This, in turn, affects the way we approach our clients or maintain long-standing relationships. No longer are we in the days of upskilling clients as to what digital is, and our client service teams are moving away from being the digital suppliers, to becoming partners and collaborating with our clients in the digital space.

From a South African perspective, this is something that is great to see, as it is evident that skill-set and opportunities available in digital advertising are indeed growing. It does, however, come with its own set of challenges. Here are three ways to overcome them.

1. Shift the client service mindset

No longer are your client service teams seen as just the middlemen, or project managers, or the ‘number’ people. While this is extremely positive, traditional agencies are going to need to shift the mindset of client service to not just sell but to entrench themselves further into understanding digital.

The creative director, technical director, and strategist cannot always save them. It is down to the client service team to become client strategists themselves, which requires them to know everything about their agencies' capabilities and deliverables.

2. Everyone is a digital marketer

More and more people create and manage their own Facebook pages, thinking that this makes them specialists in the industry. This is definitely not the case, but it does make it exceptionally hard for digital agencies to compete against what we call 'small fries', thanks to their extremely low rates.

Inevitably, we end up securing the business when the client realises their lack of experience and poor quality delivery. This is why client service teams need to be able to capture agency experience and core capabilities, not by what is on a piece of paper, but by actually having that specific skill-set themselves in order to sell the agency against competitors.

3. Training is expensive

Digital agencies need to invest money and training into their client service teams. There's no point in them sitting in a new business meeting and saying 'I'll get back to you on that' – they need to have confidence when walking into a meeting, knowing they already have all the answers. The only way to instil this confidence is by giving them adequate training.

Robert Solomon once said, 'in new business pitches, clients often claim to seek a relationship with the agency, yet select the winner based on which shop presented the work they liked best. Conversely, with existing accounts, clients often say that it is the work that matters, yet fire the agency because of a breakdown in the relationship.' It is evident that the core of service delivery is work and relationships, but how can you create a relationship if your client service team don't understand the work?

There will never be an exact science or formula to client servicing, as every client has different needs and different temperament. One thing that will never change are clients hanging onto an agency they can trust. Who is at the forefront of your client relationship? Client service.

Something we like to take credit for at Isobar South Africa is giving our client service teams just that, and we follow a very simple process:
  • Teach; 
  • Train;
  • Upskill;
  • Give responsibility;
  • Lend a hand;
  • Push passion;
  • Instil culture; and
  • Collaborate.
No longer should you hear the words 'why is client service in this brainstorm?' Nor should you hear the words, 'why is this person in our meeting?' Your studio should be able to perform a client service and your client service team should be able to ideate; that's just how the cookie crumbles.

For more information, visit www.isobar.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.