Does Standardization Come Standard?

Every website design project comes with standard features- the prices for which are included in a proposal. But what about anything beyond the boilerplate items? How does the client know what these features are, or how you price them?

We take on each project with a case-by-case mentality- and explain things to the client as we go. The majority of the time, this process works well; it gives us lots of opportunities to communicate with the client, and it gives the client opportunities to trust us.

If you’re like us, you’re always looking for a way to make things better. We’re striving to work more often with clients who are generally informed about our process (and industry). We want to provide better customer service, so we’ve decided to shake things up a bit.

Okay, not shake. Stir… Slightly improve?

We’ve decided to take a marginally different approach. We’re making the standard features of a website we build available in document form. The information is in a format the client can refer back to at any point in the project for clarification. We took a lot of time to explain industry terminology, lay out exactly what the client can expect to come standard, and which features they can upgrade their site with.

It’s not an attempt to eliminate communication with our clients- of course, we’re always happy to answer questions or just chat- but it’s an attempt to help our clients learn a little more about the process. We’re all working toward the same goal, and the easier we can get there, the better- right?

Do you have a document like this? If so, why? If not, why not?

Frank on Faking It.

“How do you get those uneven edges in your illustrations?”
“I draw them, unevenly.”

“What’s the best way to get this to look like it’s cut out of paper?”
“Cut it out of paper.”

“What typeface are you using? It looks so much like handwriting.”
“That’s my handwriting.”

Read the whole thing here.  [Frank has since killed his link.]

Conquer Interruptions.

“We’ve read that the typical office worker is interrupted every three minutes, that it takes 15 minutes to recover from each interruption, that interruptions cost the country $12 trillion in lost productivity (the number fluctuates radically). We get it: interruptions are not welcome.”
– Workawesome

The goal is to stay focused, right.

But if you’re a project manager, it’s your job to be interrupted! You need to know what’s going on in real time with each of the projects you’re in charge of.

It’s nearly impossible to avoid interruptions, distractions, phone calls, emergent e-mails, and drop-in visits. So how do you make the most out of the time you spend being… well, interrupted?

In our small studio, we’re all project managers to some extent. We develop (and continually evolve) a sort of checks and balances system that helps us keep track of each others work. We want to make sure nothing but our best work goes out the door. That doesn’t mean, though, that the process is always smooth. This article from Workawesome has some insightful ways of handling unscheduled breaks in the day, and actually remembering to follow up later.

We’d like to add a few of our own ideas of how to stay on track throughout the day:

• It’s all about prioritizing. The daily todo list is going to change by the hour, so it’s important to keep the items with the highest level of urgency near the top. Yes, that leaves those same old tasks at the bottom of your list, but that’s when motivation kicks in, and if it means spending an extra 30 minutes online when you can- so be it. Bottom line: it has to get done.

• Schedule a couple hours each day/week that you’re in a meeting- with yourself. This is the time you can get completely lost in your work. Shut the door, close the windows, turn off your e-mail. Setting time aside in smaller increments works well, so potential emergencies aren’t kept waiting too long.

• Start and end your day organizing. The first 30 minutes or so, and the last 30 minutes or so. In the morning, go over your list of things that has to be done today. At the end of the day, make sure you’ve updated it to reflect what’s changed over the last several hours. Stay on top.

• It might sounds oversimplified, but carry around a notebook. Jot down things that are added to your list throughout the day, with notes such as “follow up” or “send e-mail” or “client waiting” or “high priority.” When you get back to your desk, you can refer to your list and update as necessary. It only takes a few seconds to jot a note- and remembering to take action later will be worth those few seconds.

• If you can, have a buddy to help you keep track of the todo list. Going over what needs done in a 15 minute conversation can do wonders to jog the memory, and refresh on details.

Copywriters- What’s Your Job?

It’s a challenge copywriters deal with- coming up with something new to say about the same old thing. But more than that, it’s coming up with a way to say it so you reflect WHO the client is, in a way the rest of their industry isn’t. You have to make it sound sexy.

Injecting personality into your copy isn’t easy- there’s a difference between truly representative and informal, informative and boring, knowledgeable and incomprehensible.

As a copywriter, you have to reinvent the language for each project you touch. Engage readers with a unique headline, turn of phrase, and interesting first line of text. But engaging them is only the first part- then you have to carry that tone and level of passion throughout the rest of the site. You have to retain them.

Here’s how you do it: get inside the client’s industry. Learn all about it. If one of your clients’ customers came up to you and asked you a question about the company, you’ll be able to answer it. Learn that much.

Being able to write knowledgeably is what will give your copywriting ability the edge it needs. Some people might argue it’s not your job to know everything the client knows, but it is your job to speak to their customers. It is your job to snatch their attention, and convince them your client’s company is the best choice.

It is your job to say the same old thing, in a different way. You can’t do that by guessing what your clients’ customers want and need.

43 Is Just Too Many.

If you’re so inclined to call on 43 (as in ten more than 33) different style books for “consistency”- be our guest. Craziness.

Read the post from Bobulate here.