04 Sustain · Partnership Health

The Partnership Health Check

A rhythm, not a rescue.

An independent, six-monthly read of the client-agency relationship, showing what is working, where views differ and what needs attention next.

Talk to Mosaic →How the check works ↓

The problem

Strong agency relationships do not look after themselves.

Under 4 yrs

Average UK client-agency tenure

Source: Winmo, 2025.

No. 1

Dissatisfaction with value: top reason clients end relationships

Source: Setup Marketing, 2023.

3+ mths

Length of an agency review process

Source: ANA/4A's, 2023.

Agency relationships deserve the same attention as any other valuable business asset. Neither side usually sees the whole picture until much later.

The gap

Client and agency are describing the same partnership. Differently.

Illustrative partnership example.

The client view

Marketing team, day-to-day contacts

6/10

“Briefs keep being reinterpreted. Delivery feels reactive. Value is getting harder to show.”

The agency view

Account leadership, delivery team

8/10

“The work is landing well. The relationship feels strong and settled.”

Neither side is wrong, but nobody is managing the gap. The unmanaged gaps are where partnerships drift.

What it measures

Five areas. Both sides. Every six months.

Selected stakeholders from client and agency score each area, add a short comment, name what is working well, and the one change that would add most value.

Strategic alignment & value

Focused on the priorities that matter, and adapting as needs change

Quality & delivery

Strong thinking and output, delivered reliably, with shortfalls addressed

Ways of working

Communication, decisions, roles and day-to-day collaboration

Commercial clarity & accountability

Scope, fees, reporting and responsibilities: transparent and understood

Trust & future confidence

Openness, constructive challenge and confidence in the next six months

Responses are confidential and unattributed. The score is the starting point. The value is what both parties agree to do next.

How it works

Mosaic manages every step.

Brief, confidential input from both sides. An independent read. Actions agreed.

01 Confidential input

Selected stakeholders on both sides score the five areas, comment, and name the one change that would add most value. Minutes, not hours.

02 The Mosaic Read

Mosaic compares the client and agency perspectives, follows up where context is needed and identifies the themes that matter most.

03 Actions agreed

Findings are released with context and recommendations, then a facilitated conversation agrees actions, owners and timing.

Repeated every six months. Each check builds on the last.

When it is useful

Recognise any of these? Then it is time.

Change

An important agency newly appointed, or just renewed.

Scope, team or budget has shifted since the contract was set.

Business priorities have moved and the partnership has not caught up.

Friction

Senior relationships look fine, but day-to-day friction is emerging.

The same issues resurface meeting after meeting.

Performance is acceptable, but the partnership feels less valuable than it should.

Protection

You want to protect a strong relationship, not wait for problems.

Knowledge and momentum worth keeping are concentrated in one agency.

Renewal is some way off, and you want it to stay uneventful.

The alternative is finding out at renewal. That is the expensive option.

What it gives you

Clarity. Early warning. Value.

Clarity

A clear view of the partnership's overall health. Where client and agency perspectives align, and where they differ. Strengths to protect.

Early warning

Friction and risks surfaced before they affect performance. Drift visible check on check, not discovered at renewal. Issues named while they are still fixable.