Ever hear horror stories of a contractor taking someones money, doing a half or none of a job and then running off never too be found? Ever hear or see this happen with a web designer? Well, unfortunately it happens. It happens because people do not make a promise to themselves or their client to do what they said, a high quality job, or have any integrity. I was recently hired to do a website for a high end motorcycle website. The client asked me to write him an email. This email prompted me to put most of my email to them into a blog on my site. They were both titled "The Web Designer Promises". In this article I will be hashing out these promises more, and I hope people see that there are freelancers out there with integrity.
The first promise, which really is the basis of the rest of the promises, is to have integrity. Can I build a particular site? How long will it take? What's a fair price? These are the questions we all face quoting a someone interested in our services, and we need to answer HONESTLY to all questions. I've learned that a no bullshit approach to quoting and doing meetings with clients builds trust, and shows integrity. If you don't do this, you leave a bad taste in the mouth of the client and make every other freelancers job tougher.
The next promise is regular updates with current design/iterations of the site (or product) until the client is happy. This sounds obvious, and probably dumb. But I've met a fair amount of people who have had web designers bail on them halfway through a project because their designs weren't very good and they did not want the client to realize it. Then the client needs a new designer to clean up the mess. That is why I make a commitment to my clients to provide regular updates to make sure they are happy. Having regular updates for the clients shows that you have faith in your work and that you are not trying to hide anything. It also means you can make small changes as the site is being worked on, rather then having a big pile to do at the end.
I also promise to provide the web hosting and domain registration for the client. Again, this probably sounds like something most designers do. But I have had several clients this year try and pick hosting themselves and it does not seem to work. A good designer knows good hosting sites, so it causes less headaches because the designer can pick a host that their familiar with, and that is reliable. This should be explained to the client so that they are aware of the reason the designer is picking a certain host. It might cost the client a few more dollars, but the cheaper hosts tend to be harder to work with, less professional looking and unreliable. As a result, having the designer pick a good quality host, is really doing the client a favour.
Publishing the website is another promise I make to clients. Now I know you're thinking, this guy is king obvious, and that could be true. But again, I've been hired by people who had a web designer finish 95 percent of a site and then not just publish it. Leaving the client with a big pile of unfinished work and a lot less cash. If the designer is going to put in the work, they might as well finish it. Make it go live, have some integrity, finish the job.
I also promise to provide some basic maintenance training for clients. A lot of designers apparently do not do this for their clients. I know they are really just trying to get the client to pay them more money, but really? If I can get a job because I do not force people to pay for maintenance, I just got a job and probably a reference. So how do I lose? If a client wants the maintenance, they'll ask... If they do not want it, then why should I force them to pay for it? Just an honest business model as far as I am concerned.
These are my promises as a web designer to my clients. It's basic, and probably painfully obvious, but it is a good platform for me to launch my business from. Honesty and integrity is at the heart of Longhorn Computers. I hope it's enough to continue to be hired to do work for people, and look forward to providing quality, professional services in the future.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_G_Bell
No comments:
Post a Comment