Understanding client expectations, setting goals, meeting requirements, and delivering projects on time is crucial for any agency to achieve success. While this is true, up to 15% of all agencies have not customized their service offerings nor do they deliver services on time, which makes acquiring new clients a huge pain point. Even agencies that can acquire new clients are unable to retain them.
One of the most common issues that is faced when projects are rushed into or when an agency wants the work so badly, they do not want to cause doubt in a client’s mind by asking too many questions. Having a defined and repeatable onboarding process can solve an array of issues that may result in client expectations going unchecked, but there are several practical tips you can use to manage and set expectations so everyone is on the same page.
Some tips for managing client expectations are found here.
Set Goals and Mention Then in Each Conversation
You will not be able to manage the expected success of a marketing partnership if you don’t first set mutually agreed upon marketing goals that will align with a client’s business goals. This is the first step to ensure you and your client are on the same page and working to the same end goal.
Also, when you have established goals for a client, you can point to these if they request something at the last minute, or if you want to start the campaign over. Will an action help them reach the original goals, or is it just another distraction?
Create a Detailed Plan for All Projects
Even if your client claims they do not care how it is done, if the desired results are achieved, you still must create a detailed plan of action along with your timelines. The client should have something that lets them point to the status of the project at any time.
This also helps in managing expectations. The scope of work should outline what deadlines the client must meet and the deliverables the team needs to remain on track for launch.
Be Upfront About What Will Happen if Plans are Altered or Changed
This may be as simple as adding a line of details stating if an approval is missed, the timeline will be moved back to reflect the delay in the approval from the client. It may also be a discussion where you have to outline all the potential risks in the project, how you work to keep these from holding up the project, and what your backup plan is.
With this information, the client can adjust their expectations that everything will always go smoothly. There are setbacks and roadblocks in most projects. Clients need to trust you have thought about how this detour may impact your project.
When you set expectations and manage them accordingly, you can also improve client satisfaction. In the long run, word will spread, which means that the pain point of acquiring and retaining new clients will be remedied. For help and information, be sure to contact the professionals.