CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER ON-BOARDING

Steven Cesare, Ph.D.

A very successful business owner from Florida called me the other day to talk about his new Client Services Manager. Being new to the team, the Client Services Manager was eager to begin her career with a very dynamic company. Likewise, the business owner was equally energetic to unleash the new Client Services Manager onto her demanding, and let’s be honest, spoiled, client base. To that end, the business owner contacted me to share some thoughts on developing an on-boarding program that would leverage her strengths, improve her areas of opportunity, and provide incremental value to the company.

By way of background, readers of this weekly post are familiar with how the traditional Account Manager role has evolved over the past 5-10 years. Originally, the Account Manager position was responsible for two diverse skill sets: production (e.g., scheduling, field staffing, gross margin) and client service (e.g., addressing customer issues, selling enhancements, maintaining job renewals).

With the passage of time, the Account Manager position dichotomized into two specialty job classifications, one (e.g., Field Supervisor, Field Services Representative, Production Manager) focused exclusively on overseeing field crews’ completion of operations tasks (e.g., mowing, installation, irrigation) and the other (e.g., Client Relations Manager, Customer Service Representative, Account Manager) fixated solely on addressing customer needs (e.g., walk throughs, recommending site improvements, ensuring job quality standards are met). In general, both positions are exempt and report directly to the Maintenance Manager.

Interestingly, filling the Field Supervisor position has been conducted with relative ease in that its operations skill set represents a linear advancement in a company’s Career Ladder, for a Maintenance Foreman to be promoted. However, the softer skill set (e.g., interpersonal rapport, conflict resolution, win-win perspective) required by the Client Services Manager has been more difficult to satisfy. To that end, many landscape business owners now source their Client Services Manager candidates from outside the green industry; notably from hospitality, restaurants, hotels, and concierge environments, believing that it is easier to train horticulture skills to those applicants with a predisposition for customer service, rather than trying to rewire a production-oriented employee with authentically engaging interpersonal skills.

The Florida business owner hired his Client Services Manager from the service industry, bereft of meaningful horticulture knowledge. As such, I outlined the standard three-phase on-boarding plan that other business owners have effectively adopted.

Green Industry. Despite being customer-facing, the Client Services Manager must become fluent in the green industry, the nature of the work performed, common terms, field practices, with a focus on safety. This knowledge is usually gained by working beside or directly observing work crews at an in-depth level, all the while being coached by the Field Supervisor or Maintenance Manager.
Horticulture. In large part, customers judge a Client Services Manager on his/her horticulture prowess (e.g., plant identification, chemicals, irrigation); customers must respect the employee’s ability to make sage enhancements recommendations for their property. Thus, successful owners require their Maintenance Managers to provide hands-on horticulture training by engaging in mock walk-throughs two-three times a week with the new employee highlighting key aspects of specific types of turf, annual color, ground cover, trees, shrubs, etc. These mock walk-throughs culminate in multiple visits to the local nursery where the Maintenance Manager will quiz the new Client Services Manager on a vast array of horticulture questions that a customer will inevitably pose during an actual walk through.
Business Acumen. The Client Services Manager must realize his/her customer service skills have to benefit the company financially. As such, the employee must view everything s/he learned in the previous two steps, through a business mindset. Issues like understanding the client’s annual budget, having a clear picture of pricing, mark-up, and gross margin, and how to draft, convey, and deftly negotiate an enhancements proposal benefitting the client and the company. The Client Services Manager must operate as a capitalist for the company, not merely as a botanist for the customer.

Naturally, once the on-boarding process has been completed, with the Client Services Manager now possessing a capable foundation, I strongly recommend the next step in his/her professional development include completing the Account Manager Training Program offered by the Harvest Group to serve as an industry-wide capstone event that formalizes proficiency in all required elements of this pivotal position.

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