Comments on: Be accessible

By: busyboy

busyboy — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:42:30 +0000

Irini,
I had a client like this–lots of staff turnover, and the project got lost in the shuffle. I would suggest supplying documentation online with your product. Send docs to the client by email, and keep the “sent” copy as proof you did so.
Everybody thinks their time is more valuable–that’s human nature (when was the time you really wanted to know how the grocery store cashier was doing?). We must get past that.
I’d rather keep the ball in their court, and follow through as best I can with customer service–even if that means “standing pat” for a while the client tends to the rest of their projects. Maybe send/resend update emails once a week or so, to gently stay in front of them.
Eventually, their attention will turn back to your project, even if they decide to discontinue it because they’re juggling too many things. At least you’ll have closure then, though how the contract is written will determine the impact on your bottom line.
Personally, I’m learning to gauge the “togetherness” of potential clients. I ask “is this one of those people who allows their life to be hectic and frantic?”
Hope that helps.

By: Irini

Irini — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 16:43:37 +0000

I loved reading this today and stumbled on you with a Google search for my problem. What is your opinion on how to handle a client who doesn’t call you back because they think their time is more valuable then yours. I have a client who can’t learn our product, but won’t call us back to learn it when we all call him.

The other day we were blasted with all these problems they are having that we were trying to call him to do training or discuss.

I am at a loss and consider myself very skilled and experienced at client management.

By: cranial-bore

cranial-bore — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:01:59 +0000

How do you make the transition from being accessible, to selling the business as something which doesn’t depend on you to run.
Is there a risk that ones’ accessibility positions them as “the business” in the eyes of the client, and makes the business revolve around the individual?

By: phpsharma

phpsharma — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 20:04:25 +0000

As Devloper we need to be accessible to the client for your working hours. ANy way we are being paid for that.

I think lot of people have common sense. I haven’t found any chatty clients for my past 5 years programming.

Keep Updating the client on work will most of the time WORKS

IF CLIENT KNOWS WHERE THE DEVELOPMENT. HE CAN PLAN the NEXT STEPS

By: Demex

Demex — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 23:30:24 +0000

I agree with being available however some clients take this to the extreme and can call because they can not bebothered thinking for themselves. Due to this I bought in a policy that I charge after the first 10 minutes of a call. This also stops the “chatty” clients.

By: rod

rod — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:01:48 +0000

Bill hourly. If the client wants to meet every other day, charge them for your time.

By: elemental70

elemental70 — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:43:24 +0000

Yup. I hear you! I was contracted to re-do a furniture store site. This was in August of last year. It took the gent I was dealing with alomost 5 (!) months to get me pictures he wanted on the site as well as text. And then he wanted it within two weeks. This was not a small site. I came home from work one night (yep, holding down a full time skip trace night shift job) to 6 ver very irrate messages from that man’s boss. I went in next morning. explained the scope of the project and the fact that after repeated attempts to get said gent to move his butt (with respect ot deliverables and our timeline) I would put things up as fast as I could. I got the job in within 24 hours (no sleep for me) and even went so far as to do web site maintenance movies for him. The other guy was fired. And I ended up coming out of it smelling like a rose.

By: dhecker

dhecker — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:14:23 +0000

I agree also – you have to be available. And, you can’t be ‘too’ available so that the client doesn’t get used to you responding immediately, all the time.

My rule is: I respond to all business correspondence within one business day. It’s a sustainable pace for me and it seems to keep the clients happy. I avoid immediate responses because it’s inneficient.

By: khreative

khreative — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:10:40 +0000

I strongly agree with Andrew… aren’t we annoyed when we are on the receiving end and it takes forever for the person to get in contact with us be it a phone call or email?

p.s. if you’re going to be out of town or need some down time, send the client and email letting him or her know that you’ll be out of town in case they try to contact you and that you’ll return all calls and respond to emails when you return… you know, out of courtesy. It’s not that hard… well for me it isn’t.

By: Gamermk

Gamermk — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:33:00 +0000

I find it very interesting that many of Andrew’s posts have people commenting to defend themselves because they know they are not doing what he recommends. I myself think that Andrew knows what he is talking about even if he is old school.

I am interested though Andrew in how you deal with that “chatty” client.