How to Avoid Errors When Processing Client’s Instructions
When you work from home, project instructions are most often sent via electronic form. This can be done through email, or, in a few cases, via chat. Whatever the case, things can get lost in translation. Miscommunication can happen. Personal directives or even on-hand demos of project expectations are always better than just reading off emails and chats. But then again, in this digital age, you might as well get used to digital instructions.
Here are some tips that can help you avoid errors in processing client’s instructions:
1. Confirm. When a set of instructions is sent, it is always good practice to confirm its receipt. When you do, this is opportunity to confirm your understanding of the instructions as well. Detail what you have to do, as you understood it. This is the only way for both parties to know that both are in the same page.
2. Clarify. Sometimes, there may be vague sections in the instructions. The best thing to do here is to clarify. As service provider, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask your client to expound on his or her instructions. It is not a sign of weakness when you do. In fact, your client might appreciate it more that you are concerned enough to want to provide him or her with outputs exactly as he or she wants them. If there is an item that you do not understand, ask.
3. List. It is always good practice to list down the deliverables for each instruction set. This not only lays down what’s expected from you by your client. This also protects you as service provider. A list of deliverables is somewhat a list of expectations. It tells your client what is within his or her right to demand. Anything out of the list can be treated as a new project and subject to additional fees.
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