Client Wrangling: Keeping Timelines on Track
Projects taking months longer than planned, content delays, and clients impacting progress—we've all been there. With so many moving parts to building a website, it can be difficult to manage timelines and guarantee clients follow through on tasks.
Alyssa Phillips, owner of Amp’d Designs, offered valuable insights and strategies for web designers and creative professionals looking to manage client collaboration at Circle Day 2023. She addressed challenges designers face in receiving timely content delivery and approval (leading to project delays) and shared the importance of contracts, clear communication, and boundaries to keep projects on track.
Common web design project delays
Often, the most pressing challenges in completing design projects revolve around clients missing deadlines with content delivery and feedback. These kinds of lapses can cause project timelines to spiral out of control.
Web design projects are made up of numerous moving parts, many of which clients may not fully understand until the project is well underway. This can lead to project derailment as clients grapple with gathering the content and information needed to build a complete website.
It can be easy to place blame on clients for delays, but Alyssa encourages designers to adopt a more empathetic perspective. While clients may technically be at fault, consistently blaming them is not productive. Instead, it’s worth assessing your process to identify areas where improvement can benefit both parties.
Avoiding delays with contracts, communications, and boundaries
Content-related delays can not only lead to an overall project delay but can create financial stress. When projects are derailed, payments are too, which is not ideal for a business. Alyssa counters both with a three-fold strategy consisting of contracts, communication, and boundaries.
Web design contracts
A web design contract* should set clear expectations and specify the consequences of missing deadlines.
1. Put all client deadlines in your contract
Alyssa stresses the importance of including all of the project deadlines in the project’s contract. Her contracts always state that the final copy and photos are to be delivered from the client a week before the start date or she won’t begin work on the project.
2. Specify what will happen if clients miss a deadline
Alyssa also emphasizes that her contracts clearly state that if a client misses any deadlines, she’ll have to reschedule the project based on her next availability. This triggers a rescheduling fee and a significant delay in the project. Alyssa asks clients to initial next to this clause to ensure they understand the significance of hitting deadlines.
*Please note: This information does not constitute, and should not be considered a substitute for, legal advice. The information provided is intended to be general. Please contact your legal advisors for information specific to your situation.Web design client communication
Alyssa admits that clients often don’t read the contract with the most attention to detail, so she suggests being overly communicative about expectations clearly and often. This helps clients not feel blindsided when deadlines come up. The following are opportunities to reinforce expectations:
The consultation/sales call
Clients hire you as the web design expert and are looking for you to guide them through the process. Alyssa says, “I recommend you bring up your policies around content deadlines on your first consultation call or sales call. That is where you need to tell them that the copy and photos are due one week before the start date, and also include your policies.” Learn more about managing expectations during the initial consultation.
The proposal/quote
In addition to stating the importance of deadlines in the initial consultation Alyssa includes content delivery as “Step #0” of the process outline as the first step in the project timeline. Learn more about crafting a winning web design proposal.
The welcome packet
Alyssa includes all deadlines in her welcome packet and onboarding documents, which she delivers when a project begins. She also books a 15-minute welcome video chat within two weeks of the client booking a project, where she once again verbally repeats all of the deadlines.
Check-in emails before deadlines
In the event that the above steps are not enough, Alyssa sends automated reminder emails about upcoming deadlines once the project begins.
Because copywriting can be a blocker for many projects, Alyssa has developed a copywriting guide to make it as straightforward as possible for clients to write their own copy. It also helps them deliver the copy on time. The copywriting guide includes what to write for each page of their site, how long each paragraph should be, and where the headlines go.
Clear boundaries with web design clients
Setting clear boundaries is crucial for maintaining project timelines. Designers should define policies that work for their workflow and adhere to them.
1. Define boundaries for yourself (in your contract and communications)
Alyssa suggests having a clear understanding of your own boundaries and defining what you will or won’t tolerate when it comes to clients pushing timelines. When you outline your boundaries in contracts and other communications, it can be easier to reference them when and if it comes time to enforce consequences.
2. Remind the client the first time boundaries are pushed
Because you have set expectations upfront, you may feel more empowered to enforce your boundaries when you have to reschedule a project or charge a scheduling fee. Alyssa says, “If you bend the boundary once, you are setting a precedent that it is actually not that important, and the client will likely expect you to do it again.”
3. Don’t forget to include boundaries around project milestones and feedback
Alyssa states in writing that clients have two days to deliver feedback. She urges, “Whether it is style tiles, or the homepage, or any designs presented, they have to return feedback within two business days. We're trying to build a whole website in two months, so we can't go weeks between rounds of feedback.” Alyssa recommends breaking up a project into milestones and clarifying that additional edits to already approved milestones are subject to additional fees: “My policy for delayed feedback is actually quite similar to my policy for delayed content. If the feedback is not reasonably on time, then the project has to be rescheduled and incur that significant rescheduling fee.”
4. Use payment due dates to help clients stay on track
It is a good policy to make your client’s balance due on a specific date around the expected launch. Alyssa says, “This is really helpful because it incentivizes the client to respond and stay on track. They do not want to pay for a site that's not complete.” In essence, the balance is due regardless of whether the site is complete or not.
Through contracts, open communication, and clear boundaries, web designers can cultivate smoother client interactions, resulting in successful and timely project outcomes. Incorporating Alyssa’s insights into your own practices, you can enhance your ability to wrangle clients, manage expectations, and ultimately create an environment conducive to successful project execution.
Special thanks to Alyssa Phillips for sharing her expertise at Circle Day 2023. Visit the Circle blog for more session highlights.
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