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We Show Up When It Matters.
Everyone can be a hero.
In 2007 when we were trying to build up clientele, the world of web development (yes, just web, because mobile wasn’t a thing yet) was kind of like the wild west. There were a lot of gunslingers out there making money as fast as they could and leaving clients in the lurch. One of the trickiest parts was overcoming the bad experiences in clients’ past to build trust.
Be a hero when it counts.
Clients hire us to build the most critical, most impactful and most special projects in their portfolios. This means that there is a huge opportunity for glory, and most people like that. The flip side of this is that there is also a major risk of loss to the client if something goes wrong. That loss may be in actual dollars, but more often it’s in disrupted operations or disappointed clients.
One of the most important things we do is our Help Desk. While some organizations delegate this to interns who do little more than shuffle people around until they give up, we put our resources where our mouth is and and put our brightest minds (okay, that’s everybody) on this critical part of ensuring a great outcome. Everyone takes a turn at Help Desk, and when it’s their turn, it’s their number one priority.
We recognize those critical tickets when they come in. The client sounds breathless, a little panicked, and we realize that the issue at hand is of great importance to them. That’s where we spring into action, and don’t stop until the issue is solved and the client is happy.
Don’t be a hero for your own ego.
Of course, resources aren’t infinite and not everything can be a four-alarm fire. Our clients rely on us to find the point of business efficiency - even when they may not be sure what that is.
A significant part of our job is in looking at the cost, and the benefit, of a given request and helping the client to make a good decision. This may seem obvious, but it’s a critical part of our job. In some cases, a client may request a specific solution without having any idea of the cost. In other cases, excitement, panic or political issues may also cause them to over- or under-estimate the benefits. Our job is to understand their goals and help them make decisions that make sense based on both the benefit and the cost.
The classic example I give is of a friend who manages computer hardware technicians. He tells a story of a team member who happily spent two days rebuilding a part that could have been replaced for $30. If you think that was a happy client, think again.
“We are the stewards of our clients’ projects and their budgets. We are ready and willing to go to extraordinary lengths to be heroes when it makes a difference, and equally willing to suggest a better-ROI alternative when one exists. In short, we treat our clients’ projects and their budgets with as much care as if they were our own. ”