Dealing with Clients as a Freelance Web Developer / Designer

If you are a web developer or a designer working with multiple clients, work flow management plays an important role in your routine. Prioritizing tasks, time management are key to be successful over time. Following are some useful tips which enable you to handle your clients in a better way. Most of the pointers are from my personal experience so, some of them may or may not apply for you.

Make use of web based storage and file management service

Web based services like Google Docs and Zoho enable you to manage documents, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets etc., without having to install any additional software. And, you can organize your work into folders. So, all your files and work is easily accessible irrespective of the operating system being used. When you are dealing with multiple clients, this is an easy and effective way to share information over the course of time. Moreover, collaborating on a document is quite easy with services like Google Docs.

The best part of such web based document management services is that – revisions made on documents are stored automatically. Hence, restoring information is easy. In future, if one of your clients needs some specific information then, all you need to do is share that specific document or send it via email.

Be specific about phone calls / maintenance

If a client contacts you frequently for minor updates or changes on a site, it might affect your work on pre-planned routine tasks. You might have to pause what you are doing and work on the client’s site. So, right from the initial stages of a project, be specific about the number of times support / maintenance can be requested during a certain period of time. And, discuss any additional charges for further maintenance or support beforehand. This will save your time and helps the client in prioritizing and grouping related tasks for you to work on.

Don’t be hesitant to ask for a better compensation

If you can explain to a client clearly on how the price of developing a website is structured, and the number of hours spent in developing / designing a website then, the client will certainly understand the value of work being done and will be inclined to pay more.

Offer free consultation?

As the joker quotes in the movie Dark Night,

if you are good at something, never do it for free.

If you get emails about free logo design or a website development, probably that company isn’t busy.

Referrals are important

If you have successfully developed a site for a client within the given timeline, there is a good chance that the client refer you or consider you for future projects.