Hidden Issues in Agency Relationships
If you are a client and own a critical agency relationship, have you ever been blindsided and found your colleagues were deeply unhappy with the performance of that agency during a key campaign or project?
If you work at an agency, have you ever been blindsided after an engagement and lost the client, with no idea that the relationship was in peril?
Client-agency relationships are complex, with unseen issues lurking beneath the surface, threatening to escalate and jeopardize the partnership. Uncovering hidden issues is one of the key reasons that relationship managers on both the client and agency side use a formal evaluation survey process.
The Need for Open Communication and Feedback
Why is this necessary? During a campaign or ongoing engagement, in the day-to-day working relationship between the client and agency, people can be hesitant to let the other party know that performance is below expectations. After all, they have to continue working with their counterparts and feel that raising negative feedback could create a difficult working environment. And unfortunately, hints and subtle feedback are often overlooked by the agency.
The Role of Surveys in Uncovering Hidden Issues
A formal process that uses a survey to gather feedback during and after a campaign or engagement can help uncover these issues. Providing ratings and comments gives participants a channel to communicate in a less threatening way about what is not going well and needs adjustment.
To get honest, useful feedback, you must ensure that respondents trust their input will be handled appropriately, without recrimination, and that meaningful action plans will be put in place to address the issues they raise. Implementing agency evaluation surveys as part of your ongoing relationship management strategy is essential.
Building Trust Through Action
Trust plays a vital role in any relationship, and client-agency partnerships are no different. When participants provide their feedback, they need assurance that it will be used constructively. That means actions are taken based on the feedback, issues raised are addressed, and improvements are made. This proactive approach builds trust and promotes the kind of open communication that prevents blind spots from growing unchecked.
Conclusion: Reducing the Risk of Blind Spots
With a solid agency evaluation process in place, you should be able to reduce those blind spots we all dread. Using formal surveys and structured feedback throughout the life of your agency relationships helps maintain transparent, healthy partnerships where issues are caught early and addressed proactively. After all, in business, it’s always better to be proactive than reactive.
Read our article on using 360-degree agency evaluations to minimize blind spots