How a great client can make things so much easier

At Kalexiko it’s our job to (amongst other things) design and build brilliant websites for our clients. We’d like to think we’re really good at it, and you need only look at our portfolio, as well as the feedback we get, for proof. We try to work as closely as possible with our clients and gain a real understanding of what they do, what they need, and how best to achieve it. We communicate and consult with them at every step of the project, keep them completely in the loop as to how it’s all coming along as well taking their feedback on board, and if they come and visit us we’ll even make them a cup of tea if they want.

We love working with all our clients, and appreciate the help and insight they give us in facilitating solutions for them. Indeed you shouldn’t get the wrong idea from this article – we pride ourselves on being able to work happily with almost anyone and get great results together. However, a client relationship is a two-way thing; there are a few things that clients can do to help us that we really appreciate, and will inexorably help us both to get the best out of each other.

Knowing what you want

It sounds pretty straightforward, but if you’re not particularly well versed in web design, or indeed the web in general, it can be all too easy to just say ‘I need a website, I don’t really know what I’m after so make half a dozen and I’ll pick the best.’ We’d far rather get it right first time, which means having a dialogue, formulating a strategy and making sure we understand precisely what your needs are before we write a single line of code. We’re pretty good at what we do but unfortunately we’re not psychic, and a bespoke website is only a bespoke website when it’s made both to your specifications and with your involvement. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to know anything whatsoever about web design. Saying ‘I want something that does this?’ is enough for us to work with, just so long as you let us know what ‘this’ is.

Decision making

We work with organisations of all sizes, from sole traders to big international brands. Whoever we’re dealing with, it’s always useful for us to have a consistent point of contact who can speak for the project. If we have a great idea and want to run it past you, it’s no good to anyone if it takes days or even weeks for the right person to give it the go-ahead. That’s not to say it isn’t good to consult with people; of course it is. But if every proposal we have takes a week to be ratified by a managing director who’s not even that involved in the project, then that will slow the whole thing down. It’s good to be organised in these things.

Feedback

This really works both ways. For all the planning and strategising at the beginning of a project, there might still be aspects that aren’t necessarily turning out exactly how you had in mind. If this happens, for goodness sake tell us! You’re the customer and as hard as we try, we’ll never know your business as well as you do. So if you think something may have been misinterpreted along the way, don’t settle for it. We want you to be delighted with your website, and we can only do that if we all work together, which means letting us know if you’re not entirely happy.

Equally, we’re the web design experts and that’s hopefully why you came to Kalexiko in the first place. So when we tell you that lens flares and comic sans fonts aren’t necessarily such a great idea for your site, or that Flash intros tend to do more harm than good, we appreciate it when you’re at least receptive to our ideas and knowledge. Being realistic here, as talented as we are, web design is constantly evolving and as such there are inevitably going to be some things that despite our best efforts we either don’t yet know how to do, or that can’t be done at all. Not often though.

Consultation at every step

Client consultation is really important to us at Kalexiko, which is why we keep you informed and hands on at every step of the way. It’s the most effective method to ensure that a project is going in the right direction. We’ll brainstorm with you, discuss project milestones, give you full access to our prototypes, and it doesn’t stop when your site goes live either. We’ll still be there optimising your site, driving more visitors to it, offering advice, even asking about your kids if we’re that friendly by then. We hope we will be.