Key account management entails more than just selling your products to customers. Instead, it focuses on building strong relationships with your most valuable customers. To achieve this core goal, key account managers must have a streamlined and efficient workflow.
Creating An Efficient Workflow
It is easy enough to identify a poorly planned workflow: processes are frequently stalled and activities are completed in an inefficient sequence. But an efficient workflow will do more than just increase your overall productivity. It results in better service and will make you a better key account manager within your organization. Here are the foundations of creating a streamlined workflow:
1) Brainstorm
It is essential to convene with your team and talk through as many ideas as possible. Do not leave any part of the process to chance.
2) Challenge your brainstorming results
Now that you have a workflow mapped out, it is time to test it out before giving it a go. Think about all of the things that could go wrong and see how those situations would play out within your workflow.
3) Determine parallel processes for your model
The primary goal in forming a workflow is to make tasks easier. Even if your model is complex, check to see if it allows for parallel processes to run at the same time, to maximize efficiency.
4) Define tasks clearly
Even a good workflow may flop if each person does not understand her duties. Define each person’s responsibilities clearly so that each participant knows how her role affects the bigger picture, and whom the responsibility is passed on to once her work is fulfilled.
Benefits Of An Effective Workflow
The benefits of having a well-organized workflow will vary team by team. But the primary advantages to any key account manager include:
1) Reduced risk and increased visibility
A good workflow ensures reduced risks in the delivery of service and offers increased visibility into suboptimal processes. Managers can quickly identify weak points and work on them accordingly.
2) Increased efficiency
A carefully planned workflow results in better cohesiveness in the department and streamlines activities. Once that workflow is in place, it reduces the overall workload for the key account manager.
3) Ability to customize the workflow for each client
A well-organized key account management workflow should allow for easier customization of that workflow to meet the needs of a particular client. Once you have identified the specific needs of the customer, deliberate with your team on the best approach to alter the process currently in place.
A good key account management workflow should be well organized and strategically designed, based on repeatable patterns of business activities, and powered by the systematic organization of resources into processes. All of this is aimed at transforming materials and providing a tailored service to your most important clients.
Curious to see how you can take your Key Account Management skills to the next level? Download this helpful ebook on how to create powerful engagement plans for your key accounts or sign up for a demo of Kapta.
