A strong PR strategy is only part of the story. We explore how the way an agency team works together can shape outcomes more than many clients might realise.
Ultimately, a client’s primary concern is the results. But the consistency of those results – and the ease with which they are achieved – often depends on something that rarely appears in a pitch deck: whether the agency team are friends as well as colleagues.
On paper, it shouldn’t matter. A professional PR agency is hired to provide strategy and execution regardless of personal bonds. But industrial B2B PR isn’t a production line. It’s a fast-paced people business where the subject matter is complex and the stakes are high. In this environment, the way a team interacts behind the scenes has a direct impact on the quality of the service delivered to the client.
So, while friendship at work might sound like a soft factor, it has very real and practical consequences.
Seamless communication
Freedom of expression
Extra hands on deck
Continuity over time
Genuine rapport
Making space for connection
Friendship at work doesn’t happen by accident, especially when people are not sitting together in the same office every day. Remote and hybrid working can make the informal moments that strengthen bonds harder to come by, which is why they need to be created more deliberately. That means building a culture where it is normal to send a quick Teams message or pick up the phone to check in on someone’s day, even when the conversation is not strictly task-based. It also means making time for occasional all-company or regional in-person meet-ups, with space built in to socialise as well as work together.
Clients will likely not choose an agency simply because the staff get on well. But they do feel the effects of it – through smoother collaboration, clearer thinking, and more consistent delivery. At SE10, we aim not just to deliver results, but to be a pleasure to work with, and in our experience, that starts with how we work together as a team.
Hannah Kitchener
Associate Director
About the author
Hannah is an associate director in the UK, leading strategic campaigns for industrial clients across the EMEA region. A professionally qualified journalist (NCTJ), she combines specialist sectoral knowledge in construction, energy, and materials handling with a strong network of trade media contacts to secure valuable coverage. Her expertise in inter-cultural communication, honed by degrees in modern languages and translation, is key to executing campaigns that succeed across diverse European markets.
