I’ve read a lot of amazing articles about how web developers can work better with clients. But what about the other way around? How can clients work better with us? What do we need to do better to get clients involved in the process? Clients are generally very smart when it comes to their relative fields, but they may have some trouble understanding ours. It’s important developers educate the client, and also provide them with support throughout the project.
Clients have some great ideas. However, many times it is difficult for them to convey those ideas to the developer. Oftentimes clients come to us with a thousand great ideas floating through their heads. Only a few of these many, however, have made it to a sheet of paper. It’s hard for clients to understand the full potential of the web; especially when they do not study the field. This leaves it up to the developer to help the client understand what a web project entails.
The Initial Meeting
Clients may not know what is expected from them at the first meeting. In order to help clients understand the project it is important for the developer to ask the client to come prepared. It is so important for the client to attend the first meeting with some of their ideas put down on paper. There are a million different ways for them to gather information online. So even if the client only has a vague idea of what they want, they need to know that it is ok for them to go out into the web and find some concrete examples of their ideas. To be fair though, clients also need to be assured that the developer knows what they are doing. So what kind of information can we give them?
1) Research the Client
Research the clients field as well as what the client already have for a web presence. Get some basic information on the company and what they do. This can be done while on the phone with the client, or sometimes through the internet. Figure out basic ideas like:
- What competitors are doing in the same industry?
- What competitors are ranked in search engines compared to the clients?
- What competitors are doing both right and wrong?
- What can your clients do to give them an edge?
- Is the clients current website easy to navigate?
- Does the content the client already has make sense?
Based on these findings, we can make decisions on which way clients should go, or at least give them the information to process and decide for themselves.
2) Project Brief
Clients may not know what information you need to get started. By sending clients a project brief before the meeting we can help them better prepare as well as giving us the information we need. There are a lot of free web project briefs out there so I wont go over specific questions. Also, there are many of variables in how studios work. I suggest tailoring any project brief to answer specific questions that the studio has.
Project Brief/Tips
3) Have a Process Outline
Create a basic process that breaks down the individual steps in your web process. Having an outline allows clients to see how the project is progressing and what is left to do. It also gives them a better sense of what the developer does. The more information about the project you can give to a perspective client, the better chance the client will select your studio for the project.
4) Client To-Do/Checklist
Give the client a to-do/checklist of things they will need accomplish throughout the project: approvals, required items such as content, and payments. This helps clients know when certain parts of the process are waiting on their own staff.
5) Ask Questions
I know this seems self explanatory but it is the most important step in creating what the clients really wants. You don’t want them to come to you half way through the project and say, “This wasn’t really what I had in mind when starting this project”.
Throughout the Project
6) Status Updates
In order to be successful at anything you have to be able to make the people you are selling your products or services to happy. If you can help them fulfill their online business goals, and even add more than what they originally thought was possible, then you will be successful.
