|
| |
|
|
_gail
Posts: 2874
From: So FL
Status: offline
 |
Efficient ways to communicate with clients - 9/10/2002 12:36:12
To date, most of my clients live several hundred to several thousands of miles away from me. So we communicate via email and, when possible, by phone. Sometimes the amount of email back and forth can be numerous, lengthy and, as a result, time consuming.
Any tips as to how to be more efficient communicating with a client? For example, I provide the client with a several page questionnaire to fill out before I give a quote. Still, lots of emailing.
Is there an " art" to this that I have not yet discovered, or is it just a fact of web design life?
thanks, gail
|
|
|
|
Thomas Brunt
Posts: 6106
Joined: 6/6/1998
From: St. Matthews SC USA
Status: offline
|
RE: Efficient ways to communicate with clients - 9/10/2002 15:28:34
I no longer do full-blown projects, but I used to. " Phase 2" was always quite helpful for me in minimizing client communication issues. " Phase 2" is the place I would always strongly suggest we put any idea that was at all complex and not completely essential to the success of the project. " Phase 2" is a lovely imaginary project where you can put all kinds of wild stuff. I never had a client choose to go to phase 2 for a couple of reasons. 1 was that the client was making that decision while owning a site that met her/his original business objectives. The other reason was that Phase 2 gets billed on a time-and-materials basis where every phone converstion and email costs something.
I think a lot of web developers tend to shy away from making suggestions that will lower the total dollar value of the project. I think that' s usually a mistake for all concerned. The more complex a project is, the more unbilled time you will have revising work in which you did what the client said as opposed to what the client meant. You could wind up with a project where you made $2 per hour or less when you count your total hours. I' ve seen it happen. It' s bad enough that you do all that work for no money, but you also get tied up so that you' re not available to do other profitable projects when they come along.
A customer in a shoe store is always right. A client of a consultant is a client specifically because she/he lacks expertise in the area at hand. The client is often wrong. It' s the consultant' s job to show the client the light. Simplification is something you can effectively sell. It appears to make you less money, but it almost always makes you more.
I' ve heard some developers say that a particular client doesn' t want to be shown the light. I' ve dealt with a number of those, but I always stick to my guns. An unsuccessful project is not going to generate referrals no matter how nice the Web developer was to the client. A successful project is a great addition to your portfolio regardless of whether or not the client felt she/he was treated like royalty throughout the process.
t
| |
|
|
|
Richard Dudley
Posts: 668
Joined: 8/22/2002
From: Butler, PA
Status: offline
|
RE: Efficient ways to communicate with clients - 9/11/2002 12:32:40
Something that might make life a lot easier is the SharePoint Team Services included in FP 2002. You' ll need an SP-enabled host, but they are quite groovy, and include document libraries, discussiuon boards, contacts, links, etc.
| |
|
|
|
_gail
Posts: 2874
From: So FL
Status: offline
|
RE: RE: Efficient ways to communicate with clients - 9/20/2002 17:18:28
quote:
ORIGINAL: Richard Dudley
Something that might make life a lot easier is the SharePoint Team Services included in FP 2002.
Richard,
I have no idea what this is even with a read of FP2002 help files. Is it like PC Anywhere?
thanks, gail
| |
|
|
|
Reflect
Posts: 4767
From: USA
Status: offline
|
RE: Efficient ways to communicate with clients - 9/21/2002 8:01:03
Left field view.
I have used Net Meeting for issues like this. I did a B2B site around a year ago for a lady in Texas. We set up, in advance, a meeting time once a week for one hour. We mutually agreed unless it was an emergency that no e-mail thoughts would be sent, only addressed in the meeting. Didn' t stop all the e-mails but they were far and few in-between. Both of us were on cable so it worked pretty nicley.
Brian
_____________________________
| |
|
 New Messages |
 No New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
 Locked w/ New Messages |
 Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
|
Printable Version 
No thank you. My first experience was a shocker and haven' t really pursued using NM since then. I would never introduce a client, family member or friend to that world. 