We have failed a few times at Campaignium, no company is perfect, and it comes down to one thing most of the time. It wasn’t a technical or trustworthiness issue, but more times than not we didn’t communicate with the client appropriately or follow up to make sure the desired result happened. The issue was customer service.
I was reminded of how important customer service is while on a recent trip to Chicago. During the trip, we had our car stolen. Yes, stolen. It was one thing to feel violated by the individuals who stole the car, but it was another to feel violated by the companies we dealt with in the aftermath.
Following Up When Something Happens
When our car was stolen, the first person we contacted was our local insurance representative. Following his company’s processes, he passed us off to a national phone number so we could work with a national agent. One thing that struck me as odd was the fact that we never heard from our local agent again. He never checked in to see if we were ok, if his company was helping to make sure our experience with them was pleasant or even if we got our car returned. (The police did find the car after two days, thank goodness!)
How is your advertising agency supporting you as a client? If your agency isn’t checking in on you to make sure you are doing ok periodically, then you might think about looking for another company. Do you have a rhythm of weekly, every other week or monthly meetings to check in and talk about campaign strategy? You need time with your agency, and they need time with you. Marketing isn’t a plug and play scenario, and you need to think through ideas, results and how to improve them. Talking with your agency regularly is an important step to a healthy relationship.
Departments Should Talk
While trying to get all of the paperwork together to show we owned the stolen car, we spoke with multiple departments within the police department. The first department we reported the stolen car to made us prove we owned the car. No big deal. Of course, they would do that. They verified through their system that we owned the car and all was well.
Once the car was recovered, it wasn’t drivable and had to be towed to the impound. Next, we had to work with the impound to get the car out. We went through the same process of verification, even though the impound was part of the same police department. I called the first police station we reported the stolen vehicle to and was told they couldn’t help because the impound was a different department. I totally get the need for them to be so stringent when it comes to the police and stolen items. Advertising agency departments should be different.
Do your advertising agency’s departments talk? Do they help each other to make sure you have the best experience possible? Do you have to re-tell your story/problems to each department you work with? Do you have an account manager that helps each department get up to speed? Do you have access to a project management tool the agency uses to keep track of tasks? If your answer is no, then you might think about finding a new agency to work with. In your time of need, your digital marketing agency should make it easy for you and not create extra work on your part.
I Only Work Till 3:30 pm
Multiple times, I was reminded by our car insurance company that our national agent only works till 3:30 p.m. EST. Even in the middle of a process to get things verified or approved, they would stop working right at 3:30 p.m. and we wouldn’t hear from them again until the next day. Also, they wouldn’t transfer us to anyone else in their department to continue getting everything in order. This caused day after day of delays and money spent.
Do you hear from your advertising agency, “That’s not my job,” or “I don’t have enough time to get to your needs?” If someone is on vacation at your agency, do they have the personnel resources to get what you need done? Do you experience long delays waiting on someone? If so, you might need a new agency to meet your needs. Everyone has a job to do, but delays from an agency shouldn’t hurt your business. No one is perfect and things happen, but it shouldn’t be the norm.
Silver Lining
There was one company I dealt with who had great customer service. Enterprise Rental was amazing. I think everyone should take a class in customer service from them. Due to delays from other companies we were dealing with, I had to reschedule a rental car pick up four times. They were courteous, professional and did everything they could to make it happen. It was a great experience. Your digital marketing agency should do the same.
Before you sign a contract with an agency, ask for a rundown of that agency’s client service processes. Every agency should strive to support their clients the best they can, but a small conversation can help you get a better understanding of how important client service is to them. It never hurts to ask.
