I have come to a conclusion: it is better to say, “I don’t know, but I will do my best to make it happen” than just “No”. This has been common practice for me since I started working in the field, but I feel that the most important part of the job is to ensure that my client is happy with the work I have done for them.
My good friend and colleague, Chuck, and I were having a discussion yesterday regarding jobs we are currently working on; he is tackling a website with a new client and I am taking over the webmaster responsibilities of a client of mine for which I have been doing product photography. He basically took over the job after his client was displeased with the quality of their previous web designer; I am taking over webmaster responsibilities for my client because they are not very comfortable working in the shopping cart that was provided to them, and they feel that I will be able to take care of the regular weekly maintenance more efficiently.
What really got us on a rant, however, was how the previous designers had dealt with our clients. In Chuck’s case, the client dropped the previous designer and went to Chuck because they would request certain changes and effects to be implemented, and the designer told them it couldn’t be done. In my case, the designer of the site was also telling my client that things were not possible. Neither client was asking for anything really outrageous; they simply wanted some aesthetic changes. Lucky for Chuck, he was building the site from the ground up, but the things that the previous designer had told the client was making him crazy.
We came to the conclusion that there are quite a few web designers out there that are charging a premium for their services, and taking advantage of the potential ignorance of their clients. There are some things that are challenging when designing a website, but there is no excuse for designers to refuse a simple request that will only take a bit of research on their part, or very little time to implement.
In the case of my client, it was a shopping cart with a “View Larger Image” for the product. The designer told the client that due to the restraints of the shopping cart system, there was “probably” no way to change the way the larger image was displayed. (The link was simply pointing to the filepath of the larger image, and opening it in a new window. Not very attractive.) I told him that he needed to look into it, and he gave me the impression that although the job was finished, he’d see what he could do, etc. I felt like I was getting lip service. Bear in mind, I had not mentioned to him that I am fluent in HTML and CSS; he was under the impression that I was a web-savvy photographer. When I started bringing up the possibility of Javascript popup windows or a Lightbox effect, he started to look a little guarded. I didn’t feel very confident that he would be able or willing to implement the request, so I took matters into my own hands.
By the time I had spent a few hours researching, going through the code and syntax of the shopping cart and felt comfortable enough with it to start attempting a fix, I wound up adding a Lightbox effect to the “View Larger Image” link. It took three quick recodes to get it perfect, but now it looks beautiful.
I just don’t understand why other designers would treat clients in this manner; is it not common knowledge/business practice to make your clients as happy as possible? I understand the importance of staying within the project scope (more on that in my next post), but when you have a client that is questioning your skills and willingness to perfect the job in question, there are implications. If a client is unhappy with a finished product, not only can you never count on a recommendation from them, you run the risk of building a bad reputation for yourself. As a designer who hasn’t spent a moment or a dime marketing herself, all my new clients are procured via word-of-mouth and recommendations from previous clients. My reputation is extremely important to me, and I would rather spend a little more time to get a job perfect than to have a client unhappy with my work.
