Great Client Expectations

Get burned enough times and you find yourself coming up with trademark phrases like Learn From My Mistakes™. A lot of little mistakes with past projects added up to one giant mistake: overlooking the importance of risk management. During the course of a project lifecycle, it's important to mitigate any and all risks so neither you nor the client waste time or money. Do you hear what I hear? When the client says, "we need a website that we can manage ourselves," clarify every last word of that sentence. Does the client want a Content Management System running the website? Does the client even know what a CMS is or how to use one? How big is the website? Who is "we"? You need to hear exactly what the client is saying. Don't skip this step, otherwise you could be left with a much larger project than you originally anticipated. And who is this charming creature? Make sure you know everyone associated with the project. This may or may not be limited to the client's bosses, freelance copywriters, outsourced IT folk, or a friend of a friend that is taking care of PR. Find out who does what and when they will be expected to contribute to the project. If people on the project are outside your time zone, be sure to write down their hours of availability and how to best reach them. Always be prepared. Crazy but it's true: some people begin projects without having prepared any materials and expect you to "roll with it". These people are not crazy, despite your suspicions, they simply need to be made aware of their responsibilities to the project. Make sure you have all the necessary materials from the client. Is the copy accessible in a document with clear instructions on what goes where? Does the client have an electronic version of the company brand? Have you been given access to the server where the site is hosted? The time it takes to prepare before a project far outweighs the time lost during a project when you have to wait for materials and network access. "Does anyone here speak jive?" General descriptors and buzzwords are the work of the Devil. Never let a client tell you "I need the work to pop," or "Can you make this look a little more sexy?" Adjectives are subjective in meaning and you are looking for feedback that is clear and concise. Assist the client in finding another way to express comments or concerns. Dig a little deeper and ask follow-up questions. Unless you are working on a time & materials basis, you are looking at countless iterations trying to capture the idea of "sexy". "You can have it your way, but don't get crazy." Hopefully, you and your client are working together because your design aesthetics and professional services are a perfect match to your client's needs. Somewhere in the middle lies the finished work, and this is achieved through acceptance, compromise and concession. Your design will live forever (more or less) in the final work, but ultimately it belongs to the client. Unless you create something that is truly perfect - and isn't every design? I ask you - you want to honor the wishes of your client. At the same time, your client must understand that you are a professional and therefore you can turn out work that is professional. Your client has a vision, but it's up to you to make it a reality. Be flexibile enough to include a rounded corner but don't be afraid to push back on a color palette you feel works well with the design. These are but a few of the many factors you want to address in a project. Clarifying communication and setting expectations allow everyone to work smarter, not harder. You also save yourself from getting burned on a project or potentially burning bridges with a client when all is said and done.   2009-01-02T16:58:07Z

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great-client-expectations

2009-01-04T01:11:02Z

Improve the success of your projects with a few guidelines that help you and your clients.

Great Client Expectations

2009-02-24T09:48:13Z