You’ve been handed a project for an important customer to your organization. Project managers are necessary – but also sometimes looked at by a project customer as an expensive, necessary (maybe) evil. So be careful – you may be treading on thin waters from the beginning. Figure out your place and how the customer perceives your role. Figure out what they want to see and hear from you each week. Usually, you can get that well defined during a project kickoff session but not always – and things can change along the way depending on how the project is proceeding… good or bad.
For me, I’ve found several ways to help the project along in tight situations and increase customer satisfaction.
1. Save them money
Every customer loves keeping some of their money. Big dollar projects often get charged out at high rates. So look for ways to either stay well within budget or even charge fewer hours to the project. I led one large tech project for Texas Health and Human Services to implement a new software solution and they decided they weren’t a fan of project management charges. They considered the $150/hour charged by the professional services organization I was working for to be unnecessary. It wasn’t – it was necessary – but they were the customer, and they were a bit nervous about the budget. So I managed from afar and skipped a couple of onsite visits – saving them thousands of dollars overall. Suddenly, they decided they liked me and they went from nervous to feeling comfortable and satisfied. The project ended successfully, and we received more business from that government agency. It was a win-win.
For me, I’ve found several ways to help the project along in tight situations and increase customer satisfaction.
1. Save them money
Every customer loves keeping some of their money. Big dollar projects often get charged out at high rates. So look for ways to either stay well within budget or even charge fewer hours to the project. I led one large tech project for Texas Health and Human Services to implement a new software solution and they decided they weren’t a fan of project management charges. They considered the $150/hour charged by the professional services organization I was working for to be unnecessary. It wasn’t – it was necessary – but they were the customer, and they were a bit nervous about the budget. So I managed from afar and skipped a couple of onsite visits – saving them thousands of dollars overall. Suddenly, they decided they liked me and they went from nervous to feeling comfortable and satisfied. The project ended successfully, and we received more business from that government agency. It was a win-win.
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