Aligning Customer Expectations In the Complex World of Magento
Brent Peterson Magento Evangelist Agency Coach Selfie Extraordinaire Wagento Commerce Email: brent@wagento.com Twitter: @brentwpeterson
Magento’s flexibility comes from its broad codebase and deep configuration scheme.
So how do we best educate the client?
The Challenge To educate the client upfront what a successful project looks like.
The Solution : Client Education • Two things to Focus on: • Learn what the client has done in the past • Create a clear statement of work
The Solution : Client Education • Learn what the client has done in the past • Creating a clear statement of work • Adding work to a project will add time to the project.
The Solution : Client Education • Learn what the client has done in the past • Creating a clear statement of work • Adding work to a project will add time to the project. • A project can’t be done as soon as the designs are complete.
The Solution : Client Education • Learn what the client has done in the past • Creating a clear statement of work • Adding work to a project will add time to the project. • A project can’t be done as soon as the designs are complete. • Even when discovery is done surprises may occur.
How is education realized? • Performing discovery on both the client and the project.
How is education realized? • Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento project. • Performing discovery on both the project and the client.
How is education realized? • Communicating to the client how modules, products, servers and traffic will impact the performance. • Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento project. • Performing discovery on both the project and the client.
How is education realized? • Setting clear billing expectations. • Communicating to the client how modules, products, servers and traffic will impact the performance. • Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento project. • Performing discovery on both the project and the client.
How is education realized? • Clear billing expectations. • Communicating to the client how modules, products, servers and traffic will impact the performance. • Managing the assumptions that are inherent in a Magento project. • Discovery on both the project and the client.
Having a Trusting Relationship is Key The Most Valuable Business Commodity: Trust David K. William – Forbes.com
The Basic Contract
What a basic SLA looks like Client asks for work. Agency does work. Client approves work. Client pays for work. - REPEAT. • Start the conversation about expectations early on. • Make it simple enough for everyone to understand. • Reassure the client that we will fix bugs and errors.
The Good
The Good Expectations • The good is going to be realized by how each party member manages the expectations of the project.
The Good Expectations • The agency’s ultimate responsibility is to manage the expectations. • The good is going to be realized by how each party member manages the expectations of the project.
The Good Expectations • The client fully participates in the project • The agency’s ultimate responsibility is to manage the expectations. • The good is going to be realized by how each party member manages the expectations of the project.
The Good Constant Consistent Communication is Key “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
The Good Put it in writing!
The Good Communicate Timelines • Carefully explain the project process • Communicate timelines upfront • Explain why a delay is happening
The Good Communication Quality • Low quality communication may result in lost trust of the client Always value ethical actions over expedient ones. - Jean-Luc Picard
The Good Communication Quality • Balancing the Information • Too much information may result in confusion.
The Good • Calls and face to face meetings • As often as needed during discovery • Once a week with client during production • Scheduled and impromptu after launch
The Good • Emails • Client would expect to see these frequently • After launch a scheduled check in should be maintained
The Good • Reporting • Weekly timeline during production • Daily status updates on tickets if needed • Schedule delays • Anything else the client needs to know!
The Good • Changes • During production changes need to be introduced immediately • Add or remove items that will impact the timeline • Discuss budget • Post launch versus pre-launch
The Good • Tools Good Project Management tools will help move the project along for both the client and the agency. It is important to educate the client and engage them to use and learn the tools. As every client is different and every project is different each interaction will be different.
The Good Respect Time • Time is valuable • Respect the time of others • Ensure it is time well spent • Deliver valuable content
The Bad
The Bad Sales and Accounting • Giving quotes without proper discovery • Poorly communicated time spent on issues • Declaring “Yes we can do that!” (without discovery)
The Bad Development and Technical • Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store views)
The Bad Development and Technical • Decision makers without the technical knowledge to make technical decisions and not asking questions. • Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store views)
The Bad Development and Technical • Magento projects taken by developers who know nothing about Magento • Decision makers without the technical knowledge to make technical decisions and not asking questions. • Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store views)
The Bad Development and Technical • Let the developer be the only one to communicate with the client! • Magento projects taken by developers who know nothing about Magento • Decision makers without the technical knowledge to make technical decisions and not asking questions. • Why something is a great idea but bad in practice. (200 store views)
The Bad Project Management • Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad Project Management • Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done. • Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad Project Management • Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes • Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done. • Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad Project Management • Project managers with too many projects • Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes • Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done. • Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad Project Management • Creating poor common practices: allowing phone calls to dictate the new work and not following up in writing • Project managers with too many projects • Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes • Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done. • Poorly communicated requirements
The Bad Project Management • Getting emotionally involved in a project • Creating poor common practices: allowing phone calls to dictate the new work and not following up in writing • Project managers with too many projects • Waiting until the end of a project to communicate changes • Letting the customer tell you when the project will be done. • Poorly communicated requirements
The Ugly
The Ugly At some point the client becomes frustrated because what they are expecting is different than what the Agency can or will deliver.
Client comes to a Magento Partner with performance issues after going through a non-Magento Agency. Problem: 200 store views 9000 categories… slow website. Someone without Magento experience may not know that loading up Magento with so many store views and categories will slow things down. Possible Solution: Reduce the amount of store views and categories as well as heavily caching the website.
Client in a rush has a questionable timeline. The client tells the agency it has to be done and agency agrees to do it without thinking…. Problem: Let the client dictate the entire project: Time line, delivery. Etc… Possible Solution: Say no. Full stop. Give the client a reasonable timeline
Customer comes to agency after dealing with another Magento developer or agency. New agency needs to both launch the project as well as fix and/or learn everything that has already been done. Problem: Recover a failed implementation: How do you deal with a project as the next developer or the sixth developer? Possible Solution: Be honest with the client and agree that you are not going to be able to know everything about the project. Let the client know that problems will come up and the agency will be there to help.
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