"I just need one person to deal with everything."
It’s a completely reasonable thought for any business investing in a website build or digital campaign. After all, fewer lines of communication should make things easier... shouldn't it?
Actually, the opposite is often true. Combining client relationships and project execution into one role can be a recipe for missed deadlines, scope creep and communication breakdowns. That’s why successful agencies split these responsibilities between an Account Manager (AM) and a Project Manager (PM).
While one protects your relationship and long-term strategic direction, the other protects your budget, timeline and delivery. Let’s take a look at the distinct roles of the AM and PM and how they work together to get your projects over the finish line. We'll also debunk a few common misconceptions along the way...
What Does a Digital Agency Project Manager Do?
The PM focuses on the planning, execution and delivery of the project, ensuring it stays on time & on budget.
Key PM responsibilities:
- Creating timelines and managing deadlines
- Tracking tasks across design, development and content teams
- Managing revisions, change requests and scope
- Risk management: spotting potential delays before they happen
- Ensuring the final website works as intended and meets project goals
How a PM helps the client
- Knowing when feedback & approvals are due
- Understanding why “quick changes” aren’t always quick
- Coordinating multiple stakeholders internally
- Preventing scope creep and budget surprises
- Taking a project from concept to launch
What Does a Digital Agency Account Manager Do?
The AM focuses on the client/agency relationship, communication, long-term strategy and client satisfaction.
Key AM responsibilities
- Serving as your main point of contact for general questions
- Helping you understand agency processes
- Discussing strategic objectives, budgets and long-term plans
What AMs help clients with
- Introducing opportunities for new features/ideas
- Acting as the “voice of the client” within the agency
- Bridging the gap between clients and delivery teams
- Building a lasting relationship between you and the agency based on trust and confidence
Essentially, your account manager brings context to your project manager, and your project manager brings progress updates and timelines to your account manager. In this way, the two roles work together to ensure you get what you need from your project, whether it's a website redesign or a wholesale domain migration (or both!).
Common Client Misconceptions
Misconception: “I just need one person to deal with everything”
Reality: AMs and PMs have fundamentally different responsibilities and priorities. Mixing the roles can slow delivery or confuse processes (plus it would be a LOT of work for one person!). A PM who's trying to meet a strict deadline for a web build should not also be the person who's discussing new digital strategies with you.
Misconception: “Escalations should always go to the Account Manager.”
Reality: Clients can sometimes bypass PMs when something feels urgent, going straight to the account manager, even when it's a "project matter", such as a change request or task update, but this can actually delay a resolution. As a general rule of thumb:
- If it's a delivery issue, talk to your PM
- If you want to discuss the relationship, priorities or commercial aspects, talk to your AM
Misconception: “More people involved = inefficiency.”
Reality: Having both roles on a project actually creates clarity. It removes bottlenecks because tasks are given to the right specialist from the beginning. One protects your relationship; the other protects your product.
A Quick Guide: Who do I email?
"I noticed a typo on the homepage layout mock-up we received yesterday."
Email your PM
They are actively managing the design team and can get it queued for the next revision round instantly.
"We are so happy with the website, we want to start talking about an SEO retainer next month."
Email your AM
They will map out the long-term growth plan for your business.
"We want to add an entirely new e-commerce section to the site that wasn't in the original brief."
Email both
(Or start with your PM). Your PM will need to determine the impact on your current launch date and developer resources, while your AM will draft the new commercial contract and budget adjustment for the extra work.
