Handling difficult clients: How Deer Designer can save your sanity
Most customers are pretty easy to work with. They know the drill: pay for what’s advertised, get the product (or service), and everyone’s happy. But there’s always that 5–10 percent who are just a pain, taking up all our time and energy.
We all have that one client who drives us nuts but keeps handing over the cash. Annoying, right?
The key is figuring out which tough customers are worth keeping and which aren’t worth the headache. Some just have quirks we blow out of proportion.
Richard F. Gerson wrote a book on customer service and listed 10 types of customer behaviors. Only one was the perfect customer!
The rest, like the know-it-alls, chronic complainers, and time-wasters, can be a lot to handle. But we still need them in the long run.
The good news is, there’s a cool option to consider now: on-demand design services! They connect designers with clients who need specialized work.
But are they the best solution for dealing with difficult clients? Let’s look at the pros and cons together.
We’ve got tons of talent to meet different needs
First up, on-demand design services have access to a huge pool of talent. At Deer Designer, we’ve got groups called Squads made up of skilled designers who specialize in different areas.
Imagine having to hire someone just for them to quit because of mental stress from the client.
What a waste of time, right? With us, you’ve got a better chance of finding a Deer Designer who can handle their unique demands if you get a tough client.
Whether it’s a fancy branding project or a website with all the bells and whistles, we’ve got someone with the right skills and experience to get it done.
Our communication is on point
Here’s another perk: On-demand design services have great communication channels. We’ve got messaging and project management tools that make talking to clients super easy.
By the way, you can just add their brand to your account and assign someone to coordinate for you if dealing with them directly gets too stressful. Take a break if you need it; you deserve it!
Clear and efficient communication means fewer misunderstandings, addressing concerns quickly, and keeping everyone on the same page during the design process until design submission.
Good communication is key to managing expectations of difficult clients and effectively incorporating their feedback. It’s what we do to keep them happy.
We’re flexible and scalable
As your business grows, you’ll likely get more tough clients. They get more demanding because of your good rep.
Our process lets us juggle multiple projects at once or form teams for bigger assignments. That means we can give needy clients the attention they want without sacrificing on quality or deadlines.
Being able to scale up or down as needed helps us adapt to their needs and manage our workload like pros.
We aim for long-term relationships
Design subscription services often work on a project basis, which may not be great for long-term partnerships. Not us at Deer Designer.
Our model is subscription-based, so we try to keep clients happy project after project to keep them subscribed.
If you have a difficult client who needs ongoing design support, you can rely on us. We provide consistent service and put in the effort to really understand the client’s brand and preferences.
Take a breather
Of course you can always fire a client if they make you miserable. But with your determination, I’m sure you’ll try everything to add value until they come around.
Deer Designer can give you a break. We can be your sounding board to learn what your clients like through our designers with diverse skills.
On-demand design services can be a great option for difficult clients. They give you access to lots of talent, top-notch communication, and flexibility.
By looking at the pros and cons, you can make a smart call on whether an on-demand service is the right fit for dealing with those tricky clients.
