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Clear Communication
4:10 with Paul BoagClear communication is one of the most important parts of a designer's job. In this video, Paul offers advice on how best to communicate, even when the news for the client is bad.
If you want to keep your clients happy, talk to them.
0:00
That's such an important part of good customer services. Clear communication.
0:03
And it really is something you need to pay attention to.
0:09
I once saw a tweet from a very well-known and well-respected web designer
0:12
whose name shall remain nameless who said, "What does my client want from me?
0:16
For me to build them a website or for me to e-mail them?"
0:22
The truth is, a client wants both and you need to suck that up.
0:25
You need to communicate regularly with your clients
0:30
and you still need to be building them their website as well.
0:33
One of the most important aspects of communicating
0:38
with a client is to be regular.
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Contact them every week irrespective of whether you've done anything.
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Even if your call is just to say, "Hey, just to let you know.
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I haven't been working on your project this week.
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I've been working on another project, but it's absolutely fine.
0:54
I've got time scheduled in next week.
0:57
This is part of the plan, and I'm still going to be delivering on time."
0:59
They would prefer to hear from you even if you have nothing to say to them.
1:02
Because otherwise, they're going to wonder,
1:08
and you don't want clients wondering.
1:10
If they start wondering, they start worrying.
1:13
If they start worrying, then they start micromanaging.
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And that is not something any of us want.
1:18
Another important factor with communication
1:23
is the medium through which you communicate.
1:25
Let's be honest. We're all geeks.
1:27
And as geeks, we love e-mail and we love IM and we love BaseCamp.
1:30
In fact, we love any medium which doesn't require us to actually talk to people.
1:36
And so the result of that is that client's get frustrated because they're not like us.
1:40
Some of them do like to actually talk to you on the phone.
1:48
So what you've got to do is use the medium that's most appropriate to them.
1:52
If they like using BaseCamp, hell, use BaseCamp.
1:56
If they like using e-mail, then yeah sure use e-mail.
1:59
But if not, then you need to be using what they like and not what you like.
2:02
With communication, always tell the truth even if the client does not want to hear it.
2:07
You're much better off limiting their expectations
2:14
so that you can later surpass them
2:17
than you are to essentially lie to the client.
2:19
The trouble is we don't intentionally lie to them, right?
2:23
Let's say there's a deadline that's coming up.
2:28
And we're beginning to wonder whether or not we're going to meet that deadline.
2:31
And we go, "It's okay. I'm going to make the time off.
2:36
I'm going to work over the weekend and I'll get it done
2:38
because I don't want to let this client down."
2:40
And so we work weekends and we still sleep in and deadline's getting closer.
2:42
And it's all getting full but no we're going to do it.
2:47
We'll work. We'll work through the night to get it done in time.
2:50
And then eventually, we fail.
2:53
And we've lied to the client.
2:56
We told them everything's going to be all right and it isn't.
2:58
We've given them a nasty surprise
3:00
and as I've said before, we don't want to surprise clients.
3:03
They don't like that.
3:07
So, if you're worried about meeting a deadline.
3:09
If you perceive that there might even possibly
3:13
be a problem with the project, tell the client.
3:15
You're better off telling them and lowering their expectations
3:19
and then everything turning out all right and the client goes away happy
3:22
than you are leaving them with a nasty surprise.
3:27
Meet with your clients often, will you?
3:29
Take the time to go and meet with them. When failing that, use the phone.
3:32
Make sure that you're engaging with them personally
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because it will really help the communication
3:42
and the relationship between you and the client.
3:44
That said, when you do meet them or if you do have phone calls with them,
3:47
make sure you keep notes and records of what's been said too
3:51
and repeat that back to the client.
3:55
Having a written record is often very useful when things go wrong.
3:57
So communication is vitally important
4:00
and it should be considered a fundamental part of your job as a web designer.
4:04
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