Example Director Account Services Job Description

Director of Account Services

The Position

The Director of Account Services is responsible for the stability and profitability of the company's client base. The candidate should be a savvy manager with extensive knowledge of integrated media with a proven track record of effective integrated marketing campaigns and initiatives that help achieve client goals, including driving revenue. In addition to monitoring and mentoring Account Directors and Account Executives, they will be called upon to assist with defining business goals and user needs for clients, implement new marketing campaign ideas and program planning, and systems to support the growth of client accounts. Owns the client relationship on assigned brands. Owns the brand strategy and effectively influences the client to achieve brand objectives. Responsible for staffing, managing and leading the assigned account teams.

The Role 

This role is responsible for the day to day running of accounts in all aspects including client level P&L profitability while proactively managing and developing team members. The Account Director is expected to be a strategic client contact and advisor, with visible ongoing engagement with key clients. While retention and growth of accounts is a key responsibility, the expectation is that the Account Director will also generate new business within current clients and new clients and will lead new business pitches.

• Work that meets and exceeds client’s expectations.

• An environment where great creative can happen.

• A consistently superior creative product.

The Requirements / What we would like you to have:

• MBA preferred, or Masters in Business or Marketing, commensurate experience in building agency client strategic portfolios.

• Interest in and aptitude for creative business and marketing solutions

• Minimum of ten years experience brand/marketing/communications strategy experience in integrated, brand and digital communications.

• Demonstrated ability working on a wide range of accounts and categories

• Ability to identify strategic needs, lead all aspects of planning with sound business recommendations, and generate alignment with key business partners

• Client-facing experience.

• Experience working with clients to develop and negotiate contracts, project scopes and budgets

• Seasoned at client pitches with a proven track record for success 

• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills 

• Strong interactive agency, digital/marketing consultancy experience 

• Understanding of a wide variety of internal and client-side metrics 

• Proven ability for strategic thinking and proactive problem solving 

• Strong leadership and team building skills

What you do:

• Manage the Account Services team to provide the highest level of client care 

• Establish specific sales goals for each client account and manage the team to achieve them 

• Establish specific performance goals and associated KPIs for each client account and manage the teams to achieve them 

• Ensure that all major Accounts of $100,000 per year or more in Revenue have an on-site Quarterly Business Review as a formal business process to A) Provide a written Progress Report to the Account, B) Keep the client engaged and on track to renew, C) Uncover any issues with the Account, and D) to meet with all key decision-makers to strategize, ideate, educate and propose major marketing initiatives in order to cross-sell and upsell agency services. 

• Partner with the team to strategize and execute large-scale client marketing programs 

• Work collaboratively with Strategy, Media, Creative and Technology to develop and implement integrated marketing solutions 

• Partner with the sales team during new business pitches 

• Work with Strategy to streamline reporting with a focus to provide actionable insights 

• Work closely with the Director of Project Management to problem solve staffing challenges as well as to inspire regular communication flow between AS and PM teams 

• Hire, train and supervise Account Directors and Account Executives to ensure proper goals, training, professional development, and project requirements are met 

• Review performance of Account Directors and Account Executives and suggest needed improvements and corrective actions 

• Implement policies and procedures to ensure the Account Services team is meeting and exceeding goals 

• Motivate, recognize and reward outstanding performance both on an individual and team basis 

• Keep current on emerging technology changes and innovations through formal and informal study, business and professional publication consumption, networking, and participation in professional organizations; ensure Account Services team is educated on this information 

• Participate as part of the management team to problem solve company challenges and to work toward the achievement of company growth goals 

• Provide regular account updates to executive management

• Provides clear direction to agency team. Evaluates creative product against strategic direction, and provides constructive feedback.

• Approaches brand from holistic marketing perspective, looks at all media and forms of digital marketing, communications and advertising to develop outcomes that meet client objectives.

• Proactively coordinates and integrates across all agency departments, as needed

Example of an Account Executive Job Description

The Role 

The Account Executive (AE) maintains and grows our client's business with on an ongoing and project basis. They direct and coordinate the day-to-day agency business efforts on behalf of the client’s product and/or service on assigned accounts. In this role, the AE insures that the agency provides:

• Sound and responsible marketing counseling and planning.
• Proper and innovative execution of work in all areas on schedule.
• Deliver a consistently superior creative product.
• Can effectively articulate the agency’s point of view and effectively defend

The role is client facing and has scope for career development and enhancing skills across a range of disciplines.

The Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Advertising or PR
• Interest in and aptitude for creative business and marketing solutions
• Minimum of 4 years experience in account management (digital, production, creative)
• Knowledge and understanding of a wide range of project types, from interactive to print, broadcast, content and social platforms
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking and communication skills — have the ability to synthesize, develop and present clear and concise recommendations
• Self motivated and willing to expand knowledge
• General knowledge of all aspects of clients business and the ability to apply that knowledge to meaningful insights, counsel and planning for the clients business and agency assignments
• Experience working with clients to develop and negotiate contracts, project scopes and budgets
• Ability to self-manage while managing assigned teams and projects.

Major Contacts

The AE’s position requires ongoing and in-depth interactions with the following:

1. Internal:  The AE reports to an Account Director or Head of Account Services. 
2. External:  The AE will have direct client contact with assigned agency clients.

Responsibilities and Duties

The AE has four areas of responsibility

1. Planning, Analyzing, Evaluating

• Partners with clients for strategic and executional needs
• Collaborates with the Account Supervisor or Manager, Client Services, on preparation of marketing recommendations, strategies and actions for the client.
• Reviews, analyzes and evaluates the following, relative to the client’s needs and objectives: media output, creative output, research reports and client data.
• Provide client platform / business updates on a regular basis to demonstrate upcoming opportunities and threats to their business
• Defining project scope, estimate and writing proposals, works with producer in the creation of project specifications and time plans.
• Demonstrates the ability to interpret, prioritize and incorporate additional and/or shifting information into existing strategies, projects and plans

1. Team Leading, Coordinating, Managing

• Provides leadership within the agency on behalf of the client and prepares all client briefs.
• Monitors all budget, research and production activity on assigned accounts and communicates status of each project to appropriate agency and client personnel in order to meet project deadlines.
• Maintains communications with appropriate agency and client personnel to ensure positive workflow. Escalating exceptions and client issues to Director level as required.
• Educating clients and managing their needs and expectations.
• Keeping project status reports up to date
• Assists the producer in monitoring and enforcing project constraints (schedule / scope / resources)

1. Project Management

• Provide and maintain projects status - liaising with producers and teams, media and third party staff to provide accurate updates of client project statuses
• Quality assurance - testing and review of output, reviewing outputted deliverables against scope
• Source of assets from clients, other agencies and third party suppliers.
• Assist clients in: positioning development, marketing plans, timeline and roadmap planning (i.e. product launch plans), stats analysis and reporting

4. Marketing & Sales

• As assigned, coordinate, lead and manage new business presentations
• Updating portfolio items for marketing materials
• Manage new business or creative decks
• Arrange creative presentations and meetings
• Seek new opportunities to add value to existing clients
• Working with clients to sign off submitted work
• Invoice chasing and escalation as needed

Business Development / Head of Account Services - Job Description

Business Development Director / Head of Account Services

The Director of Business Development / Head of Account Services will be responsible for identifying, pursuing and closing new business opportunities on a local, regional and national scale that are aligned with the long-term strategic goals. Director of Business Development / Head of Account Services reports to the Agency partners with senior creative leadership in a highly collaborative and team-oriented environment with the aim of winning new business. In addition, you typically would be responsible for building and growing awareness of the The Agency Brand by overseeing PR efforts.

The Director of Business Development / Head of Account Services (BD) maintains and grows our agency's business and client base on an ongoing and project basis. They create and maintain relationships with existing and potential clients, developing strategic solutions and plans that best fit the agency and clients’ needs. In this role, the BD insures that the agency provides:

• Sound and responsible marketing counseling and planning.
• Innovator and influencer level communications.
• Deliver a consistently superior creative product.
• Work that is strategic and above all creative.

The Requirements

• MBA preferred, or Masters in Business or Marketing, commensurate experience in building agency client portfolios.
• Interest in and aptitude for creative business and marketing solutions
• Minimum of 5 years experience in building new business and account management in an agency environment (digital, broadcast, production, creative)
• Highly motivated, with a proven track record of new business acquisitions and expansion of client accounts
• Experience navigating large and complex organizations, including gaining access to key executives and stakeholders and successfully managing relationship building dynamics and processes
• Ability to manage complex contract negotiations and working with legal counsel as required
• Ability to manage multiple business initiatives in an entrepreneurial environment
• Expert knowledge of all functional agency departments, capabilities and service areas
• Deep understanding of a wide range of industries, markets and brands, and what it takes to stand out and service them
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills
• Flexibility with schedule to meet client commitments, traveling as required to pursue business development
• Great project management abilities
• Self motivated and willing to expand knowledge
• Ability to self-manage while managing assigned teams and projects.

Major Contacts

The Director of Business Development / Head of Account Services position requires ongoing and in-depth interactions with the following:  The BD reports to the agency partners. Within the agency, the BD is the leader for our new business and PR efforts. As assigned, the BD has overall responsibility for leading assigned client services effort. Within the agency, the BD works closely with all agency personnel in developing plans, recommendations and deliverables. The BD will have direct client contact with new and existing assigned agency clients, PR and consultants, media partners and potential agency partners.

Responsibilities and Duties

The Director of Business Development / Head of Account Services has four areas of responsibility (specific duties of each are explained below)

Planning, Analyzing, Evaluating

• Develop workable budgets, work plans and realistic timetables.
• Collaborates with the Account Supervisor or Manager, Client Services, on preparation of marketing recommendations, strategies and actions for the client.
• Reviews, analyzes and evaluates the following, relative to the client’s needs and objectives: media output, creative output, research reports and client data.
• Defining project scope, estimate and writing proposals, works with producer in the creation of project specifications and time plans.
• Identify and develop target list of clients and partners
• Understand business objectives, challenges and opportunities of target and industry
• Secure and present company credentials
• Manage and budget activities for business development activities (databases, Industry groups, events and conferences)
• Develop in collaboration with the The agency team, innovative and / or differentiating products and services 
• Networking to find new business opportunities
• Updating portfolio items for marketing materials
• Coordinate and manage agency new business presentations and meetings

Team Leading, Coordinating, Managing

• Be the agency’s lead ambassador and business evangelist, embodying the studio’s core values and differentiating perspectives
• Identify the right opportunities across industry sectors and media that align with the agency’s ongoing strategy
• Maintain and develop prospective client and key strategic partners network
• Gather and identify RFPs to be evaluated with senior leadership team
• Contribute to all aspects of the sales process, from the RFP response and pitch to contract negotiations
• Represent the agency at conferences, events and symposiums
• Provide market research, analyses and insights into latest industry trends
  Provides leadership within the agency on behalf of the client and prepares all agency credentials and RFPs. 
• Position Impact with key industry influencers and though leaders
• Lead and manage new business presentations as assigned
• Grow and develop existing client accounts.
• Keeping new business status reports up to date
• Monitoring and enforcing new business risk and constraints (schedule / scope / resources)
• Champion internal systems for higher productivity working

New Business Project Management

• Manage agency new business efforts and projects, involved with projects from start to finish, ensuring successful project completion against deadlines.
• Provide and maintain client contact and relationship database.
• Product manage long term properties including: positioning development, marketing plans, manufacturing or development needs, timeline and roadmap planning, stats analysis and reporting
• Networking online and offline to find new business opportunities
• Lead and manage new business presentations 
• Updating portfolio items for marketing materials
• Handling telephone calls for new leads
• Arranging sales and creative presentations and meetings
• Seeking new opportunities to add value to existing clients
• Identifying and nurturing new business opportunities
• Working with clients to sign off on contracts and estimates
• Work with agency lawyer and general manager to review contracts.

Interactive Agency Account Executive - Job Description

Account Executive

The Account Executive (AE) maintains and grows a client's business with the agency on an ongoing and project basis. They direct and coordinate the day-to-day agency efforts on behalf of the client’s product and/or service on assigned accounts. In this role, the AE insures that the agency provides:

• Sound and responsible marketing counseling and planning.
• Proper and innovative execution of work in all areas on schedule.
• Deliver a consistently superior creative product.

The Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Advertising or PR.
• Interest in and aptitude for creative business and marketing solutions
• General knowledge of web application design and build
• Minimum of 4 years experience in account management (digital, production, creative)
• Experience in Integrated marketing preferred
• Well versed in planning campaigns across multiple platforms
• Great client-facing experience
• Great project management abilities
• Self motivated and willing to expand knowledge
• Ability to self-manage while managing assigned teams and projects.

Major Contacts

The AE’s position requires ongoing and in-depth interactions with the following: The AE reports to the Head of Account Services. As assigned, the Account Executive has overall responsibility for leading the client service effort. Within the agency, the AE is the leader/coordinator for the client and works closely with all agency personnel in developing plans, recommendations and deliverables.  The AE will have direct client contact with assigned agency clients.

Responsibilities and Duties

The AE has four areas of responsibility (specific duties of each are explained below)

Planning, Analyzing, Evaluating

• Develop workable budgets, work plans and realistic timetables.
• Collaborates with the Account Supervisor or Manager, Client Services, on preparation of marketing recommendations, strategies and actions for the client.
• Reviews, analyzes and evaluates the following, relative to the client’s needs and objectives: media output, creative output, research reports and client data.
• Provide client platform / business updates on a regular basis to demonstrate upcoming opportunities and threats to their business
• Defining project scope, estimate and writing proposals, works with producer in the creation of project specifications and time plans.

Team Leading, Coordinating, Managing

• Provides leadership within the agency on behalf of the client and prepares all work requests, client briefs.
• Monitors all budget, research and production activity on assigned accounts and communicates status of each project to appropriate agency and client personnel in order to meet project deadlines.
• Maintains communications with appropriate agency and client personnel to ensure positive workflow. Escalating exceptions and client issues to Director level as required.
• Educating clients and managing their needs and expectations.
• Keeping project status reports up to date
• Monitoring and enforcing project constraints (schedule / scope / resources)
• Champion internal systems for higher productivity working

Project & Product Management

• Manage client projects, involved with client projects from start to finish, ensuring successful project completion against deadlines.
• Provide and maintain projects status - liaising with development teams, designers and commercial staff to provide accurate updates of project statuses
• Project quality assurance - testing and review of output, reviewing outputted deliverables against scope
• Source of assets from clients, other agencies and third party suppliers.
• To facilitate direct contact or to insulate our staff from direct contact on an as needed basis!
• Product manage long term properties including: positioning development, marketing plans, manufacturing or development needs, timeline and roadmap planning, stats analysis and reporting

Marketing & Sales

• Networking online and offline to find new business opportunities
• Lead and manage new business presentations as assigned
• Updating portfolio items for marketing materials
• Handling telephone calls for new leads
• Arranging sales and creative presentations and meetings
• Seeking new opportunities to add value to existing clients
• Identifying and nurturing new business opportunities within current client portfolio
• Working with clients to sign off submitted work
• Invoice chasing and escalation as needed

Generic Account Executive - Job Description

The job description below is fairly generic, adapt and change for level of seniority and responsibilities.

The Role

The Account Executive (AE) maintains and grows our client's business with the agency on an ongoing and project basis. They direct and coordinate the day-to-day agency efforts on behalf of the client’s product and/or service on assigned accounts. In this role, the AE insures that the agency provides:

• Sound and responsible marketing counseling and planning.
• Proper and innovative execution of work in all areas on schedule.
• A consistently superior creative product.

The role is client facing and has scope for career development and enhancing skills across a range of disciplines.

The Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in Marketing, Advertising or PR.
• Interest in and aptitude for creative business and marketing solutions
• General knowledge of web application design and build
• Minimum of 4 years experience in account management (digital, production, creative)
• Experience in Integrated marketing preferred
• Well versed in planning campaigns across multiple platforms
• Great client-facing experience
• Great project management abilities
• Self motivated and willing to expand knowledge
• Ability to self-manage while managing assigned teams and projects.

Major Contacts

The AE’s position requires ongoing and in-depth interactions with the following:

1. Internal:  The AE reports to the Head of Account Services. As assigned, the Account Executive has overall responsibility for leading the client service effort. Within the agency, the AE is the leader/coordinator for the client and works closely with all agency personnel in developing plans, recommendations and deliverables.
2. External:  The AE will have direct client contact with assigned agency clients.

Responsibilities and Duties

The AE has four areas of responsibility (specific duties of each are explained below)

1. Planning, Analyzing, Evaluating

• Develop workable budgets, work plans and realistic timetables.
• Collaborates with the Account Supervisor or Manager, Client Services, on preparation of marketing recommendations, strategies and actions for the client.
• Reviews, analyzes and evaluates the following, relative to the client’s needs and objectives: media output, creative output, research reports and client data.
• Provide client platform / business updates on a regular basis to demonstrate upcoming opportunities and threats to their business
• Defining project scope, estimate and writing proposals, works with producer in the creation of project specifications and time plans.

1. Team Leading, Coordinating, Managing

• Provides leadership within the agency on behalf of the client and prepares all work requests, client briefs.
• Monitors all budget, research and production activity on assigned accounts and communicates status of each project to appropriate agency and client personnel in order to meet project deadlines.
• Maintains communications with appropriate agency and client personnel to ensure positive workflow. Escalating exceptions and client issues to Director level as required

Educating clients and managing their needs and expectations.

• Keeping project status reports up to date
• Monitoring and enforcing project constraints (schedule / scope / resources)
• Champion internal systems for higher productivity working

1. Project & Product Management

• Manage client projects, involved with client projects from start to finish, ensuring successful project completion against deadlines.
• Provide and maintain projects status - liaising with development teams, designers and commercial staff to provide accurate updates of project statuses
• Project quality assurance - testing and review of output, reviewing outputted deliverables against scope
• Source of assets from clients, other agencies and third party suppliers.
• To facilitate direct contact or to insulate our staff from direct contact on an as needed basis!
• Product manage long term properties including: positioning development, marketing plans, manufacturing or development needs, timeline and roadmap planning, stats analysis and reporting

4. Marketing & Sales

• Networking online and offline to find new business opportunities
• Lead and manage new business presentations as assigned
• Updating portfolio items for marketing materials
• Handling telephone calls for new leads
• Arranging sales and creative presentations and meetings
• Seeking new opportunities to add value to existing clients
• Identifying and nurturing new business opportunities within current client portfolio
• Working with clients to sign off submitted work
• Invoice chasing and escalation as needed

Strategist - Job Description (Simple)

There are many other blogs that focus on agency strategy & account planning, so this is a short entry.

Here is a real quick job description for the strategy function you may encounter. The Strategist plays a key role in driving client strategy throughout an engagement
Strategists gather, define, and clarify the insights that drive our creative solutions and help us make a difference in our client’s business. 

Responsibilities:

• Develop an understanding of the client’s business environment and strategy 
• Collaborate with our team to define project objectives, set key performance metrics, and establish project approach
• Conduct research, stakeholder interviews, brainstorming sessions, and on digital projects conducting things like, features and functionality workshops
• Oversee audience research activities (in conjunction with client or 3rd party) research teams
• Perform competitive analysis and identify gaps and opportunities in the marketplace
• Assemble strategic insights into presentation materials for mid and senior level clients
• Keep abreast of emerging behaviors, technologies, and companies that are changing our client’s businesses
• Act as an internal resource, championing  our content / storytelling / digital innovation whenever possible
• Lead or collaborate client engagements on a day to day basis
• Be able to lead executive / expert interviews and client presentations 
• Select appropriate frameworks, tools and approaches to use in solving client problems 
• Demonstrate domain knowledge and expertise in a range of skills, such as business model development, financial modeling, product portfolio planning, organizational strategy, channel and go-to-market models, customer / market research etc.
• Manage consulting engagements 
• Contribute to business development and thought leadership activities

Account Executive - Job Description (Simple)

The account executive is often the starting / entry level position in an agency in regards to client services. This is a quick job description that reviews the duties of an account executive. Keep in mind that in many agencies, the account executive role also includes project management. Or in agency that relies on a producer model, the account executive's role could be limited.

The Account Executive

Responsibilities and Duties
 An Account Executive has four areas of responsibility (specific duties of each are explained below)

Planning, Analyzing, Evaluating

• Develop workable budgets, work plans and realistic timetables.
• Collaborates with the Account Supervisor or Manager, Client Services, on preparation of marketing recommendations, strategies and actions for the client.
• Reviews, analyzes and evaluates the following, relative to the client’s needs and objectives: media output, creative output, research reports and client data.
• Provide client platform / business updates on a regular basis to demonstrate upcoming opportunities and threats to their business
• Defining project scope, estimate and writing proposals, works with producer in the creation of project specifications and time plans.

Team Leading, Coordinating, Managing

• Provides leadership within the agency on behalf of the client and prepares all work requests, client briefs.
• Monitors all budget, research and production activity on assigned accounts and communicates status of each project to appropriate agency and client personnel in order to meet project deadlines.
• Maintains communications with appropriate agency and client personnel to ensure positive workflow. Escalating exceptions and client issues to Director level as required

Educating clients and managing their needs and expectations.

• Keeping project status reports up to date
• Monitoring and enforcing project constraints (schedule / scope / resources)
• Champion internal systems for higher productivity working

Project & Product Management

• Manage client projects, involved with client projects from start to finish, ensuring successful project completion against deadlines.
• Provide and maintain projects status - liaising with development teams, designers and commercial staff to provide accurate updates of project statuses
• Project quality assurance - testing and review of output, reviewing outputted deliverables against scope
• Source of assets from clients, other agencies and third party suppliers.
• To facilitate direct contact or to insulate our staff from direct contact on an as needed basis!
• Product manage long term properties including: positioning development, marketing plans, manufacturing or development needs, timeline and roadmap planning, stats analysis and reporting

4. Marketing & Sales

• Networking online and offline to find new business opportunities
• Lead and manage new business presentations as assigned
• Updating portfolio items for marketing materials
• Handling telephone calls for new leads
• Arranging sales and creative presentations and meetings
• Seeking new opportunities to add value to existing clients
• Identifying and nurturing new business opportunities within current client portfolio
• Working with clients to sign off submitted work
• Invoice chasing and escalation as needed

Account Director - Job Description (Simple)

The Account Director and Group Account Director roles focus more on managing the agency relationship with a client, and larger marketing concerns. 

A typical Account Director or Group Account Director job description may include but may not be limited to: 

Responsible for profitability for a specific group of accounts and represents the Agency at the community level. S/he is also the managing executive of the market on non-functional issues. The senior account person with responsibility for direct supervision of all group account service staff as well as responsibility for one or more accounts. Manages Client relationships and resolves functional conflicts through consultation with regional function heads. The Account Director is the person to whom the account supervisor and account executives look for support, guidance, and counsel.

Responsibilities:

• Overall growth and development of accounts in his group.
• Meeting profit goals on each account in his group.
• Maintaining a high level of performance by the account teams and other agency personnel, as needed.
• Being sufficiently informed and personally involved, ensuring sound planning, good service and a solid client/agency relationship.
• Following agency policies and procedures.
• Keeping management informed of the status of his group’s accounts, problems, plans and meetings, as well as involving Management personnel at key times.
• Insures the timely development and execution of plans, campaigns, and projects to assure earnings, growth, and profit goals are achieved.  
• Provides account team leadership, and convey the specific requirements for multi-functional support to the appropriate functional regional management on a timely basis.
• Plans, develops, and defends budget recommendations, work goals, measurements, and training requirements necessary to provide both quality and profitable service to Clients.
• Assigns duties, goals, and supervises the account service staff in the local market.
• Executes duties and assignments as directed in compliance with corporate guidelines and objectives.
• Maintains awareness and controls situations which may lead to the risk of write-offs.
• Maintains open and complete communications of Client issues with functional leaders and corporate management.
• Provides leadership/motivation and conveys the vision and values of the Agency to the assigned staff.Insure that the staff works in conformance with Agency policies and procedures and public law.

Agency Basics - Keeping Everyone Informed

In every agency, there are common ways of keeping everyone in the agency informed. It's the mundane paperwork that is often vital to communicating properly within the agency. And Account Services is often the starting point for that communication. Part of the account services role may include some basic project management / client relationship duties, which usually manifests itself as the mundane forms of paperwork.

Here are some of the basic forms of paperwork that the account team may be called upon to produce:

Status Reports

The Account Group is usually responsible for maintaining status reports on each individual client. They should reflect all of of their assigned open jobs, new work and work that needs to be billed.

Each status report should reflect the following information on all of the assigned jobs: Job # & Name, Status of the Job, Next Steps and Milestone (deadline) dates.

The status report is typically updated once or twice a week. All account executives should review major points on their status reports at a weekly status meetings. If one member of the team is  unavailable to attend, another account person will fill in.

If your client’s work status has changed during the week, it is the account person's responsibility to inform the various departments and individuals. In an agency, do not assume an e-mail is the best format to transfer important information. A verbal verification ensures understanding. You should make sure all work-related changes are reported on your agency's Job Form and distributed. If needed, you should call a separate meeting for jobs require further detail.

Meeting Call Report

All client meetings/calls concerning major decisions, budget information, nextstep changes discussed, should call for written reports to be distributed within 48 hours after the meeting. Distribute the notes to all attendees & department heads; your production, media and creative teams. These reports should also be issued for all major client/agency discussions, and internal planning meetings. Without these reports the different departments will often not recieve some vital piece of information that was discussed during the meeting. It is the account groups’ responsibility to make sure all agency and/or client parties are informed.

The Job Plan, Project Start or Project Initiation form

All new projects and project changes should be recorded on a project initiation form, even to open a job there should be written input. A face-to-face meeting meeting between AEs and the creative and production teams before starting any decent size projects should be consider vital and even mandatory.

Without the project initiation form, no one will have a record of your changes or your request for work. This form should be given to the appropriate production, media, creative team, and account planning (when it’s research-related). E-mails are also not the appropriate medium for job changes.

Be wary and avoid verbal job requests.

Account Team Members - Responsibilities and Roles

The Account Director (or Supervisor) vs. Account Executives - who does what.

While the account executives and account coordinators have much of the day-to-day contact with the client, the account supervisor is responsible for the relationship between the agency and the client. The account supervisor’s main goal is to review all strategic and media decisions formulated by the various agency departments before delivery to the client and to review the creative concepts as to whether they meet the creative brief and the strategic goals and marketing plan of the client.

The account supervisor manages all of the assigned account executives and account coordinators/assistants to their accounts. From a client view, the account supervisor analyzes the client’s requests and marketing plan to produce a coherent, focused and most cost-effective/value-added communications plan that the agency can provide. This includes gathering client or agency prepared research, competitive analysis and existing marketing plans or a structure client/agency Q & A session and staying on top of products and markets in which the client operates.

From an agency viewpoint, the account supervisor acts as the main spokesperson for the agency,
overseeing the execution of the approved communication programs, while identifying new business opportunities with the existing clients.

Other duties can include;
Presents and sells agency recommended communication plans, creative concepts and media plans to the client.
Maintaining direct, day-to-day client contact.
Receive client briefs.
Inconjunction with the account executives briefs creative, media, PR staff.
Provide clients with budgets and estimate updates.
Assists in client billing process and account receivables.
Writes client contact reports.
Prepares monthly revenue forecasts.

Account Executives

Team members have the primary client contact the “day-to-day” project management of the assigned accounts. The work with all of the agency departments to move projects through the agency. For example, they may meet with the creative director to review the creative issues, with the pr director concerning publicity, with the traffic department concerning scheduling and traffic.
They are responsible for gathering information on clients, products, and competition needed for the agency backgrounders and start-up meetings. 

Duties might include;
Updating information pertinent to the status of all jobs, producing the client status report.
Produce timely contact reports.
Produce and distribute job requests and change orders.
Makes sure the sign-off of various agency documents including creative blueprints & estimates.
Meet with the senior management group to inform them of all client activities.

Account Coordinator or Assistant Account Executives

The account coordinators provide administrative support and back-up for account services.
They are responsible for supporting the account group which may include;
Setting up meetings.
Setting up or conducting research.
Developing presentations from materials provided
Following up on jobs and projects internally and externally when requested.
Make travel arrangements, provide shipping instructions.
Set up internal and external meetings.

The Account Group - Base Level Role

Account Services, which includes the a vp or account service director, account supervisors and account executives, is the link between the Agency and its clients. Account Services plays the lead role in developing strategic direction for all accounts/projects (unless the agency has a strategic planning department or staff), in being the Agency’s advocate with our clients and in being our clients’ advocate at the Agency. Account Services also has P&L responsibility for all accounts, as well as responsibility for forecasting revenue and meeting revenue/profit goals.

Account management roles include:

Ongoing management of the account
• Brand stewardship, navigation, architecture.
• Project leadership
• Day-to-day management of the account
• Budget management
• Ongoing market / competitive analysis
• Coordination, analysis and integration of research

Quarterly Client Reviews
• Business performance
• Financial performance
• Hours vs. retainer
• Product budget recap

Relationship Performance
• Strategy
• Creative
• Media
• Production
• Research

Points of Client Contact
• Daily status update email/phone
• Responsibility as point person