There are many different job titles in accounting careers. One of these jobs is the one of an account manager. Account managers are found in different firms such as advertising, consultancy firms, sales and marketing. Basically, account managers are found in any organization that has huge and very important clients. The account manager is responsible for client satisfaction. He acts as the liaison between the firm and its clients.
However, an account manager in accounting may have a slightly different job description. One of the major responsibilities of an account manager in an accountancy firm is to market and sell the accounting services of the firm to prospective clients. Once clients have been acquired, it is the responsibility of the manager to ensure that the clients are retained. This he does by ensuring that the clients remain satisfied with the services being offered.
The account manager is the primary point of contact for clients. He should ensure that customer needs are being met, so that the firm can continue to enjoy their business. He does this by seeking feedback from the clients. He then uses the feedback gathered from them to assess their needs. He will then act as their representative in his own firm. While the retention of clients is very important, finding new business is too. New business will be in the form of new clients but also in the form of expanding services for old clients. The account manager should look into the business operations of existing clients and find new service opportunities for his firm.
Besides being responsible for clients, the manager is also a supervisor of a team of people working under him. The team will mostly be comprised of accountants. He must ensure that the team is working well together so that the usually tight deadlines are met. He will more often than not report directly to an Accounts Director.
Other job responsibilities for the account manager will include client billing, client assessment in terms of credibility, budgeting and financial forecasting for clients, account reviews and in some cases, undertake the training of prospective account managers.
The account manager is the bridge between firm and client. In his dealing with the firm, he will most likely be dealing with client top management. He should therefore be confident, have excellent communication skills, and be an excellent negotiator on top of being technically competent. He should possess a bachelor’s degree or an accounting qualification, and several years experience in an accounting environment.
