After starting an agency business, you put all your efforts into getting some clients. They are the main revenue source of your daily bread and butter. If your marketing strategies and services are good, you may get many clients at once.

And managing so many clients simultaneously becomes the biggest challenge right then. According to Forbes, 96% of clients leave due to bad customer service. So, it clearly depicts retaining clients as equally important as acquiring them.

For that, you must know the expectations of your clients well and devise your strategies accordingly. To help you out, the blog post will cover how to manage client expectations in detail with a series of proven tips. Let’s keep reading!

What Is Client Expectation?

Client expectation refers to the beliefs and assumptions clients have that they will receive certain services from a business. These expectations can cover various aspects, like quality, good communication, punctuality, etc.

Whenever a new client comes, the initial phase is completely filled with many uncertainties. Without good communication, both parties (you and the client) might get misunderstood if expectations are not addressed early.

So, effective management of client expectations requires maintaining clear communication and setting realistic goals from the beginning to ensure each party is on the same page.

Why Should You Manage Client Expectations in Project Management

A Forbes study, applicable in almost any industry states that a 5% increase in retention rates can lead to a 25-95% increase in revenue. This clearly explains why you should focus on meeting client expectations and retain them in the long run.

Below, we have listed several key points to explain the importance of client expectation management further. Take a quick look at how proper management of client expectations can benefit you.

• Enhances Communication
• Reduces Misunderstandings
• Increases Client Satisfaction
• Encourages Realistic Goals
• Mitigates Risks
• Improves Team Morale
• Facilitates Better Decision-Making
• Builds Long-Term Relationships
• Enhances Project Efficiency
• Provides a Framework for Accountability

Explore this guide on how to improve workplace productivity.

How to Manage Client Expectations to Ensure Maximum Output

Hope you already have an idea of ​​why managing client expectations is so important. Now, we will explain in detail some proven tips by which you can ensure maximum output by managing client expectations. Let’s explore them!

1. Communicate Clearly

Clear communication sets the foundation for effective client relationship management. Always use industry-centric jargon and language that are easy for your clients to understand. Even after the project has started, whenever any serious changes or issues arise, they should be immediately communicated to the client.

Moreover, decide on the channels (Slack, Emails, Phone, WhatsApp, Social Channels, etc.) through which the client can be immediately reached if communicated. When clients feel informed and well-engaged, they are more likely to have realistic expectations and be satisfied with the project’s progress.

Here’s a guide on how to build effective project management communication strategies.

2. Understand Client’s Vision

Whenever you take on a project, it’s true that you’ll create its goals, mission, and timeline. But you should also know the client’s vision behind the project. This will help you gain a foundational understanding by which you can align the entire project design from the beginning to meet the client’s expectations.

When clients have a feeling that their vision is understood and prioritized, they are more likely to trust you and be satisfied with the results. As the project progresses, you must check to ensure it’s aligned with the client’s vision and objectives.

3. Set Realistic Goals and Milestones

Setting unrealistic goals will never allow you to meet clients’ expectations. So, ask your client to set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives. Once a clear and realistic goal is set, both parties clearly understand what is expected.

After that, you can create a series of tasks and break them down into small milestones, defining a timeline. Revisit these goals periodically to measure the progress and make adjustments if needed due to changes going around.

Learn how to set goals and achieve them with the WP Project Management plugin.

4. Establish Boundaries

Clearly outline what should be included in the scope of work and what will remain outside of it. For example, this could be additional services, timelines, refunds, etc. Once you set these boundaries upfront, it becomes easy for you to avoid potential conflicts if clients think of expecting more from you.

Remember, each project has some limitations. This could be timelines, resources, and budget constraints. Make sure your clients know these so they are ready to extend their budgets if required to complete the project flawlessly in time.

5. Provide Regular Updates

It’s needless to say, it is important to keep clients informed with regular updates. If there is a communication gap and clients forget to check your progress themselves, they may ask you many weird questions in meetings after many days, which can upset your productivity and mindset.

So, it’s better if you maintain a schedule to set a meeting with them after a regular interval. There, you will update them about your progress and ask if they have any feedback. This can strengthen your relationship and reinforce your commitment to mutual betterment and satisfaction.

6. Document Everything

If you are a busy agency, you are supposed to handle lots of clients at once. As a result, there may be confusion after a certain period of time as to what kind of deal is done with which client. That’s why proper documentation is a must.

This helps reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding as it clearly outlines what has already been discussed and agreed upon. You can manage this documentation using Google Docs and keep it shared for always with your clients.

However, using a dedicated documentation tool is better if you are developing a serious product like software or web applications. weDocs is a powerful WordPress documentation plugin that allows you to create comprehensive knowledge bases on WordPress.

Take a look at the key features of the weDocs plugin and why you may consider using this plugin for documentation.

• Drag-and-drop interface to sort and organize documents
• Powerful search functionality to instantly find relevant information
• Multilingual support with the Weglot plugin
• 3-level nested documentation
• SEO optimization for improved visibility
• Permission management for teamwork
• AI-powered chatbot for quick support

Here’s a wonderful, in-depth video review of the weDocs plugin. Kindly watch it.

weDocs has a free and premium plugin. Get them on your site by clicking the buttons below.

7. Use Relevant and Helpful Resources

Suppose a client approaches you to build a multivendor eCommerce website. Now, to build such a website, you need different types of tools and web applications. For example, if you want to build it with WordPress, you can consider the Dokan Multivendor Marketplace Plugin.

If you want to use a SaaS model, you can consider the mirakl.com platform. The project also requires many tools for cache and security management. You must accurately list all these tools and inform your clients about them.

As a result, if the client prefers a particular tool, you can include it in your tool list, which will help meet their expectations.

8. Use a Project Management Software

Today, successfully meeting clients’ expectations is almost impossible without using project management software. Most project management software provides a centralized platform for communication, task management, and progress tracking facilities, so you can easily check if your team is aligned with the goals and timelines.

If you are familiar with the WordPress environment, the WP Project Manager plugin could be a great solution. This tool has been designed specifically for small agencies, freelancers, and teams, making it easier to keep clients informed and engaged.

Take a quick look at the key features of the plugin:

• Allows to create, break down, and assign tasks
• Set deadlines for each task and team members
• The Kanban board visualizes the project tasks and their statuses
• Gantt Charts visualize timelines and project schedules
• Frontend view that enables clients to see the progress without login
• Users can submit comments and feedback on each task
• Allows to share files and documentation

The WP Project Manager plugin has a free and premium version. Get them by clicking the buttons added below.

9. Offer Pricing with Accurate Documentation

Pricing should be considered as one of the most important elements during deal negotiations with any client. You must present the total project management costs straightforwardly to the clients without keeping any charges hidden.

It is better to create detailed documentation of how much you will spend on each project phase and share it with the client. To be honest, clients also expect this transparency and openness.

If everything seems logical after seeing your meticulous documentation, the client may approve all the costs. This can successfully reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding that might take place in the future.

10. Learn to Say ‘No’ to Unrealistic Expectations

There is a great book on Amazon, ‘How to Say No,’ written by Steven Hopkins. In the business world, you will often encounter some clients with sky-high expectations, many of which might be unrealistic.

So, whenever dealing with such clients, you must have No-saying ability. Because you might feel tempted to agree to every request or demand from the clients only to retain them.

But this temptation may cause you great suffering when you have to bear huge expenses to complete the project, and in the end, you won’t have enough profit. So, isn’t it better to take a firm stance when dealing with these types of clients and expectations from the beginning?

11. Have a Spare Time for Review and Correction

After submitting a project, clients often request corrections and additional modifications, which is common in nearly all projects. So, when planning and setting the project timeline, spare a part for reviews and adjustments.

Besides, it’s better if you ask your team to review the project after completion but before submitting it to the client. This can help you catch errors and rectify them, leading to a more refined and satisfactory outcome.

Wrapping Up & Thanks for Reading!

Retention is one of the most powerful requirements for growth in any business industry. If you are weak in retention, it means that your service quality is not good enough, which is why customers do not want to use your services again after a while, meaning you are failing to meet their expectations.

Hope the tips we have explained above can help you improve the retention rate. By committing to quality, adapting to feedback, and ensuring that clients are aligned with your progress, you can make managing clients’ expectations easy.

If you think we have missed any crucial point in the discussion above, let us know through the comment box below. Thanks for being with us. Keep reading our other blog posts.