Account management

Offering a personalised individual service allows you to manage your customers at a micro level i.e. account by account, and thus developing an added value relationship and longer term potential.

In a planned approach to customer management, you need to set key account objectives, develop key strategies, implement a development plan and measure the impact this role has on your organisations development and business growth. The client management system also needs to be effective in terms of ensuring employers are aware of the range of products and services you are offering.

Initially start with sectors and customers that you know, as 20% of your customers tend to produce 80% of your revenue, to identify which customers are key. As you develop, move across your organisation into identified new markets. Are these customers offering you opportunities to increase your sales, are they looking for a regular adviser they can rely on to give them best advice, are they in a skills shortage area but are strategically important in their sector, is there an opportunity to work with a strategically important local or regional company?

Allocation and training of key staff with specific roles and responsibilities across all relevant vocational sectors is key to success. You will need sales people with responsibility for managing existing customers, managers of sales teams where repeat business is key to success, executives with responsibility for delivering sales results dependent on repeat business need to develop tools and processes aimed at improving relations with, and securing business from, existing key accounts. They need clearly laid down procedures and processes for them to follow so they understand all aspects of their account’s business. They can then can establish strong relationships, proactively develop more business with their customers and positively represent you through their knowledge and credibility in a professional way. Additional outcomes could be improved relationships with key customers, increased business from larger organisations, lower cost of business acquisition, larger order values, and higher profitability from key accounts. Train and give them skills in areas such as marketing, planning, relationship building, problem solving, negotiating, communication, presentation and sales and selling. Performance manage them against challenging yet realistic targets.

Materials

Assessment Tools (1) | Case Study (1) | Guide (1) |

Assessment Tools (Showing 1 of 1 available)

•   Identifying potential customers for key account management  (120 KB)Downloadable file
  Team or individual exercise to identify customers who could be given key account status
  

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Case Study (Showing 1 of 1 available)

•   Relationship management, account management and repeat business - projects  (294 KB)
  Released: 24/08/2007 Downloadable file
  This report describes approaches taken by 10 providers to converting employers into committed users of the Train to Gain services.
  

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Guide (Showing 1 of 1 available)

•   Guidelines on developing customer relationship management systems  (233 KB)Downloadable file
  Guidelines on developing customer relationship management across organisations that can also be used to review existing systems
  

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