FROM THE RANKS, PART 1: The Client Who Cried Urgent

I recently sent an email out to the entire Etna Interactive staff, asking the team to weigh in on what they would share with a client if they had no fear of causing offense. It's not too surprising that most of the comments I've received from the team relate to communication and vendor management.

One of our Senior Project Manager's, Kristin Bertsch, commented on one of my favorite (or least favorite) topics...the client who cries URGENT!!!!!

Kristin wrote, "We understand that things come up at the last minute and that most edits need to be made to a web site as soon as possible. I would want our clients to understand that urgent and last minute requests impact our production schedule, delay other projects, and cause unnecessary stress on the production team."

"Our best clients let us know when important events are approaching, plan for updates and direct marketing efforts, and reserve URGENT requests for real emergencies. When those things happen it feels good to come to the rescue."

What Kristin was too polite to bring up was the other side of that coin. If you're a doctor, you know what you feel, and what the front office says, about that one patient that insists she's having a "Botox emergency" and simply must have her next treatment today. The one that calls at the last minute and insists that the doctor drop everything for her consultation. Need I say more?

So when it comes to working with my team, and really any of your vendors, a little planning, and a little respect, goes a long way