works by selling time, whether that’s time to design, write or develop your strategy. A client manager’s expertise also falls into that.

The output you’re paying for is saving you time, being one step ahead of your competition and having someone there you can bounce ideas off or contact when you need support. And I think that’s a pretty valuable output, don’t you?