By Karen Giventer | Senior Member
Congratulations! You’ve landed a consulting gig with a major client and you’ve been entrusted with an important documentation project. You know you’ll do your best and your new client has confidence in you; so it’s all good, right? Well, maybe. Doing your best is important, of course, but building a great relationship with your client is a job in itself. This article offers some concrete actions you can take to ensure that your rapport with your client stays on track.
Know and Set Expectations
The best way to ensure that your client is satisfied at the end of a project is to discuss expectations right at the start. Clients sometimes think that all they have to do is check off “hire the writer” on their to-do list and that’s the end of their involvement. It’s our job as consultants to let our clients know what we need from them. For example, tell them how much time you’ll need with the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
You’ll also need to know what the client expects of you. Your client’s mental image of “context-sensitive help,” for example, might be very different from yours. Work with management to confirm exactly what deliverables are needed.
Some topics to discuss with your client from the outset of the project are:
- Who are the SMEs? How much time can you spend with them?
- What are the planned deliverables? A PDF? A Help system? FAQs? What is the documentation set you’ll be expected to provide?
- What are the deadlines? What is driving the deadlines, such as a customer deliverable, a pre-announced software release, or participation in a trade show?
- What software and hardware will you need to perform your work? Who will provide this software and hardware, the client or you?
- What system access will you need and when? Sometimes the lack of access to necessary internal systems can be a major stumbling block to progress.
- How will you bill the client? When is payment due?
- When will you be expected to be onsite and when is it acceptable to work offsite?
- Will you have assigned workspace at the office?
- Who will be your manager?
Communicate Status Regularly
Communicating status is probably the most important ongoing activity you can do to ensure your client’s confidence in your work. Status should be honestly reported regularly, in writing, even if you frequently give verbal updates. For example, if you are working in an Agile environment and announcing your status at daily scrums, be sure to also deliver a weekly status report. Regular reporting serves two purposes: 1) it reassures your client about your progress and 2) it provides a documented account of your work and any issues you raise.
The following main topics in a status report will help your client understand your status in a glance:
- Activities—List any activities you performed. This section should include all actions for which you bill such as “Met with SME John Doe,” “Attended morning scrums,” and “Wrote help topics for Module 1.” If there are many different types of activities, separate them into categories such as “General Department Meetings,” “SME Meetings,” and “Writing.”
- Issues—List any issues that are of concern. For example, if you are unable to obtain information you need, list the problem as an issue here. Of course, if you have major difficulties, also bring them to management attention verbally and don’t rely on your client reading your status report. Be sure to follow up and let your manager know if the issue has been resolved or needs attention.
- Planned Time Off—Whether you work in the office or from home, list any days or blocks of time during which you can’t be reached.
- Status Summary—This section is the most important part of your status report. The goal here is to allow your client to immediately understand the project status. A table works well here, such as the table shown in Figure 1.
Display Your Wares
It’s always tempting to hold back and not show the client your drafts until you feel they are “perfect.” Resist this temptation. Share your work with your client early. You need to know right away if your client is satisfied that you are headed in the right direction, or if management wants to see a different approach. Ask your client to review your initial work—not for perfect accuracy, but for overall level of detail, style, and look-and-feel. Let the reviewers know that this is just an early attempt and ask point blank if “this is the type of writing you want to see”?
Don’t be hesitant to display your wares. Letting your client see your preliminary drafts can eliminate potential misunderstandings.
Radiate Professionalism
A professional demeanor can be a powerful means of letting others know that you have self-confidence and a strong work ethic. Your demeanor is a subtle, unspoken statement that can reassure your colleagues that the company’s trust in you is deserved. Some ways that you can display professionalism are:
- Dress in a business-like manner. It’s acceptable to dress informally if the company dress-code is casual. Nevertheless, even if everyone wears frayed jeans and ancient sneakers, keep your attire to “business casual” at a minimum.
- Maintain a neat desk and work area. A messy, disorganized desk is a huge red flag to management. Don’t let your colleagues wonder whether or not you have your act together. Keep an organized work area that says “I am a squared-away individual. I know my business and I’m here to deliver.”
- Focus on business. It’s only natural for FTEs (full time employees) to chat with one another about hobbies, family, and other non-work topics. You want to fit in, so some small talk is fine. However, keep the chatter to a minimum. You are probably billing by the hour and you don’t want anyone wondering if the bill includes the twenty minutes you spent talking about vacation plans.
- Listen more than talk. There’s a lot you can learn from your colleagues and apply to your project. Listen and learn throughout the day. When you speak up, make it count. You don’t need to weigh-in on every topic, just for the sake of talking. When you have a meaningful contribution or question, that’s the time to speak up.
Deliver Excellent Results
The bottom line for both you and your client is the resulting end product. Is the client extremely satisfied with the result? Would this client recommend you to others or hire you again? Throughout the progression of the project, put forth your best effort to ensure an excellent outcome. The payoff will be a satisfied client, further business for you, and increased self-confidence when you approach other potential clients and bid for new business.
Conclusion
Working independently as a consultant or contractor has many rewards. It’s an excellent way to broaden your skills and gain experience in a variety of corporate cultures. Consulting also puts you in the driver’s seat and involves unique responsibilities. It is up to you to manage your client’s perception of you. With effort and consistency, you can build and maintain a great relationship with each of your clients that will pay off exponentially as your career progresses.
Karen Giventer (karen.giventer@gmail.com) is a senior member of STC and an active member of the New England Chapter. She is a full-time technical writing contractor/consultant. Karen is passionate about the future of the technical writing profession and the ability to find and grow jobs and assignments, even in a down economy. Karen frequently gives seminars on the topic of job searching. She has earned the STC Distinguished Chapter Service award and the STC Boston Landers/Carbrey Spirit of Volunteerism award.
