Won’t I Annoy My Clients…

…if I ask for too much feedback?

This question is, almost without exception, the first one asked when we talk to firms about client feedback.  The short answer is NO!  Not if you ask for feedback when they want to give you feedback.

We are so conditioned to the idea of “feedback” as being a long survey sent to hundreds or thousands of people.  These surveys are generic, and don’t offer anything to the person responding.   They also usually come after the product or service has been offered, when it’s too late to do anything about it.  They are separated from the project, and don’t seem relevant at the time they are sent.

But you already ask for feedback all the time!  When you deliver something to a client, don’t you ask “is this what you were looking for?”  When you wrap up a meeting, don’t you ask if everything was covered? That’s asking for feedback!  It’s not very structured, and it doesn’t always get asked, but no client will ever be bothered if you check with them to make sure you covered your (and their) bases.

Our Client Feedback Tool blends the best from both approaches.  While we use email and the internet to deliver surveys, they are not typically designed to be sent broadly (though, they can be).  Instead, we’ve built hundreds of templates and supporting processes to send surveys, systematically, in a much more focused manner.

When should you ask for feedback (i.e., send a survey)?  Send one every time your client may want to give you feedback.  No client waits around to answer a mass survey.  If you send that out monthly, it’s too much.   On the other hand, if you give your client a key deliverable every week, don’t you want to make sure, each time, that you’ve given him what he needed/expected?  You could call or email asking “did you get what you need?”   Or, you could send a short feedback request that digs a little deeper and gives you more data, while not really taking any more time.

Odds are, you’ll only annoy your clients if you ask them for feedback two months AFTER a project is over as part of a quarterly survey.  It’s too late to fix, so why ask now?

Instead, show clients you care.   Ask for feedback when it makes sense.  Deliver something?  Ask for feedback.  That easy.  Since asking via The Client Feedback Tool is a simple email, clients can always ignore/delete it.  Even that gives you feedback!  NOT responding, in essence, let’s you know that things are most likely going well enough they don’t feel a need to correct anything.  However, for every few times they ignore your request because things are going okay, there will be one time when they have feedback, and will be glad you asked.  And they’ll respond.   Until you ask, you don’t know.  So, you have to ask.  And ask again.

If you’re still concerned, ask your clients!  Find out from them when they’d like to be asked for feedback.  Odds are, it’s more often than you think.

Client Feedback Tool Version 3.5 Released!

DesignFacilitator is excited to announce the release of version 3.5 of our Client Feedback Tool, the only feedback solution designed specifically for architects, engineers, and professional service providers.

If you already subscribe to the Client Feedback Tool, you don’t need to do anything to obtain the great new features.  Simply log in, and see what’s new.

Version 3.5 includes:

• Completely updated process for sending a survey.  The steps are the same, but performance is increased 25-570%
• Added ability to include individual survey responses (answers reports) in batch and scheduled reports.
• Enhanced reporting filters to make viewing/customizing reports more flexible
• Sending survey  reminders made easier and faster
• Over 100 additional enhancements and improvements to make the feedback experience smoother and more intuitive than before

If you have any questions or desire any update training, please contact support@designfacilitator.com to sign up for our New Features webinar scheduled for Thursday, February 18th, at 2:00pm EST.

A Letter to Your Firm

Introducing the Client Feedback Tool to your firm is an important part of beginning your feedback collection process.  Your firm members will be looking for leadership to endorse the feedback collection process, and they also will want to know what it is, how it works, and what will be expected of them.  Below is one method you might try, delivered via email:

Dear Firm Member,

As you know, we value our client relationships very highly.  The root of our firm’s prosperity comes from clients who trust us to do their work.  It is important to continuously improve our ability to meet their specific needs.

Every client is different, so we need to identify what processes work best for each of them.  While our firm standards create a good baseline for successful project delivery, we may need to adjust on a case by case basis for each client, and often for each unique project.

Shortly, you will receive an email invitation from The Client Feedback Tool, to join our firm as a participant in this online feedback management system.  We will also soon be scheduling training to teach you how to use this simple system to collect feedback quickly, easily, and consistently from your clients and others.  The Client Feedback Tool is easy to use, and takes only two minutes to solicit feedback using the built-in templates.

We are excited at this opportunity for each of us to grow personally;  and as a firm, corporately improve our client relationships to create real, lasting value.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

You may also be interested in introducing your clients to The Client Feedback Tool.  Please see this post for suggestions.

A Letter to Your Clients

One of our most common questions when first beginning to use our Client Feedback Tool is “How do we let our clients know what we’re doing?” followed by “Do you have an email I can use to send to them?”

After being asked this several times, we are pleased to offer you this template email.  Use this (or something similar) to let your clients know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how.  You can send this email immediately before sending a client a survey for the first time.

For additional suggestions on improving your response rate, check out our previous posts.

Dear Client,

Thank you for trusting us with your business.  It is a pleasure and privilege to help you with your [service type] needs.

You hire us to perform this work for you, expecting us to provide great service.  That is our goal,  but we know we can always do better.  We will begin seeking your feedback more often, in a more systematic manner.

We would like to collect feedback from you in very short, 1-2 minute doses.  If it’s okay with you, we would like to do so on a more regular basis.  Please look for an email or emails coming from us soon.  Each will come from the person you have been working with directly, and will identify which project, phase, and service is being evaluated.  Should you click on the link to respond, you will be brought to a survey with no more than 7 questions, which will never take more than two minutes to complete.

Each time you respond, the appropriate people in our company will be notified, so we can immediately attend to your comments.  This is not a once-yearly marketing survey – but rather a personal request for feedback so we can customize our approach specifically for you.  Your participation is critical for our improvement to occur.
Thank you for your consideration, and we are eager to become your expert at [service type].

You may also want to introduce The Client Feedback Tool to members of your firm.  If so, please see this post.

Knowing What to Charge by Knowing What (Your Clients Think) You Are Worth

After running an architectural firm for 20 years, I have found two consistent challenges to a firm’s prosperity that most design firms share:

1. We underestimate our value to our clients

2. We price ourselves according to Problem #1

If you work at a design firm, and especially if you manage a firm, don’t take offense. I believe that these problems were created over time and have a lot to do with the manner in which building contractors represent our work to owners. Since the perfect set of construction documents has likely never been created, contractors usually have something to complain about.

But blaming is the sport of children, so let’s find the solution to the problem.

Remember, the problem is not that clients don’t value our work; it’s that we assume that value is less than it really is. To correct an inaccurate assumption, we need more accurate information concerning our value to clients. We have to ask our clients for this information, something that most design firms avoid like the plague. Why? See Problem #1 above; it’s tough to ask for feedback when you think it’s going to be critical.

The encouraging component to this entire dilemma is that Problem #1 is stated correctly. We underestimate our value to our clients. Our software company, DesignFacilitator, provides the only Client Feedback Tool customized for architects and engineers. Our tool collects objective data regarding what clients really think. Our research shows that, on average, clients think that their design firm’s deliverables and service “exceeded expectations”. This information is based upon over 30,000 responses from clients concerning their perception of their design firm’s value.

While asking for feedback from clients must be done very carefully to produce the most accurate and actionable data, our patent-pending system utilizes state-of-the-art perception mapping to identify what clients think, and what a design firm can do to maximize their value to those clients. Client feedback will also show you which approaches create problems for clients and how to avoid them. With this information, a firm will naturally make more effective decisions concerning:

1. Setting fees relative to a client’s perception of the firm’s value

2. Addressing ’scope creep’ more quickly as an additional service

3. Identifying the most effective assignments for staff

4. Identifying the most efficient training for staff

Since a design firm’s profitability helps determine its strength, a firm becomes stronger when it knows what it can charge by understanding what its clients think. Add to the mix the ability to enhance a firm’s worth by proper staff assignments and training– both made easier by utilizing client feedback regarding the results of staff’s efforts– and you have a recipe for sustainable prosperity.

Best In Class – 2010 Fee and Rate Adjustment Poll
As the premier feedback surveying group for the professional design industry, we are offering to gather and share anonymous fee and rate setting strategies.  By taking the following poll you will have immediate access to the valuable data gathered from firms across the US to help you in your fee and rate setting for 2010.

What percentage adjustment is your firm likely to implement regarding 2010 hourly rates?

• No change planned (65%)
• +2.5% (15%)
• Plan on reducing rates (8%)
• +5% (6%)
• +15% or more (4%)
• +10% (2%)

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What percentage adjustment is your firm likely to implement regarding 2010 standard fees?

• No change planned (59%)
• Plan on reducing rates (11%)
• +2.5% (10%)
• +15% or more (4%)
• +5% (3%)
• +10% (13%)

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Feedback and strategic reports from 50 clients for $999

If you would like to enjoy the competitive advantage of Best In Class client awareness for just $999,

email answers@designfacilitator.com or call us at 866-433-7322

Client Feedback Tool, DesignFacilitator, Feedback, Industry, Polls

Client Feedback Tool – Mobile

Some Client Feedback Tool clients have asked us over the years about accessing feedback while mobile.  Early in 2009 we did release a version of responding to surveys optimized for mobile devices, as this would be required for anyone checking email on a Blackberry, Windows Phone, or iPhone. We continue to explore options for a customized mobile interface, but at this time do not have an official mobile solution.

This week, Opera Mobile 10 Beta (an open-source web browser for mobile devices) was released, and in early testing, most of the functionality in the Client Feedback Tool is operational.  Surveys can be sent, reports reviewed, and data managed.  The mobile web is still in its infancy, and mobile platforms are not officially supported at this time.   However, our development team is committed to enhancing the mobile user experience in the future.

If you love feedback, and want to have it with you on the go, download Opera Mobile 10 Beta (free!) here:

http://www.opera.com/mobile/

If Opera is not supported on your device, you may also have some success with Skyfire:

http://www.skyfire.com/

Version 3 Is Here!

DesignFacilitator has released Version 3 of the Client Feedback Tool. Version 3 was developed in response to your comments– your feedback– to us. You told us you wanted the Client Feedback Tool to be faster, sharper, with more consistent actions and with more flexible, powerful reports. Version 3 provides all this and more. Its enhancements include:

• Simpler navigation and sharper screen graphics.

As soon as you log in you will notice how much easier it is to move about the new crisp screens. On the left side of the screen, clicking on a subject heading displays a list of sub-headings so you can quickly select the desired action or report without waiting for the screen to refresh. In the upper-right corner of the screen, we show you where you are on the site currently.

• A new ribbon-style toolbar with standardized actions. Found at the top of most screens, the toolbar offers

- A Filters tab where you can identify what you wish to see in the report (who, when, which project, and so on).

- An Options tab where you can control how to group and sort the information (by sender, project, team, average score, etc).

- A File tab that allows you to decide what to do with the information. You have the power to download it, print it as a pdf, send it to an email address, save the report settings as a favorite report. You can even schedule it for automatic recurring delivery to your email!

• Fewer screen post-backs.

Many subscribers previously expressed concern about the time required to post back the screen every time they changed a filter. Version 3 addresses that concern by incorporating an Update button on the ribbon. This allows you to select and change multiple filter settings without waiting for the screen to repost each time. Once you have made all your filter selections, simply click the Update button– we flash it to remind you– and all your changes are applied at once.

• Successes and challenges reports

These reports were designed to help identify areas of strength and those possibly requiring additional attention in your firm. You can tailor this report to show you which clients, projects, phases or firm members have the highest or lowest average scores, extremes, percentage of change, and so on . The Client Feedback Tool even includes several standard templates under the Options tab to help get you started.

• The Feedback Quotient® report is a Client Feedback Tool exclusive.

This report applies a proprietary formula to analyze numerous  metrics such as the number of surveys sent and received in a given period, reply rates, scores, score consistency, follow-up actions, and more. The result is a relative ranking of projects, project clients, and survey senders in your firm. You will know where feedback is being effectively used, and by whom.

Additional new functions of the Client Feedback Tool:

You can save and recall your favorite report configurations and settings.

You can create, save and send batch reports to yourself and others.

You can schedule your favorite reports for recurring delivery to your email… or others’.

You can send most reports as PDF files via email.

You can now view feedback on a mobile device.

Version 3 does not require any software changes on your part, as the Client Feedback Tool is a web-based service. Please let us know if you need help or want to schedule additional training for your team.

Please contact us if you have questions:
866-433-7322
919-573-1730
(M-F 9am – 6pm EST)
Or email answers@designfacilitator.com.

New Features Coming Soon – Version 3 Rollout

In our continuing effort to optimize your Client Feedback Tool experience, DesignFacilitator will roll out some exciting new features in late October, 2009. Version 3 enhancements will include:

• Simpler, more straightforward navigation
• Updated graphics with brighter, sharper screens
• A ribbon-style toolbar with standardized menus and operations
• An exclusive Feedback Quotient® report that ranks the quality and quantity of your feedback
• New reports that help identify your firm’s strengths and potential areas for improvement

Version 3 will also allow you to:

• View feedback on a mobile device
• Send reports as PDF files via email
• Build, save and send batch reports
• Save and recall your favorite reports and settings
• Schedule reports for recurring delivery to your email– or some else’s!
  

This upgrade should be virtually seamless and we will keep you posted as the Version 3 release approaches. The transition will not require any software changes on your part as the Client Feedback Tool is a web-based service. For your convenience, we will provide tips and training here on our blog site, in emails, and via web-based training sessions. Please let us know if you need help or want to schedule additional training for your team.

Please contact us if you have questions:
866-433-7322
919-573-1730
(M-F 9am – 6pm EST)

Or email answers@designfacilitator.com.

Mike Phillips presenting at Buildex Seattle on Oct.15

DesignFacilitator’s Mike Phillips will be presenting an educational session on Thursday, October 15 at 1:00pm entitled “Using Client Feedback to Improve Your Firm’s Prosperity,” at Buildex Seattle.  This case study will detail the simple strategies found to improve the understanding between designers and their clients.

Can I send a feedback survey on behalf of someone else?

Introduction

In our travels and workshops, we have seen that many professions share common difficulties. One widespread limitation many firms experience is that their members simply do not request feedback frequently enough. When we ask the firm members why they don’t send more surveys, the responses range from “I forget to send them.” to “I don’t have time— can’t my administrative assistant or accounting people do this for me, perhaps when they send invoices?”

The Client Feedback Tool Solution

Fortunately, DesignFacilitator’s Client Feedback Tool solves these problems with its ‘Send-on-behalf-of’ feature.  With this feature, a firm manager can designate one or more firm members to send surveys on behalf of other firm members. For example, let’s say your firm manager has designated Al, an administrative assistant, to send surveys for you and other firm members. Acting as a proxy sender, Al creates a survey invitation in your name. All emails, responses and reports associated with this survey invitation will identify you as the sender. In fact, once Al sends the survey invitation, he cannot even see the answer report or modify the survey– but you can.

How it works

To begin, the firm manager designates proxy sender(s):

1. Log in to www.DesignFacilitator.com
2. Click My Firm in the left navigation pane, and then click Manage Firm Members in the right pane.
3. In the 4th column, “Send On Behalf”, select the firm member(s) who will send surveys on behalf of other firm members.

In order to send a feedback request, a proxy sender must know which survey template to send, when to send it, to whom, what project it regards, and so on. The Client Feedback Tool provides a convenient PDF form for this purpose. In the example above, you would probably fill in the form and give it to Al, because Al is sending the survey on your behalf . To obtain the form, log in to www.DesignFacilitator.com, click Other Resources in the left navigation pane, and then click Feedback Collection Information Request Form. Simply print the form and write in the data.

Proxy senders follow the normal procedure for requesting feedback:

1. Log in to www.DesignFacilitator.com
2. Click My Feedback in the left navigation pane, then click ASK on the cycle graphic. Select Send a feedback survey
3. Proxy senders (only) see a Send Survey on Behalf of: selection box at the top of the screen. There, they select which firm member to designate as the sender; that is, whose name will show in the invitation emails, the survey, the reports, and so on.

Note:    The Client Feedback Tool identifies the proxy sender in only two places: the Answer Report and the Modify Survey Edit screen.

You probably want to know if someone sends a survey using your name. So if your firm will designate proxy senders, we recommend that you visit your Set Preferences page in www.DesignFacilitator.com and make sure the first checkbox, “Survey sent on my behalf” is selected.

With the Client Feedback Tool’s ‘Send-on-behalf-of’ feature, even the busiest professional in your organization can enjoy the many benefits of client feedback by delegating the survey-send task to an administrative or accounting assistant.