![\"Client](\"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Client-Success-1.jpg\")
Of course, those end results make customers happy, but what we\u2019re talking about is a day-by-day relationship with clients where they have confidence in us as technology service providers. Where they trust us when we tell them a certain task will take so many hours. Where they will believe us when we tell them option Y<\/em> is the best solution. That level of relationship is not easily come by. Rather, it is earned over a period of solid performance and delivery.<\/p>\n
You may be thinking the key to success is hard work. You may be thinking the secret is having the smartest techs on staff, or you may be thinking the secret is \u2026 best project management, lowest costs, customer service, etc. These are all good things that a strong technology company should have, but are they really the key<\/u> factors that build that solid, trusting relationship with clients? There\u2019s a little more to it.<\/p>\n
So, what is <\/em>the secret behind customer happiness? It\u2019s not magic. In fact, you\u2019ll be surprised by how simple it is. Two simple truths.<\/p>\n They are: Get Things Done<\/strong> and Do What You Say<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately, these simple truths can be so hard to put into practice.<\/p>\n What does this mean? You work hard every day. You get things done. This is easy, right? What we mean here is completing<\/u> tasks. Completing meaning done, delivered, finito<\/em>.<\/p>\n I have seen so many hard-working IT professionals in my career that put in the extra hours. They worked weekends and almost never left the keyboard. Unfortunately, they couldn\u2019t cross the finish line. I find a significant percentage of technologist suffer from this malady. Is it a lack of focus? Laziness? Incompetence? In my experience, the number of people who really can bring complex tasks to closure is fewer than you might guess. In a previous job at a software consulting firm, we actually classified our development staff into two buckets: closers<\/em> and non-closers<\/em>. Closers were the ones who could complete a project to sign-off. We found that if we did not assign at least one closer to a project, the project was doomed to linger in the dreaded \u201calmost done\u201d phase. We had more non-closers on the staff than closers, and this was a real problem.<\/p>\n Software developer and author Joel Spolsky wrote an excellent book on hiring technologists called \u201dSmart & Gets Things Done\u201d. During his career as a technology business owner, he realized that hiring smart people wasn\u2019t enough; he needed to hire smart people that could get the job done.<\/p>\n You may be wondering, why aren\u2019t more people closers? Or, how do I become a closer? Again, the answer is simple, but following through can be hard. I think that closers see projects a little differently than non-closers:<\/p>\n Follow these steps, and you just may find yourself becoming a closer too! Clients are far less concerned with the blood, sweat, and tears that we put into our work than they are about us delivering on time and budget commitments.<\/p>\n It\u2019s another maxim that sounds simple, but consistent follow-through can be much harder. How many times have you told a client you would get something done by a certain date and failed to hit that date? Reflect. Think hard. It may be more times than you\u2019d care to admit.<\/p>\n Every time we tell a client we will do something by a certain date, then miss that date, we lose trust. This includes minor administrative tasks, \u00a0such as making phone calls or sending emails, as well as major deliverables. Whenever you a give a date, or agree to one, you must consider that a commitment. You may be thinking, \u201cI probably can do it by that date\u201d, but the customer hears a date and is thinking, \u201cThat will absolutely be done by that date\u201d.\u00a0 If you get to the point where the customer is thinking, \u201cThey gave me this date, but they never get it done when they say they will\u201d, you have lost the role of the expert on the engagement.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got to treat our word as a contract. So often, I hear technologists give out dates, or agree to dates proposed by clients and\/or management. Don\u2019t do it! When we concede to a deadline and don\u2019t deliver by that date, everyone sees it as our failure, not the people that pressured us to agree to it in the first place. Be careful when estimating a delivery date \u2013 even for the smallest tasks. Every time we don\u2019t hit a verbal commitment to deliver, we erode client trust and confidence.<\/p>\n Does this mean never missing a time commitment again? No. Unexpected things come up and clients will generally understand that. However, continually missed deadlines eventually put the client into a position where they can\u2019t depend on a technologist\u2019s estimated delivery dates.<\/p>\n Here are some key factors you can use to better keep your commitments:<\/p>\n Be careful what you commit to, and, when you do commit, make sure to deliver. It\u2019s professional, and it\u2019s what the customer expects.<\/p>\n The world of technology is exciting, but engagements can be very complex. BlueGranite’s success has been built on our clients knowing we deliver what we promise. Get Things Done<\/strong> and Do What You Say<\/strong> \u2013 consistency in these two areas, for every client interaction, is a surefire way to a lasting client relationship founded on trust.<\/p>\nGet Things Done<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Do What You Say<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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