Why Good Communication Is So Important For A Website Project
Good communication is fundamental to any website project going well.
It’s one of the things we focus on the most at Torx! But why is it so important, and how can bad communication sabotage a project? Glad you asked!
What happens when there is good communication?
Good communication means things get done faster and less money is spent. When we share a vision with our clients and set clear expectations for a project, we’re able to collaborate beautifully with our client to meet (and often exceed) their expectations!
Yes I know, that sounds like rainbows and butterflies. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t mean that things always go exactly to plan and that there are no hurdles along the way.
Curveballs are inevitable, but strong communication builds trust.
When curveballs are thrown, our clients can trust that we have their best interest in mind and that we will find the right solution, not simply the quickest or the easiest.
But good communication takes two to tango! We trust that our clients will join forces with us to help us meet our common goals and deadlines. Whether that’s by providing all the necessary details for completing the project, giving timely feedback, or adding website copy– There is collaboration involved in every website project.
What happens when there is bad communication?
Bad communication can lead to a whole lot of frustration for both parties, as well as mistrust.
You never want to begin working with an agency on a creative project and go many weeks or months without hearing from them. Naturally, you wonder what they’ve been working on and feel out of the loop. And when you’re investing money in a new website or other marketing endeavor, understandably you begin to worry.
By the same token, we desire for our clients to be actively engaged in the project process. Poor communication or radio silence can lead to projects costing more money and pushing past the deadline. If a client becomes unresponsive, we’re unable to get the necessary revisions or approvals we need to progress in the project timeline. And if we don’t receive feedback until the very end of the project it may require us to go back and redo things, pushing the project past scope and past deadline. Two things neither party wants.
4 Tips for Improving Communication
1
Schedule regular check-ins.
This is especially helpful in longer-term projects. Find a time that everyone is free, and commit to meeting regularly.
For smaller projects, this doesn’t have to be a meeting; it could be a regular phone call or email update. Whatever fits the project and the people involved. Even if there is nothing specific to report, it’s helpful to touch base and plan for future project milestones.
2
Be transparent.
No one likes B.S., especially when precious time and money are involved.
Transparency builds trust, even if you’re delivering less-than-good news. Once you’ve delivered the bad news, and everyone is on the same page, that is when you can start working towards a solution. And you might find the relationship is stronger for it.
3
Listen!
This is a very important aspect of good communication. Meeting and talking frequently is great, but are you actively listening in those meetings? Listening is just as important as talking in communication, arguably even more important. As a creative agency, it’s imperative that we understand what our clients do, what their goals are, and if they have any concerns or questions we need to address.
4
Ask questions.
We’ve all been in a meeting where someone is talking and everyone else is nodding along, and you feel like you’re the only person in the room going, “Huh??” on the inside.
Don’t be afraid to ask a stupid question! More times than not, you are not the only person in the room who could benefit from an acronym being spelled out or a term being defined. As author Simon Sinek says, “Be the ‘stupidest’ in the room.” Ask the question that everyone else is too afraid to ask. You’ll find you’re not the only one who benefits from the answer.
In the wise words to Stevie Nicks... Talk to Us!
If you’d like our help with your business’ marketing efforts, we’d love to practice what we preach! Fill out the contact form below, or give us call at 1-804-577-8679 and let’s chat about how we can help you capture more leads.
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About the author:
Celestia Trumbo
Senior Account Manager
Celestia is the Senior Account Manager at Torx. She spends her days meeting with clients and managing projects to ensure everything runs smoothly and that our clients’ visions are brought to life. She loves soaking up as much technical information from our developers as she can, to equip her to best help our clients. She hopes that this technical know-how will also help her win at trivia one day!