What to Look For in an Online Marketing Agency: Customer Service

What to Look For in an Online Marketing Agency:  Customer Service

There are many great agencies that businesses can choose to work with, but there are also a few that leave much to be desired.  This week our team is covering what to look for when choosing an agency and there are a few questions you should have answered before making the big decision.

How are communications handled? Your online agency may be making all of the right moves within your account, but if they don’t keep you updated – you will never know.  Ask the prospective company:

How often they will contact you?
Will the contact be via phone or via email or a combination of both?
When you contact the agency, how quickly should you expect to receive a reply?

For our company – we have service level agreements that all employees adhere to.  Before you commit to a service provider, find out the answers to the questions above or you could be stuck with a company that offers 48 hour turnaround on any communications you forward their way.

Who is responsible for keeping you updated on your account? At our company, each client is assigned a dedicated Customer Experience Account Manager (CEAM) and a team of Paid Search Specialists and/or Natural Search Specialists.  The CEAM will meet with you on at least a weekly basis to discuss your account and any particulars that should be addressed.   You will also receive periodic emails and trends via email from your CEAM team keeping you abreast of any changes within your account.  In addition, my main function as the Leader of the Customer Experience Team is to ensure each of our customers receive best in class service – which includes being prompt and accurate in our replies to you.  Make sure you have someone assigned to help you and that the hours they are available is conducive to your working schedule.

What type of ongoing education does the agency offer to its employees and what certifications do they currently hold? Apart from the expensive proprietary tools that an agency must acquire – barriers to entry for an online marketing agency are low.  It is therefore of utmost importance that the team you choose to lead your marketing efforts has the experience and education that is needed to carry out your online marketing tasks.

Ask what qualifications their teams hold and the percent of employees with this certification?
How often do they attend training on the latest developments in the online marketing space?
Who is policing the education and ensures everyone has expert level knowledge of their trade?

Later this week we will discuss a bit more on what to look for when choosing an agency – including why you should care what happens to your account when you stop working with an agency.