Making clients happy - The view from a big(ish) one
Published on Dec 01, 2015
12 top tips on keeping clients happy and winning repeat business, as seen by a higher education digital team.
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
@danwiggle
About me:
- 12 years working in digital
- 7 years on the digital team at University of York
- Background in psychology and comp.sci.
- On a slippery slope to project + team mgmt (ie. not so hot at code any more!)
- 12 years working in digital
- 7 years on the digital team at University of York
- Background in psychology and comp.sci.
- On a slippery slope to project + team mgmt (ie. not so hot at code any more!)
@UniOfYork
About the University of York:
- Founded 1963
- 16,000 students, 3,000 staff
- 30+ departments and research centres
- One of the UK's leading universities
- THE University of the Year 2010
- Joined Russell Group 2012
- 7th in THE worldwide ranking of universities under 50 years old 2013 (top in UK)
- Founded 1963
- 16,000 students, 3,000 staff
- 30+ departments and research centres
- One of the UK's leading universities
- THE University of the Year 2010
- Joined Russell Group 2012
- 7th in THE worldwide ranking of universities under 50 years old 2013 (top in UK)
Untitled Slide
- £286m income in 2013
- More web pages than we can count, but until recently, a team of four looking after the digital estate
- More web pages than we can count, but until recently, a team of four looking after the digital estate
Photo by Bunshee
Time-poor + cash-rich = outsourcing
- But of the 10+ agencies we've used in the last few years, guess what they all have in common?
Photo by followthethings.com
Untitled Slide
- In eight years, we'd never used any agency twice until this year
- When we need someone, we started looking again
- When others ask for recommendations, we had none to give
- When we need someone, we started looking again
- When others ask for recommendations, we had none to give
Photo by Anxo Resúa
Maybe it's us, not them...
Why you might not want us as a client:
- Poor briefs
- Short timescales
- Low budgets
- Lack of documentation
- Missing content
- Moving goalposts
- Poor briefs
- Short timescales
- Low budgets
- Lack of documentation
- Missing content
- Moving goalposts
Photo by Quadel
Up to the job?
12 top tips to maximise your chance of a second date
1. List projects not clients
- An impressive client list is only impressive if we know what you did for them
- Don't over-state previous projects
- Don't over-state previous projects
Photo by supa_pedro
2. Know the client team
- Big clients have specialist teams; we're digital professionals just like yo
- It's easy to do basic research - Google, Twitter and LinkedIn will tell you what you need to know
- Talk to us at our level - most likely we could be doing the work ourselves, we just don't have time
- Put yourselves in our shoes
- It's easy to do basic research - Google, Twitter and LinkedIn will tell you what you need to know
- Talk to us at our level - most likely we could be doing the work ourselves, we just don't have time
- Put yourselves in our shoes
Photo by nan palmero
4. Clarify details
- Questions about the brief?
- Different directions you could take the work?
- It's always, always better to ask for more info than to spend time on a best guess
- Different directions you could take the work?
- It's always, always better to ask for more info than to spend time on a best guess
Photo by ChaoticMind75
5. Know the constraints
- Platform, CMS, budget and timescales are likely fixed
Image by infomatique @flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/1388162820/in/photostream/
Image by infomatique @flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/1388162820/in/photostream/
6. Talk to the core team
- Approached by a department or other unit of the business?
- Get brownie points for the future by talking to the core team even if the client hasn't
- Get brownie points for the future by talking to the core team even if the client hasn't
Photo by lsgcp
7. Don't go dark
- Keep us posted; when it all goes quiet, we get nervous
- We should never have to ask for an update; if we ask, you left it too late
- Basecamp et al. can help, but watch out for tumbleweed
- We should never have to ask for an update; if we ask, you left it too late
- Basecamp et al. can help, but watch out for tumbleweed
Photo by i k o
8. Work together
- Don't stick to one-way updates; involve us
- Break the deliverables, signoff, feedback cycle
- If you don't know something, ask
- Break the deliverables, signoff, feedback cycle
- If you don't know something, ask
Photo by Erica Reid
9. Stay on brand
- Get the business name right!
- Brand guidelines are probably published online; if you can't find them, ask.
Image from Quietroom's Santa Brand Book - one of the truly funniest things I ever read:
http://www.quietroom.co.uk/santa_brandbook/one
- Brand guidelines are probably published online; if you can't find them, ask.
Image from Quietroom's Santa Brand Book - one of the truly funniest things I ever read:
http://www.quietroom.co.uk/santa_brandbook/one
10. Don't re-invent the wheel
- Use existing styles, existing JS libraries, existing content patterns.
- Unless we asked you to, we don't want you to show us how blue-sky creative you are.
- Unless we asked you to, we don't want you to show us how blue-sky creative you are.
Photo by mickyman13
11. Be on time
- If there's a deadline, meet it.
- Don't send it in at midnight and think that counts.
- Don't send it in at midnight and think that counts.
Photo by Moonrhino
12. Be proud of the work
- Take pride in the project; don't just phone it in
- Think about the future...
- Think about the future...
Photo by ★ spunkinator
Get all that right...
and there's always more to be done.
- Big clients always have more projects coming down the line
- Repeat business benefits client and agency
- Repeat business benefits client and agency
Want to be on our list?
- Nothing on the cards right now, so no promises
- dan.wiggle@york.ac.uk
- @UoYDigital
Photo by jk+too
