Key Responsibilities: What Does an Account Manager Do?
Account managers are the main point of contact between a company and its clients. Their role is to strengthen customer relationships and build them into long-term partnerships that drive business goals for both parties.
Within a customer success context, the scope of an account manager is slightly more limited than it used to be prior to the appearance of CS. With the goal of simply helping customers always in mind, account managers handle everything involving direct communication with the client, making sure all interactions go smoothly from a customer experience point of view.
Key Responsibilities:
- Being customers’ liaison for all official business interactions, helping push client concerns, issues, and needs toward resolution by facilitating efficient communication and aiding the resolution process as much as possible.
- Collaborating with customer success to create long-lasting business connections, strengthening all customer relationships and building them into true business partnerships.
- Maintaining client records, keeping and sending periodic updates, and having an overview of account contract information, including the best times to reach out for renewals and account updates.
- Understanding the products and services the business offers to better ensure their adequate delivery to customers.
- Assisting sales and marketing with strategic plans and any requests and materials from the customers’ side.
- Monitoring customer activity, creating and contributing to reports, and meeting with stakeholders on a recurring basis to improve customer understanding, drive business, and discuss areas of improvement.
- Assisting customer success in monitoring for upsell and cross-sell opportunities and discussing any findings with the CSM or Head of Sales.
Skills and Competencies
Here are the necessary skills to be a good account manager::
- Minimum of 1 year of experience in communications, marketing, sales, account management, or customer success or equivalent in customer success courses / training
- High emotional intelligence and empathy skills.
- Client management.
- Customer service skills.
- Good communication skills and ability to maintain conversations with clients in a diplomatic and goal-focused manner.
- Good analytical and goal-oriented mindset backed by basic-to-advanced project management knowledge.
- Ability to monitor customer activity and create reports.
- Good IT&C knowledge and capabilities and ability to learn new software tools on the job.
Good Training Materials and Programs
Here is a list of articles, guides, courses, and other resources that provide good training for professionals in this position:Potential Roles to Grow into
If you’re starting from this position, here are some roles you can consider in the future: