Why we believe in the creative account handler
As a growing business, we often discuss what defines us, that sets us apart from the rest. But despite what we see as our own unique way of doing things, it’s inevitable that large parts of our business processes will broadly be standard practise amongst our competitors.
Company: “We’re creative”
Client: “Err… I should hope so too!”
Company: “We’re also skilled at what we do”
Client: “Good, I’d assumed you weren’t just a goose with a paintbrush…”
That said, we know we have our own special blend of USP’s (otherwise our clients wouldn’t keep coming back) and one of these UPSs is a fundamental part of how we have worked for many years.
When a client wants a change, they can talk to the person that makes it.
Whether it’s illustrators, animators or editors, we’ve always seen value in our production team talking to our clients. Sure, a lot of the time the discussions can revolve around aspects such as scripting, tone, delivery formats and of course budget… And involving the production team in too much of this at once can have a negative impact on their creativity. But when it comes to “can we make that icon blue” or “we need this word to have US spelling”, placing a barrier between client and production team simply because of company hierarchy is just a waste of resource and can often lead to miscommunication.
We make sure the whole team is kept in the loop.
At NC we train our production team to manage client communications and understand the full context of any project. In doing so they’re able to think of the bigger picture. They can make quick informed decisions. And they can contribute to an environment where the client feels assured they have a full team on board with them. Not just an account handler. In short, it makes them better at what they do.
If we receive an email suggesting alterations to a project, our production team will have been copied into the email thread. If not we’ll pass it on to them. So when the client then follows that up with a call, our team are already aware of the changes. And who better to take the call than the person that will make those changes.
Account handlers are a fundamental part of any production team, but what’s the harm in an animator/account handler hybrid?
