The client service director role at Mantis – Eleanor Willock

Our agency has grown in strength and size since I joined in 2010. I’ll admit, after a long term at a global agency, working at Mantis, in the early days, meant big changes, but all of them logistical. It’s well known that we are an agency with a team that works in the location of their choice, for example. For a social being such as myself, all that’s really changed is I make my terrible jokes on Skype, rather than out loud.

It’s always been exciting. The clients we work with, and hope to work with, get such an immersive service from us. Shedding the confines of a ‘big’ agency environment is one thing, but as a group of leaders, we are clear on one principle, our clients and team deserve the service and standards we are used to delivering.

It’s my role as client service director to maintain that continuity and enthusiasm.

My continued passion for my career in communications is rooted in a deep love for inspiring people to change and get results. If I’m honest, I get more personal satisfaction from enabling others to succeed than succeeding myself. The CSD role is ideal for me here at Mantis because I work with every account team, looking into the strategies they are implementing, questioning the value for clients, keeping them focused on their metrics, and constantly encouraging them to work smarter.

I love the bits that a traditional account servicer dislikes, the timesheets, the reporting and the spotting of patterns in our account service. It’s me that ensures that service levels are met, and, conversely, that overworking of accounts is reasonable and for good purpose. I work with teams to understand why a particular tactic has had so much success, but another hasn’t got the expected results.

Looking at our SME clients so closely, it’s easy to spot subtle changes to the communications landscape, which, in turn, shapes our own consultancy to clients. As CSD, I can confidently pass on advice based on our nine years of working with the public sector technology influencer landscape.

My background is in issues and crisis management and organisational change, so I also encourage our teams to know more about our clients and their industries than they would at first think necessary – I like them to go right to the outfield and look back at who, or what is in play, and how that looks to the other team (to put an analogy on it). I’m the one at the meeting who always has that last question. It’s my job to be thorough.

I’m an extra pair of creative hands for our teams, and I also deliver a lot of our products, from crisis management to messaging workshops, with spokesperson training in between.

If there’s ever anything I can do for you, your business, or your potential career at Mantis, please do give me a shout. You can find more about me here and also on my LinkedIN profile