5 Good Reasons for Software Start-up Account Management

All software companies need software developers. It's almost as easy as it gets. He also needs business development and marketing personnel. But a person who will forget very often is an Account Management / Business Operations person. These are the five main reasons why all new software companies should have a person to manage accounts / commercial operations on the team: 

1  Ensure smooth onboarding process 
This seems like an obvious statement, but you would be surprised how often a new client signs the dotted line and then falls into the customer's abyss. Avoid the frustration of new customers, make sure the customer always has someone they can talk to, who can explain the product, and who is not the founder, you already have too much on your plate, and if the customer base grows, too it will be his lack of time to dedicate himself to the client.

2  Gather valuable product feedback
The account manager is in constant contact with their newly signed clients, as they can offer improvements to the product or improvements that would be unknown unless the client is willing to provide the information. The account manager can obtain this information, which makes the whole product much better for this client and perhaps for many others.

The account manager must be a one-piece salesman and a one-piece technician. The account manager should have a clear understanding of how to make a customer happy if it is not. Not only do you have to understand how the product works, you also need to understand a bit of both because each customer is different.

If you find someone who understands both elements and is passionate about both elements, your customers will be happy with both elements and you want to remain their client.

3  Promote upselling and renewals
Because the account manager relies on relationships with existing clients, open lines of communication can result in the need for a complementary product that your company already offers, whether the business development manager has omitted it but the client has overlooked it. It is a new offer, etc. and now the account manager has begun to add the top line of the company.

4  Produce evangelists, referrals, and testimonials
Many confuse the need to keep existing customers happy and dedicated as the work of the founder or the new business development manager. This may seem logical and even possible at the beginning of the life cycle of a company.

However, once the company starts to grow and / or has investors, the new business development manager is expected to concentrate exclusively on generating new clients and the founder has 80 tasks that must be balanced daily and lists a list of clients. , to make sure they are satisfied with the product, it simply is not feasible.

The Account Manager will do this and add value where he cannot believe it, which will take away a lot of stress and risk from the shoulders of the founder and the company.

5  Prepare company to scale
Most new companies claim that the cash is too tight for the extra luxury of an additional person as a customer service representative. It is a myopic approach to managing the company's cash, since opportunities exist without the account manager, the company may never be successful, and the money saved today will be used in the future.