In order to spend the silly season this summer in a somewhat meaningful way, I went on a quest. I planned a round of coffee with clients and asked them: how bad is it to work with external online ICT internet agencies? What do we (my agency and agencies in general) consistently do wrong? What really makes you feel sour?
The conversations were as entertaining as they were educational. The desk bloopers were hilarious. I chuckled and wrote ' note to self '. Although every office employee knows where the pain is, it is still enlightening to see the complaints listed. Therefore, five things we should never do again (and that clients can help a little with).
“It always becomes more, never less,” says Edwin van de Haar of Eneco Group, and he is not referring to delivered specs and functionalities, but to the amount on the final invoice. Increasing bills and additional work are the number one annoyance for clients. When asked what is the most irritating thing about working with agencies, greece telegram data all clients sigh: the eternal additional work. Budget overruns cause hassle in our clients’ organizations. “Why does it appear time and again that it is not possible to make a realistic estimate of what is needed?” sighs Van de Haar.
Because it is simply complex: assignment descriptions are brief, there is hardly any room for details in a sales phase, expectations are difficult to express and it is completely unimaginable what all those hours are going to cost. We keep opening the obvious door: we try to communicate on time and in understandable terms. That is easier said than done. There is often a huge knowledge gap and technology is not a subject that the average client communications advisor or marketing manager is really enthusiastic about.
Yet there is nothing else to do but to keep searching for ways of governing by looking ahead, for words that clearly present choices, arguments that make sense and metaphors that make clear what those hours are going to be. Communication about work is serious work that deserves our continued attention. Only with rock-solid communication can you arrive at a realistic assessment of what is needed.
Jointly responsible
Clear communication from the client also helps. Sometimes clients are crystal clear about the budget: “This is what is in the pot.” I know that it feels vulnerable for a client to release a budget, but it is incredibly nice to gain that trust. It makes it possible to figure out together how to get the most out of it. It leads to open choices: if we execute specs more simply here, we have room for that functionality there. Ensuring that there is no hefty additional work bill becomes a shared responsibility.