The origins of the term “white-glove service” can be traced back to the mid-20th century and comes from the uniform traditionally worn by English butlers and footmen (think Downton Abbey). White-glove service refers to providing an elevated level of care and attention to detail. It means anticipating a person’s every need before it arises. 

And one essential that we anticipate publishers will need is an easier way for them to interact with advertisers. One that will allow them to provide that white-glove concierge service that advertisers expect, balanced with efficiency and effectiveness.

The new Media Self-Service solution allows publishers to deliver a better experience to clients throughout the advertising lifecycle. Here we unpack this unique opportunity and how it will enable publishers to differentiate themselves and provide even more value to their clients.

The rising need for a self-service solution

The advertising days before the pandemic weren’t quite like what we see on Mad Men with the three-martini lunch – but they were close. Advertising sales reps frequently wined and dined advertising prospects as a typical part of the sales process. But as the pandemic caused a seismic shift in people’s work lives, sales reps moved from the office to working remotely, and gone were the days of in-person meetings and lunches. 

The sales rep’s role changed as media organizations began to shift many of the reps’ duties to digital to align with the new way of working. Advertising started to be sold over Zoom calls. Campaign reports were sent via email instead of at a meeting presentation.

According to the Gartner Future of Sales in 2025 report, B2B sales organizations are moving away from the long-standing model of sales reps as the primary commercial channel with in-person sales interactions to implementing digital selling models. 

• 50% of chief sales officers say they will shift their focus from being leaders of sellers to being leaders of selling
• B2B buyers spend only 17% of the total purchase journey with sales reps 
• 44% of millennials prefer no sales rep interaction at all in a B2B setting 

Sales reps will not be completely wiped out, but there is a need for media organizations to offer advertisers options for their advertising. A self-service portal gives advertisers the white-glove service they expect, with the flexibility of having the sales rep waiting in the wings to help as needed. 

Creating a better ad buying experience

The media industry is undergoing a digital transformation because the old way of selling advertising is not working for today’s world. Advertisers are craving a buying experience similar to programmatic, where they can state their requirements and have what they need to be delivered all wrapped up in a pretty package.

Silverline’s Media Self-Service solution transforms how advertising is purchased. It is a portal provided by a media company for an advertising buyer to conduct all phases of the journey. The portal cuts down on the back and forth and the endless emails and phone calls throughout the lifecycle. The process works seamlessly 24/7 and provides visibility and trackability throughout. Sales reps and buyers can both work smarter because Media Self-Service reduces admin tasks so they can focus on the more critical work to be done.  

Media Self-Service is an ideal solution for both large media enterprises and smaller publishers looking to differentiate themselves among their customer base. It provides an opportunity to generate a solid return on investment by moving even just a small part of the advertising strategy to the portal. 

The crawl, walk, run phases of Media Self-Service

Media Self-Service is powered by Salesforce Service Cloud. The white-glove service portal provides a roadmap for each stage of the media buying journey, from crawl to walk to run. Each phase builds upon the last and develops in complexity over time as your advertisers continually adopt it.

Crawl: Client request and approval management

The crawl stage centralizes the client experience on the self-service portal and helps to manage external-facing processes. It reduces response times and improves customer satisfaction with real-time communication. The key components of this phase include:

• Media plan requests detailing new campaigns’ media types, budgets, and flight dates 
• Media plan reviews/approvals from legal, finance, pricing, yield/inventory, or other teams
• Sponsorship opportunities and tentpole events are featured, so clients know what is coming up
• RFP submissions and responses are efficient and streamlined

Walk: Post-sales management and campaign insights

The walk stage creates a complete customer 360 view across sales, ad operations, and client support. The self-service portal helps to decrease case volumes and create more cross-sale opportunities between sponsorships and traditional media. The key components of this phase include:

• Tag and creative submission for the client to deliver all of the assets for their campaign
• Campaign delivery reporting shows clients how their campaigns are performing month over month and helps determine if you need to make adjustments via Datorama
• Knowledge Articles and FAQs can deflect client cases for commonly requested materials or questions
• Sponsorship calendars provide an overarching view of all available sponsorship opportunities and scheduling via a calendar-based UI

Run Phase: Empowering clients

Unlock the full power of the Salesforce platform for your external clients at the run stage. The portal will allow you to increase revenue with self-service media buying and decrease customer service costs with case deflection and chat. The key components of this phase include:

• Media plan creation puts the power in the hands of the client to build their own media plan based on your unique inventory and pricing considerations 
• Billing and invoices are integrated into your billing process by creating a single customer master and ensuring that all data flows in and out of downstream systems 
• Campaign management is all on the self-service portal for everything, such as who is on the account team, the agreed upon media buying and services, budget estimates, linking and centralizing the assets, and tracking margin and profitability
• Live agents and chatbots are embedded in the self-service portal to have live conversations or to direct your clients to the information they need

How Silverline can help

Silverline tailors digital transformation solutions like the Media Self-Service portal to meet your needs. Our team leverages insight acquired through 10+ years in the business and thousands of engagements, along with real-world expertise gained across the Media and Entertainment industry, including broadcast, publishing, and agencies. From strategy and implementation to managed services, we guide clients through every phase of their journey — enabling continuous value with the Salesforce platform. Find out how our Media team can help your organization.