Tuesday 8 & Thursday 10 April, 15:00-16:30 BST

Great client service, over and above project management, is a key differentiator for agencies. Put simply, great client service makes a client’s life easier. We know from Up to the Light’s ‘What Clients Think’ report that 84% of clients who have a weaker or more vulnerable relationship with their agency, cite client service issues as the main reason.

In clients’ eyes, great client service can be just as important as creativity or strategic thinking. This in-depth two part training workshop, with DBA Expert and Founder of Up to the Light Jonathan Kirk, is grounded in the exclusive knowledge gained from hundreds of client interviews conducted on behalf of design agencies. You'll explore what clients really need from their agencies, how you can meet and exceed those expectations and how to use that as the foundation for your relationships. He'll highlight where relationships become strained, how agencies can do the basics well and where you can add value in order to build client commitment. Join us online and help your agency retain your hard won clients and stand out from the crowd.

We will cover

  • Your approach to client service

    How to define and maintain consistency, nail the basics and do them well.

  • Building trust and partnership

    What 'proactivity' means in practice.

  • Client relationships

    Where and how relationships start to crack and what to do next.

  • Exploring differences

    Between account management and client service and what they mean for both roles.

  • What clients are looking for

    Do’s and don’t's for success based on feedback from client interviews.

You will gain

  • A better understanding of the client viewpoint, their needs and ways to use this knowledge to your advantage in your client relationships.

  • Tried and tested methods to adopt a clearly defined, consistent approach to client management across the business.

  • Practical tips for enhancing a range of day-to-day agency/client interactions.

  • Effective ways to build in proactivity and added value to your client relationships.

Meet your trainer

Jonathan Kirk

Jonathan is the founder of Up to the Light. The consultancy advises a significant proportion of the UK’s top 100 design agencies across a wide range of issues concerned with business growth and improvement. As the leading supplier of client surveys to the UK design industry, their insight into the client/agency relationship is unrivalled. For the last 10 years Up to the Light has published the influential ‘What Clients Think’ report. This year’s report is based on 675 client interviews conducted on behalf of design agencies and is a revealing snapshot of the client/agency relationship. As well as advising agencies, Up to the Light is also a brand consultancy that provides brand positioning and strategy for clients. So many consultants become theorists and teachers, slightly removed from reality, but Jonathan is continually involved at the sharp end presenting, pitching and delivering high profile strategic work for brands. This is of huge benefit to his clients. He is a regular conference speaker and trade press contributor and is a founder member of the DBA’s Experts Register.

Pricing options

DBA members receive a discount off the standard price. To talk to us about joining the DBA, email [email protected]. Prices include VAT. If you're buying from outside the UK please email [email protected].

Previous feedback for Jonathan

Jonathan has invaluable insight into the relationship between agencies and clients. His views are founded in genuine knowledge and he applies them with great skill.

Steve Pearce, Client Services Director, Imagination

A great opportunity to gain knowledge of the industry first hand from someone with lengthy and varied experience.

Beck Hanson, Account Director, Elmwood