We communicate with our clients differently than we do internally with the team. As we have a legal contract to provide services to clients, we have to be careful how we communicate with them. Clients may try to bypass project management by working directly with developers, which has great potential to introduce issues. By following these guidelines, you can avoid creating an issue with a client.
Before starting on a project, you should know who the project lead is. This will be an experienced team member that is comfortable managing both the project and the client. If it's not clear, default to Marty as the project lead.
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Always cc the project lead on emails to clients.
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Do not respond to a client after work hours unless it appears to be an emergency or it's been prearranged.
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Never give estimates on work to clients; ask them to talk to the project lead about it.
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All client meetings should have at least two members present, one of which is the project lead. Never agree to do a solo call or hangout, no matter 'how quick', without permission from the project lead.
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If there's ever an issue with how a project is managed or the quality of a deliverable, involve the project lead immediately. A simple response like this is sufficient: "It sounds like there's an issue with the project, can you speak with immediately about this?"
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If a client is ever abusive or inappropriate, ask the client to speak with the project lead immediately. Once off the call or meeting with the client, contact the project lead directly and report what happened.