We are in the business of building and supporting websites for a large number of clients, we are the provider of services that clients depend on. The gravity of that is not lost on me, that what I do has a direct impact on the livelihoods of other people. This is a huge motivator, which drives me to do the very best I can to meet (and hopefully exceed) their expectations around how and when these services are delivered, on time, and on budget. But most importantly, in a way that adds real value, not just in dollar terms, but also in terms of making clients’ lives/work easier and more efficient. This is so easy to say but requires so much effort to achieve.

Every day, I start with the best of intentions to meet and exceed client expectations and I depend on many tools to help me achieve this as often as possible, including:

• Snooze function on my Google mailbox to help me follow up on messages I’ve sent, to “check in” at a later date. Using this shows I care to followup later if I haven’t heard back.
• A CRM tool for keeping track of opportunities and client projects (this is a system I built in 2009 to meet my exact needs)
• Trello for managing specific deliverables in projects with my development team
• A Google doc “meeting notes” template, which I use for every meeting to track what was discussed, who is responsible for each part and when that action is due
• Daily full clearout of my inbox (inbox zero) to flick all emails either into tasks, immediate replies or snooze for follow-up a later date

I’ve found that even with the best of intentions and some powerful strategies, I still fall short more often than I’d like. So I am keen to learn and I’d love to hear your tips or tricks for managing clients / projects / tasks to ensure that stuff gets done and your people are served well. Shoot me an email simon@webstudio.com.au and let’s connect for a zoom, or or I’ll shout you a real brew if you’re in Port Macquarie.