Communicating Project Updates To Prevent Conflicts

In 20+ years in business, I've never once heard a client say, "I'm sick of hearing from you."  It just doesn't happen. Overcommunicating is a force multiplier. That's why I say it to my team all the time. So here's what we do: If a customer has an active project, we get into Slack and tell them every morning, "Here's the thing I'm about to do," and then every evening, "Here's the thing I did." This simple practice keeps clients in the loop and reassured. Because when clients are heavily invested in a project, you have to understand that they're anxiously watching their inbox or Slack for a response. They're completely dependent on you for their projects, whether it's software development, marketing, or any other service. That's why we encourage constant updates, even small ones. It shows we're thinking about them and that we're on it. And if you don't have an answer for a big update or can't address something immediately, that's okay. They're just looking for acknowledgment. A simple "Got your message, I'll get to this in 30 minutes," works wonders. In tech and engineering, this level of service is unfortunately rare. And that's a shame because it's been a key factor in our success at Surton. It sets you apart from the competition and builds incredibly strong relationships with your clients. Implementing this might seem daunting at first, but it quickly becomes second nature. And the payoff is enormous: Stronger client relationships, increased trust, and a reputation for exceptional service. TLDR: Communicate, communicate, communicate...then maybe communicate a bit more. 

Over the past 20 years in market research, many project issues I've seen stem from mismanaging client expectations. Whether you work for a research firm, an agency, a consultancy, or any other business that involves regular client discussions, here are 4 pointers. 1️⃣ Communication—Regularly communicate, candidly ask the client how often they want updates, and never let a week go by without touching base, regardless of the project stage. Anticipate questions and answer them before they ask. A client sending an email asking, "What's the status of...?" is a failure on your end - within reason. Lack of responsiveness leads to mistrust, even more micromanagement, skepticism, and other issues that can be snuffed out by communicating openly. 2️⃣ Be Realistic—We all want to say "yes" to clients, but there are often ways to showcase your experience and expertise by being honest about what can be achieved with a given timeline and budget. The expectation could be a lack of understanding about the process or industry norms. Underpromise and overdeliver versus overpromise and underdeliver. Those honest conversations may appear inflexible, but they're often more about setting expectations and setting up both parties for long-term sustainable success. Saying "no" to this project could be a better long-term decision for the account than saying "yes" and failing with no second chance. 3️⃣ Understand Perspective—Take the time to actively listen to your client's needs, goals, and priorities. It goes beyond listening and includes asking smart (and sometimes bolder) questions to get a complete understanding. What drove the need for research? Why is receiving results within 2 weeks crucial? What happens if you don't receive results in 2 weeks? Understanding what's pushing the decisions behind the scenes can be a game changer. 4️⃣ Solutions Over Problems—Never present a problem or an issue to a client without a path forward. "This happened, but here are 3 things we can do to fix it." You need to be more than someone who relays information, you need to be a true consultant. Be able to justify each recommendation and explain the pros and cons of each path. -------------------------------------- Need MR advice? Message me. 📩 Visit @Drive Research 💻  1400+ articles to help you. ✏️ --------------------------------------

Process is a huge differentiator. And more importantly, it can make the difference between a stellar client relationship and one that barely makes "meh" waves. You may not know that I cut my teeth in the creative business world as a traffic manager-slash-account manager-slash-other duties as assigned. That meant understanding the intersection of process and client communications to set and manage expectations and create an exceptional customer experience. When you communicate what's already happened, what's happening now, and what's coming next, clients don't spend time guessing...and you're not chasing your tail to manage seemingly wayward questions or challenges. It's why I build process-driven communciations into sales, onboarding, and offboarding **as well as** actual delivery. Here are some musts for every client-focused business **before you ever begin work**: ✅ Define the steps of your process before sending a proposal or naming a fee ✅ Break phases into the simplest possible terms ✅ Save the minutia for onboarding, but make sure proposals outline major project phases ✅ During onboarding, set expectations for project flow, timeline, communications, and client responsibility ✅ Create a clear-cut path for client updates and make sure they understand how to use it ✅ Reiterate process, current stage, and next steps in every communication ✅ Complex project management systems aren't necessary: simple Gdocs or templated email checklists also work On the other hand, here are some words of caution: 🚫 Never assume clients remember your process or timeline. They have a lot going on, so by reiterating current and next steps, you make it easy for them. 🚫 Never assume clients know what you're thinking. Be clear and make sure they understand. Better to over-communicate than under. 🚫 Never "let" them go dark mid-project. Things come up and it may slip their mind. Follow up regularly (and in those follow-ups share with them when you'll follow up again). 🚫 Never guess at what they want or understand. Practice good communication skills even in writing "What I'm hearing you say is...XYZ -- is that right?" 🚫 Never assume they read or remember your last email. Make sure the information they need is easy to access. 🚫 Never let them go off into the sunset without a debrief or check in. I'm thinking of offering a workshop for creative pros and entrepreneurs on client management. If you're interested in that, drop me a DM, and I'll make sure you get it! ***** I'm Erin Pennings, owner of CopySnacks. As a brand messaging strategist and copywriter, I draw on 20 years of marketing experience to help startups and scale-ups turn their brands into customer magnets with a blend of strategic insights and tactical delivery. For more tips like this, go to erinpennings .com/newsletter (remove the space)