Three different favicons for three different sections of the site. A blog post, an edit screen and an FAQ section. Makes it much easier to go click the right tab.
It is things like these that make me smile.
Client servicing — even though it feels like — is not project management. It is figuring out what the client wants — defining it in a way that becomes a measure of what is to be done and communicating execution of those deliverables.
Breaking it into smaller more doable tasks is something that a PM does, but setting expectations with the execution team on what is needed by the client is part of the client servicing person’s responsibility. Once the execution team knows what’s needed by when, they can focus on delivering it
Setting the client’s expectations is also part of the client servicing rep’s job. Under promise and over deliver that should be the client servicing person’s motto. The client should be informed and constantly followed up for all the requirements needed from their end. Of course, it helps if the client is great. But eventually, all responsibility lies with the client servicing rep to make sure that both these parties know that that means.
Most clients don’t know how to be great clients — while some execution people forget what it means to be great in the client’s eyes. Delivering stuff on time is important. But it is as important as letting the client know that stuff will not be delivered on time. This happens sometime and is not necessarily a bad thing. A clear line of communication is part of the job as is figuring out what the next steps are for each team.
The client servicing rep’s job is to make all the parties involved look good.
A new friend of mine keeps saying -
Thoughts become things
Problems are all about perception. Big problems are only big because you think they are.
Here are two personal stories from a couple of weeks ago.
I was extremely stressed about the WordCamp Mumbai 2016 being executed brilliantly. I was the lead organiser after all. The stress of the entire event should technically be resting on my shoulders. But something happened. I decided not to be stressed. I reckoned that it will either go well, and future me would be happy. Or it won’t go well, and there’s no point in sacrificing good feelings now for bad feelings in the future. I did not stop caring, but I stopped stressing out. I decided that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if one event I was volunteering at did not go well.
I was able to enjoy myself more — during the preparation towards the event. The event was a success.
My US Visa story is similar.
It was the first time I applied for a US Visa. I’d heard a lot of stories about how single IT industry folks were rejected from getting visas just to attend conferences. Naturally I was a little bit stressed, but a similar moment happened to me where I decided to stop taking the stress.
I decided that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I did not get a visa. I could either try again or just skip this conference and go for another one later.
The preparedness did not change — but my perception did. And that made a huge difference in my state of mind through till the event.
Oh and I got the visa!
Life is as easy as you want it to be.