We’ve been running our digital agency for 6 years now, and in that time we’ve been lucky enough to work on some amazing projects.
They haven’t all been plain sailing, and we’ve learnt a lot. What can we do to make a project as successful as possible?
Gather all of the project requirements… first.
To make the project successful, it’s so important to let the client know what you need from them in the first kick-off meeting. Not doing this puts you in danger of being in touching distance of the project launch, only to miss the last few details; when you’ve worked so hard on the whole project, the last thing you want is for the client to remember the experience for the tiny few bits you messed up at the end.
So in that first meeting, tell the client what you’re going to need from them for the project. Who will be creating the new content? Who is responsible for registering the domain? Will they be hosting their website with you or elsewhere?
Asking these questions will make sure your client is aware of the information they need to gather from day 1, and give them dates for when you need these things – this will help to manage their expectations and make sure the project isn’t held up (everyone needs a deadline, right?).
Keep this in mind to avoid those last minute questions (panic!) just before the project launch – which everyone will want to be a smooth as possible.
Meet in person as often as you can.
We always insist on meeting our clients in person for review sessions – it means any details can be discussed and we can effectively explain the reasons why and how we reached the outcome. It’s so difficult to explain the nitty/gritty stuff via written communication, and things can easily be misunderstood by both parties.
If you want to build successful client relationships and really collaborate on projects, the only way to do this is to put in the time and effort to meet your clients regularly. They need to see you talk about the work to build trust in you – which always leads to more successful partnerships.
Put everything in writing.
After you’ve had a face-to-face meeting or review session it’s important to follow up in writing with minutes and action points, and ask the client to confirm that they accurately represent the meeting or if anything has been missed. This leaves no room for ambiguity and ensures both sides are in clear agreement of what is going to be done next, and by when. Don’t leave anything unclear!
Write these minutes out point by point (and save the jargon!) You may understand what a ‘hero’ image is, but put yourself in the shoes of someone with no design or agency experience, will they?
The same can be said for ‘signing off’ work. We sometimes receive sign off verbally, but we always make sure this is followed up in writing to explain what is being signed off, and what can/can’t be changed going forward within the agreed scope. These are really important stages in the project and it’s vital the client understands what they’re agreeing to, to avoid any uncertainties going forward.
Get your whole team involved.
When you’re working to tight deadlines (which we all are at some stage) it’s so easy for individual working to take over. Obviously, this will be the case for a lot of time spent on projects, but it’s so valuable to get your whole team together to brainstorm ideas for the project and gain feedback from different perspectives and sanity test your products. Make sure your client is benefiting from your whole teams’ experience and expertise!
We’ve found this is also great for morale – your team will appreciate being able to see the work in progress and share their input before the final product is launched.
Make a timeline, and then make another timeline.
This sounds like an obvious one – but I can’t tell you how important timelines are for agency projects. Even if the client doesn’t have a launch date in mind, propose one!
The timeline is the glue that sticks the different parts of the project together; it will define the resources you need, the stuff you need from the client, and when you can book your next project in.
If the timeline slips (which it may well do) then update it, and continue to do this if you need to until the project is launched. It may seem like overkill – but if one stage of the project is a week behind then this will delay everything else, so make sure you stay on top of it and make the client aware if anything slips. If you need stuff from the client and it’s holding up the project then be up-front about it, they want the project launched as much as you do.
We think these tips will help your next project be a successful one – If you want to learn more about our process or talk to us about a new project, you can get in touch here. You could follow us on Twitter too, if you like.