What does it really mean to build a client-centric agency? And how do you go about building one? Find the right answer in this post. The agency business is a service business. And being a service business, you would assume that the people they service – clients – would be at the center of their operations.
In reality, while most agencies claim to be ‘client-centric’, few walk the talk. Despite their best efforts, other concerns – bringing in new clients, hiring talent, and growing the agency – take primacy over clients.
The end result is all too familiar: high client churn, anemic growth, and growing employee turnover.
If your agency is to grow in the next decade, being client-centric shouldn’t just be an idea you pay lip service to; it should be your core value.
Accomplishing this, however, isn’t easy. Client-centricity isn’t something you can build overnight to hack together with a handful of tools. Rather, it has to be embedded in your agency’s culture and principles.
Why Being Client-Centric Matters
While being client-centric sounds nice on paper, how does it truly benefit your agency? Aren’t your resources better spent growing your client roster and nurturing talent instead?
That’s how most agencies rationalize their slow departure away from client-centric principles. Growth – in revenues and number of clients – is easy to measure. Client-centricity is not.
However, even though it’s not readily trackable, being customer-centric offers some incredible, long-term benefits:
1. Leads to longer relationships
How long do your client relationships last on average? If you’re like most agencies, it would be between 3-5 years. One study found the average length of agency-client relationships to be 3.2 years.
2. It improves morale and helps retain employees
How long do your client relationships last on average? If you’re like most agencies, it would be between 3-5 years. One study found the average length of agency-client relationships to be 3.2 years. It’s no secret that attrition rates in the agency business are among the highest of all industries. Most agencies even say “competition for talent” is one of their biggest challenges.
The first thing you should know is that creating a client-centric culture is neither fast nor easy. More often than not, you’ll have to rework your agency’s structure and values. From an Accounts or Creative-led agency, you’ll have to get leadership to buy into a client-led vision of growth.
Provided you can get this leadership buy-in, what steps can you take to adopt client-centricity?
I’ll share some tips below.
3. It improves morale and helps retain employees
How long do your client relationships last on average? If you’re like most agencies, it would be between 3-5 years. One study found the average length of agency-client relationships to be 3.2 years. It’s no secret that attrition rates in the agency business are among the highest of all industries. Most agencies even say “competition for talent” is one of their biggest challenges.
The first thing you should know is that creating a client-centric culture is neither fast nor easy. More often than not, you’ll have to rework your agency’s structure and values. From an Accounts or Creative-led agency, you’ll have to get leadership to buy into a client-led vision of growth.
Provided you can get this leadership buy-in, what steps can you take to adopt client-centricity?
I’ll share some tips below.
