Change requests for client ad accounts: a simple process

Log the request before anything changes

• Log each request in one place with the account, the campaign or asset name, the exact change, the reason and the date.
• Ask for a reason. A request such as make the ads better is a wish, not a request, and goes back to the client for detail.
• Give every request an ID. The change log, the read-back notes and the invoice all refer to that ID.

Check the impact

• Name the approver. Small changes can go to the account lead. Budget, targeting, offer and brand changes go to the client.
• Check what else the change touches, such as a shared budget, a tracking setting, a naming rule or a live test.
• Estimate the work and check it against the current agreement. Work outside scope gets a separate quote, not a quiet yes.

Make and record the change

• Make the change only after approval is written down. A phone yes is written up as a note with the name of the person who gave it.
• Log the old value, the new value, the time, the person who made the change and how to roll it back.
• Read the change back after saving, as set out in the read-back guide. The record should show what happened, not what was intended.

Close the loop

• Tell the client when the change is live, with the ID and the first figure to watch.
• Review open requests every week. A request open for more than a week needs a decision: approve, reject or close.
• Keep the log where the monthly client report can cite it, so the review and the record match.