Account Manager – The Best Practice

Customer Account Management skills for the IT Professional

Duration
This three day course is aimed at IT Professionals responsible for managing, developing, building and maintaining the IT and business relationship.

Course Code
AMBP

Public Course Price
£ 850.00 plus VAT

Target Group
Account Directors, Account Managers, Managed Service Managers, Service Directors, Client Service Managers, Relationship Managers and Service Level Managers

Course Benefits

• Gain an insight as to why Account Management is needed
• Develop the framework for Account Management
• Understand the role and working areas of Account Managers
• Improve your Account Management skills
• Gain an understanding of personal marketing
• Increase your effectiveness through Customer profiling
• Maximise your organisation's ability to care for, and keep your customers
• Increase your effectiveness through an Account Planning Methodology

Course Contents

The Function of Account Management
We will examine the need for Account Managers and look at the background against which the job function came into being. Account Managers need to learn a new range of skills and techniques which are all about the delivery of services from a customer perception. The prime function of an Account Manager is to instil confidence.

The Role and Working Areas of the Account Manager

• Role of the Account Manager: Who are my customers?
• What services do I provide? Do I understand those services? Do my customers?
• What boundaries are to be set? Should Account Managers hold responsibilities?
• Where and what services overlaps exist? What common services exist?
• How are they interpreted by the customers? How should shared service areas be treated?
• How do Account Managers relate to other areas within IT Service Management?

These relationships need to be defined in a service, sales, support and ongoing marketing environment.

We will also examine the keys to building long term, strong relationships at Operational, Strategic and Tactical levels. Finally we shall look at what the job is not!

Account Management Skills
A review of the tasks to be performed by an Account Management function will be carried out as a means of identifying the essential skills needed by an Account Manager. We will also look at ways of dealing with customers and discuss ways of managing these situations.

Developing and Managing the Account Plan
The development of an effective Account Management role requires control and a disciplined approach. The Account Plan (AP) methodology examines the need for the gathering of static core data and reviews a dynamic rolling plan including customer connectivity, structured PR activities and an incident control process. The AP will form the basis of a review mechanism of the function and customer activity.

Customer Profiles and Marketing Techniques
How do we know who are customers are? Who are the people with the real authority within a department? What happens when a key person leaves or moves departments? What are the buying cycles a department goes through? Can an Account Manager identify where his/her customer's products are positioned within the company portfolio and mid to long term business plan.

We will look at these issues and provide valuable tools for the Account Manager to use when trying to answer these and many more questions.

Novice to Niche - Setting Goals and Measurements for all levels of Account Manager
This session examines the types of goals Account Management groups must consider. Top 10 measure for speed, flexibility and responsiveness within these goals and targets. How to measure success individually and on a team basis.


Final Session - Account Management Action Plan!
The development of an effective Account Management role requires ownership, control and a disciplined approach. A practical session where delegates are given the opportunity to reflect on lessons learnt during the course, prior to preparation of a formal presentation.

The deliverable will be to further develop the reward and recognition strategy utilising actions formulated from the three days.

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