Easily Boost Your Customer Service Skills As A Web Designer

As a web designer, and especially a freelance web designer, it’s sometimes hard to choose the projects that really get you going.

We all love projects where we’re actually engaged by the subject matter; we recently did one for ADL Tattoo Removal Lasers and the subject matter really intrigued and interested me – it was a great site to be involved in.

Of course, as a designer you have to give the same level of customer service and engagement to all clients, regardless of the sector or industry that they’re in. It helps make us better designers, helps our business grow and equally it helps our referral rate out through word of mouth and quality assurances from past clients.

So, with this in mind, how can I as a designer become more engaging to my client, provide a “closer to the mark” initial web design prototype and essentially deliver a better product as a result?

Well throughout my times doing this job I’ve picked up a few key things, both from other great designers I know and through doing IT training – things that have definitley helped me out. There aren’t any strict wrongs or rights with this I guess, and I’m really keen to hear your thoughts.

Here’s what I’ve picked up:

Engage your clients – Make their web design project, online marketing project or print campaign exciting to them. Get enthusiastic about working with them by realising the impact it could have on their business if done properly.

Get to know their business – Often we get a design brief from a client which is largely superficial. I believe (maybe rightly, maybe wrongly) that this isn’t enough. I truly think that as a designer, the more I get to know how a client’s business works, what their goals are, where they currently generate leads from, how they intend to grow, what their sales process is etc etc helps me devise not only a better design, but it helps me piece together a design which is suitably placed within their overall marketing strategy, both online and offline.

Get to know the people – There’s little point delivering a fantastic all singing, all dancing content management system if yuor client isn’t very confident with their IT skills. It’s likely their site will stagnate or they’ll need to outsource the updating, even though you’ve given them this super system. Getting to know your clients as people will allow you to provide sound and accurate advice on the best solution for them, often saving your client money (ok, you’ll maybe end up with a smaller job initially, but think of the repeat business going forward).

Don’t assume – Ask as many questions as you need to, don’t make assumptions on anything; even the smallest detail. Firing a quick email off to ask a question is better than having to tweak your design where it could be avoided. Of course there will be the inevitable developmental changes, as there is with anything, but these can be minimised by openly asking if you’re unsure of anything.

Communicate – Keep your client up to date at least once per week on the progress of their project, more if necessary. If you end up running behind schedule for whatever reason, be honest and open; people generally don’t mind.

Respect their industry knowledge – Remember that they know their industry likely far better than we as designers do. Be on hand to advise but take heed of comments made about the target demographic and so on, as your client deals with them every day.

Now these are things that I’ve just picked up and do as a matter of course, some of them are tangible (email updates etc) and some aren’t so (“Don’t assume”); considering some or all of these factors when you’re working with clients will easily enable you as a designer to become more custoemr focussed without consciously spending any time on it.

Again, these aren’t rights or wrongs, just things I do – I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!