An account manager at a marketing agency receives a dozen client emails a week asking about results. How is the campaign doing? Why did clicks drop last Tuesday? When is the next report? What does cost per acquisition mean? Each question is reasonable, but together they eat into the time the account manager needs to improve the campaigns.
Reporting questions are constant. Redesigning how reporting works reduces them.
Why clients ask
Clients are paying a monthly retainer and want to know it is working. Without clear, regular updates, they ask. Retainer expectations are covered in marketing retainer enquiries that stall at pricing.
Redesigning reporting
Set a clear schedule. Tell clients exactly when they will receive reports and review calls.
Explain the metrics. A short glossary explaining key metrics in plain language answers many questions.
Highlight what matters. Reports should lead with the results the client cares about, not every number available.
Explain changes. When results move significantly, explain why in the report before the client asks.
Capture ad hoc questions. Questions between reports should go to one place, with the client's name and question, so the account manager can answer them together.
The general approach to recurring client questions is covered in document and deadline questions from existing clients.
Where an assistant helps
SpideyChat for marketing agencies answers questions about the reporting schedule, what metrics mean and how to book a review from your own pages at any hour, and captures specific campaign questions for the account manager. It does not access campaign data.
Client: What does cost per acquisition mean? Assistant: The client guide explains that cost per acquisition is the average amount spent on advertising for each new customer or lead. You'll find it for each campaign in your monthly report.
Client: Why did our clicks drop last week? Assistant: I'll pass your question to your account manager, who can look at the campaign data and explain.
Review calls
Regular review calls give clients a chance to ask questions in one place rather than by email throughout the month. Explaining how often calls happen, and how to book an extra one, reduces ad hoc questions. Clients also value a clear agenda, so the call covers results, changes and next steps.
Dashboards
Some agencies give clients access to live dashboards. If you do, explain how to use them and what each figure means, so clients can check progress themselves.
Bad months
Every campaign has a weak month. Explaining poor results honestly, with a plan, builds more trust than hiding them.
Reporting on your own tools
Agencies that use an assistant on their own site may want to report its results too. How to present those results is covered in how to report chatbot results to your boss or clients.
Onboarding new clients
New clients have the most questions in their first months. A short onboarding guide explaining when reports arrive and what they show sets expectations early.
Channel questions
Clients sometimes ask whether they should change channels based on results. Those are strategic questions, as described in businesses asking which marketing channel they need.
Plain language
Reports written in plain language get fewer follow-up questions.
A client reporting guide
Write a short client guide covering the reporting schedule, key metrics and how to ask questions. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about answers on the features page.