When I think of a ‘relationship owner’ as it relates to client services firms, I consider how the many client services firms I’ve worked with describe this person. The relationship owner is typically described as the person who initiated contact with the client or is supposed to take the lead in managing contact with the client throughout the engagement. This logic is flawed. At a client service firm, the actual relationship owner should be the person the client trusts the most.

I am not saying the relationship owner should be the most experienced person working with the client. A client service team member can become the relationship owner by default when they become the person the client goes directly to repeatedly when they have a need and trust the person will deliver on that need every time. The employee must have other members of his team that he also trusts to help serve that client most effectively.  This will be covered more extensively in post 2 of this series.  

For example, suppose the client calls an associate while doing a tax return. That associate goes above and beyond for that client through whatever means they have to solve that client’s need. Likely, that client will not call the firm’s relationship owner but instead continue to call that associate repeatedly.

Personally, I’ve experienced this as a consultant working in client services, where I built trust with several clients. Regardless of the issue, these clients would reach out to me first because they knew I would go up or lateral in the chain of command and most effectively solve their problem.

When you think of the proper relationship owner for a client, I suggest you don’t think about who’s known the client the longest, who established that relationship, or who has worked with the client the longest. I would look at it from the perspective of who the client truly trusts. Who does the client trust to solve issues promptly and effectively? With this definition, the proper relationship owner could be from anywhere within the firm. It could be the associate level, it could be the senior level, or it could be a partner. It depends on the client’s perspective on whom they trust to meet their needs.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any ideas you have related to the concepts discussed in the blog, please visit www.theragangroup.com or reach out to me directly at brian@theragangroup.com