Are you ready for your clients critique or bad feedback?

Permalink 3 Posted in: Personal Useful

Few days ago, I had a meeting with a client that was desperate with one of my products on the web. So I went to see what exactly is the problem and try to calm down the situation. People are saying for decades that the “The client is always right”. In some way, that’s the truth, but also, we, as a professional service providers, need to explain and guide the client throw certain thing that he is thinking or doing wrong. Of course, in very polite way, because nobody wants someone “teaching” him about his “work”, you get the point.

As a freelancer, you need be ready for opinion and critiques. For example, if you give a client your offer without any explanation, maybe he would see it over-budget and critique it (common reasons; somebody can do it cheaper, he doubt about the offered quality etc.). But if you explain:

• for what each cost is,
• why that cost is “so” high (example: why 4 hours to re-write the contact page)
• what parts/modules/versions are urgent,
• and what parts can wait next update.

You are closer to offer approval. Lots of people don’t understand what is “SEO optimization” or “Statistics integration” and why he needs to pay more for that.

How to response to bad feedback

When client calls, not very happy, even more if the problem was “solved” few months ago, even it didn’t. If he provide good explanation and space for you to try to resolve the problem over the phone/email, great, if not, it would be nice, from you, to get there personally to demonstrate that you stand behind your products/service you sell. So, make an appointment as soon is possible for your client and you.

Where’s the problem?

When you are doing support as part of your service, it’s important to listen to your client, because it’s the last thing that he wants, you to tell him the solution that even you don’t know which is. So, let him explain, when the problem occurs/what he is trying to do, what are the steps he is doing it (very important; probably that their way of doing it, it’s only the wrong way).

When you get the picture why/when/where the problem occurs, it’s time to see the size of the problem, can you resolve it there, or you need some time to update you product. In my case, client was doing it right, but the problem was on third party software he was using. So we could resolve the problem there, right in the place. You can imagine the face of my client. Some little problems can drive crazy.

Do you have some bad or interesting experience with your client?