Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Business Relationship Manager
A Business Relationship Manager is a professional who plays a crucial role in building and maintaining strong relationships between a company and its clients. They act as a liaison between the business and its customers, working to understand their needs and ensure their satisfaction. In this blog post, we will explore the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Business Relationship Managers.
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Main Responsibilities of a Business Relationship Manager
The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Business Relationship Manager:
Act as
Act as a trusted advisor to clients, offering strategic insights.
Act in full compliance with Bank policy and external regulations to protect Bank's assets.
Anticipate
Anticipate business evolution and needs to define an evolutionary roadmap in information systems.
Apply
Apply sound risk management principles and guidelines.
Assess
Assess issues thoroughly and solves complex problems - removes roadblocks for the team.
Assist in
Assist in the development of marketing and promotional materials.
Assist in the development of strategic plans.
Assist with the definition and introduction of standards, procedures and policies for processes.
Attend
Attend industry conferences as appropriate.
Attend Project meetings and functionality review for improvement projects.
Attend regular division management meetings to stay abreast of priorities.
Build
Build change management plans of varying scope and type.
Build strong and lasting business relationships.
Build trust-based relationships across boundaries and encourages collaboration.
Champion
Champion change and innovation.
Close
Close interaction with global, regional and local business teams in digital marketing & advertising.
Coach
Coach business leaders on how to communicate to IT when they have a technology improvement project.
Collaborate with
Collaborate on opportunities to further Ledcor's value from our existing technology tools investment.
Collaborate with internal teams to meet clients' needs.
Collaborate with the sales team to identify new business opportunities.
Communicate
Communicate a clear roadmap and strategies for function.
Communicate IS wins within IS and the business community.
Communicate IT wins to IT and the business community.
Conduct
Conduct analysis using standard practices and tools associated with data gathering and analysis.
Conduct business reviews and performance evaluations.
Conduct independent analysis and assessment to resolve strategic issues.
Conduct market research and competitive analysis.
Conduct product or service demonstrations for clients.
Conduct regular meetings and communication with clients.
Consult
Consult senior leadership on IT systems lifecycle, tools and solutions.
Contribute to
Contribute to formulating IT strategy and business plans as a member of the IT leadership team.
Contribute to the definition and refinement of key IT Operational Processes governing.
Coordinate
Coordinate and organize targeted campaigns and events.
Coordinate and oversee the implementation of client projects.
Coordinate the management of databases.
Coordinate User Acceptance Testing and Training with business teams, as required, per project.
Define
Define the desired business outcomes of all work requests from the business.
Define the desired business outcomes of all work requests to IT from the business.
Deliver
Deliver high quality specifications for technology enabled solutions.
Develop
Develop and implement client retention strategies.
Develop and maintain a deep understanding of the company's products and services.
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with various IT teams.
Develop and maintain division technology vision and roadmaps.
Develop a rollout strategy with business leaders.
Develop cost benefit analysis for IT application related initiatives.
Develop risk profiles, credit structuring of lending proposals, and completes credit investigations.
Develop strategies to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Develop strong understanding of business products, processes and applications.
Direct
Direct reporting to Director EPD IT Commercial Execution.
Educate
Educate IT team members on why certain elements of work are key for the business.
Educate on financial implications of technology investments.
Encourage
Encourage leadership to work with IT using standards and predefined workflows.
Ensure
Ensure alignment and integration of data in adherence with data governance standards.
Ensure alignment between stakeholders.
Ensure best practices are understood and applied.
Ensure data integrity of FDA Reporting processes.
Ensure IT technical and help-desk support is delivered via Corporate IT functions.
Ensure the proper adoption and execution of internal processes and procedures.
Ensure the right people are in the demo and user reviews.
Escalate
Escalate issues and identify opportunities in a timely, effective manner to the IT General Manager.
Escalate issues to IT Management, as needed.
Evaluate
Evaluate and structure loan requests.
Execute
Execute work to deliver timely, accurate, and efficient service.
Facilitate
Facilitate communications flow between IT and Business.
Facilitate Demos and User testing.
Foster
Foster a positive and professional company image.
Foster collaboration toward the attainment of team and individual goals.
Gather
Gather client feedback and address their concerns.
Gather high level business requirements and define scope during initial discovery.
Get
Get support from leadership for adequate user testing.
Help
Help determine business priorities and best sequence for execution of business / group strategy.
Help solve complex business issues from strategy to execution.
Identify
Identify and establish new business relationships.
Identify deficiencies and recommend corrective action plans.
Identify emerging issues and trends to inform decision-making.
Identify emerging technology trends and communicate the value of these trends to our customers.
Identify potential risks and develop mitigation plans.
Identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities.
Incorporate
Incorporate customer insight and feedback to shape organization priorities.
Influence
Influence and partners with business to understand business strategy.
Lead
Lead project teams responsible for selection of technology strategy for specific business unit.
Lead the IT estimation and delivery.
Liaise with
Liaise with IT, operations, and quality and regulatory business functions.
Liaise with IT, operations, and TPM and 3PL personnel to resolve system issues impacting production.
Look
Look for opportunities for cost reductions and cost avoidance.
Maintain
Maintain all required credit skills and training to meet credit qualification status.
Maintain all required tracking and reporting of all sales and customer activity.
Maintain creativity and innovation by staying on top of industry and technological trends.
Maintain relationship with business divisions and functions.
Maintain up-to-date awareness of the current and future directions of the Business / IT Strategies.
Make
Make strategic decisions that impact Business and IT.
Manage
Manage and update client databases and CRM systems.
Manage a single region, agency or subset of an account.
Manage collaboration and partnership with Corporate IT Services including Plan / Build / Run teams.
Manage initiatives that span multiple virtual teams across the world and cross cultures.
Monitor
Monitor and discover new and evolving offerings and technologies.
Monitor client satisfaction metrics and KPIs.
Monitor market trends and competitors' activities.
Monitor staff performance to detect any gap in the required skills and expertise.
Monitor the service level provided to the retail network and proposes actions for improvement.
Navigate
Navigate the relationships with key influencers in the account.
Negotiate
Negotiate and finalize contracts and agreements.
Nurture
Nurture and maintain existing client relationships.
Operate
Operate with broad goals and objectives.
Operate with goals set by the Functional BRM.
Oversee
Oversee and control project capital / RCE expenditures and ROI.
Own
Own IT strategic plan for specific area of responsibility.
Participate
Participate in industry events and networking activities.
Partner
Partner with Corporate IT to ensure user and functional requirements are understood.
Perform
Perform business process mapping.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Prepare
Prepare regular sales updates for Market Manager and Regional leadership team supported.
Promote
Promote business projects and value to the IT project teams.
Provide
Provide accurate and timely reports on client interactions.
Provide advice and guidance to assigned business / group on implementation of solutions.
Provide advice and support with a focus on unique and complex credit transactions.
Provide day-to-day technical support for team members.
Provide exceptional advisory support and financial guidance to customers.
Provide expert oversight of global medical device quality and regulatory systems and roadmaps.
Provide expert oversight of global medical devices quality and regulatory systems.
Provide expert oversight of manufacturing and distribution systems utilized by 3PLs.
Provide expert oversight of manufacturing systems utilized by TPMs for device manufacturing.
Provide feedback to dev team after user testing.
Provide input into the planning and implementation of operational programs.
Provide mentoring, coaching and training support to Bank Managers.
Provide recommendations for process improvements.
Provide regular status reporting and business insight to IT Leadership.
Provide strong insight into operational best practices in Client Management & support.
Provide testing plan and scenarios to development team.
Provide user training and process hand-off for newly released functionality and enhancements.
Recommend
Recommend and implement solutions based on analysis of issues and implications for the business.
Recommend solutions assuring alignment with organization direction, vision and priorities.
Refine
Refine and align tools, systems and processes to drive customer engagement.
Resolve
Resolve conflicts and escalate issues when necessary.
Review
Review and gather business requirements and create functional User stories for improvement ideas.
Stay abreast of
Stay abreast of new features, new releases, and other enhancements to support the business.
Stay updated with industry developments and best practices.
Stimulate
Stimulate creativity, innovation and open to new ideas.
Support
Support data integrity activities for TPMs & 3PLs.
Support EDI implementation projects between Abbott ERPs and TPM & 3PL ERPs.
Support system integration projects to link Abbott systems with TPM & 3PL systems.
Support the business in the definition of new solutions and / or enhancements of existing systems.
Support the development and execution of sales strategies.
Take
Take into account regulations relevant to the business area, specifically IVDR and EUDAMED.
Take necessary actions to correct delinquencies or unsatisfactory activity.
Translate
Translate business requirements into functional requirements.
Understand
Understand business goals, objectives and trends and link them to technology impacts.
Understand business requirements of retail, including risks and impact.
Understand business strategies & capabilities across Supply Chain.
Understand clients' business objectives and challenges.
Understand customer needs and offers financial solutions that meet customer goals.
Understand the business and ensures that IT solutions meet the needs of the business.
Understand the local market and proactively develops relationships with centres of influence.
Work with
Work closely with business stakeholders to define initiatives and agree on priorities.
Work closely with the project team to ensure on-time delivery of pending solutions.
Work cross functionally with Kering technology monitor the service level in stores.
Work with various stakeholders to design possible solutions.
Most In-demand Hard Skills
The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Business Relationship Manager:
Sales and negotiation skills.
Relationship management software and CRM systems.
Market research and competitive analysis.
Contract and agreement negotiation.
Project management.
Data analysis and reporting.
Financial acumen.
Industry knowledge and trends.
Presentation and communication skills.
Customer service and support.
Most In-demand Soft Skills
The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Business Relationship Manager:
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Relationship building and networking.
Problem-solving and critical thinking.
Active listening and empathy.
Adaptability and flexibility.
Emotional intelligence.
Collaboration and teamwork.
Influencing and persuasion.
Time management and organization.
Customer-focused mindset.
Conclusion
By possessing a combination of these hard and soft skills, a Business Relationship Manager can effectively manage client relationships, drive customer satisfaction, and contribute to the overall success of the organization.
