Agency client communication is the contact between reports: how often you're in touch, on which channel, who answers, and what goes in writing. Settle all four with the client at the start, and write them down.
What's the difference between client communication and reporting?
Reporting is the set document you send on a set date. Communication is everything between those dates: the questions, the updates, the approvals and the quick calls.
| Reporting | Communication | |
|---|---|---|
| When | On a set date | Between those dates, as things come up |
| What it holds | The numbers, the work done and what's next | Questions, approvals, updates and problems |
| Who starts it | You | Either side |
| Its form | One document | A message, an email or a call |
The report has habits of its own. For the habits that make a report land, see client reporting best practices.
The report is also where your agency's name sits in front of the client each month. For why a report with your name on it matters, see Why is white label SEO reporting important?.
A client may ask about contact before they sign. Google gives businesses a list of questions to ask an SEO, and one of them is: "How can I expect to communicate with you?". Another on the list asks whether the SEO will share all the changes it makes to the site, and the reasoning behind its recommendations. Its advice also says to ask the SEO to explain anything that isn't clear. Your plan for contact answers all of these, so write it before the first call.
How often
Pick a rhythm you can keep in your busiest week, then tell the client what it is. These questions help you set it:
- How often does your work change something the client can see?
- How often does the client want to hear from you? Ask them on the first call.
- Which updates can wait for the report, and which can't?
- Who on your side sends each update?
Here's one way to lay it out: a short written update on the same day each week, a call with each monthly report, and word on the same day when something breaks. Change the pieces to fit the account.
About what
Between reports, these are worth a message:
- work that has gone live
- something you're waiting on from the client
- a problem, with what you're doing about it
- a change to the plan, with the reason for it
- a date that's going to move, before it moves
- the answer to a question the client asked
Keep each message short. If you want something from the client, put it in the first line.
Who answers
Name one person the client writes to, and a backup for the days that person is out. Tell the client the hours you answer, and when they can expect a reply. Then keep to what you said.
It helps to name the roles as well as the person. Here's how DeskTeam360, which runs this site, names its roles. Each plan has a North American account manager, a team leader, 2 developers, 2 technical Virtual Assistants, 2 designers, and the founder on 2 weekly group calls.
A public review on Trustpilot, from Stu Swineford, says: "We have been very happy with the support DeskTeam360 provides. They are quick to respond to requests and their team has the breadth of experience we need to keep things moving."
What goes in writing
Put these in writing every time, even when you've agreed them on a call:
- approvals for work that's about to go live
- changes to what's covered
- dates, and any change to a date
- what was decided on a call
- anything about money or access
After a call, send a short note the same day. Say what was decided and who does what next. Keep those notes in one place that both sides can search.
Promises belong in writing too. For what to promise an SEO client in week one, see SEO client expectations.
Contact is one of several habits to keep on every account. For the wide view, across every service, see how to keep an agency account.
To talk through your plan for client contact, book a call with our team. The call's a short one, and it carries no obligation.
Slack and Teams for agency client communication: which fits?
Which one fits depends on what your client already uses and who has to be in the shared space. Here's what each maker says its tool allows with people outside your company, and what to ask before you choose.
| Slack Connect | Guest access in Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Who says so | Slack | Microsoft |
| What the maker says it allows | Lets you work with people from outside organizations in a Slack channel or a direct message | Lets you give people outside your organization access to teams, documents in channels, chats and apps |
| What else the maker says | Each organization must be on a paid Slack plan to work in channels together | Anyone who has a business or consumer email account can take part as a guest |
Those lines come from each maker's own page about its own tool.
Before you choose, ask:
- Which of the two does the client's staff already use each day? Ask them.
- Who on the client's side will be in the shared space, and who on yours?
- What plan is the client's company on? For Slack Connect, check the answer against the table.
- What belongs in the shared space, and what stays in email?
- Who answers there, and during which hours?
- What happens to the shared space when the work ends?
- Can one person keep up with a channel for every client?
Each shared channel is one more place for someone on your side to watch. For a way to count one person's load, see how many SEO clients one person can manage.
If the client lives in email and likes it, that's an answer too. A chat tool is a choice, and the plan above works without one.
If you're still weighing how to stay in touch between reports, a call with us is short, and there's no obligation.