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03 August 2010
Posted in
Project Planning & Management
I am sure we've all been there. We are working away, things are going less than smoothly. The day is running into the evening and the job is still not done and then it happens, someone loses it. Tempers flare, fingers get pointed and feelings are hurt. In the world of web development where there is the perception that 1 millisecond of down time will destroy a business this is a common scenario and one that occurs often.
When this happens, I have found that keeping your cool and staying professional is the key to success.
This happened to me last week:
The fellow who was supposed to be provisioning a server for a site that was launching had started the previous day an was still working. Despite that it was a bad idea to announce a new site so close to launch, an announcement had been setup for Friday and it could not be stopped and my client, the designer had to make good.
The site had to be live by end of day Thursday and, after having worked all day, it was 6:00 pm and the guy was still not ready. When he finally did have the site ready, he failed to deliver what we needed to get the site live. At that point, I had to make a judgement call. My client, the designer had his reputation on the line and a client who was becoming angrier by the minute. I made the call and told him I could have the site provisioned and DNS switched using my hosting servers in about 30 minutes (which is about how long it should take) and that my server was a better option in the long run for the client as they could maintain control of their site even if I went AWOL.
I got the site setup and let the previous developer know thanks, sorry and that we appreciated his effort...but would not be needing him.
The guys seemed nice enough and it was obvious he was not on top of his hosting game, so I figured he would say sorry, etc, etc. I even thought that maybe I would keep him in my rolodex for future reference.
He called me immediately and began venting his anger and used several expletives were used multiple times. I am no prude, but I was really thrown off by this. There was just no excuse for this behavior and anger. The designer even apologized for the guys behavior, to which I replied that it was no big deal at all and no apology needed.
The reality though, is that no apology was needed because I had already crossed him off my list.
The bottom line here is that when you screw up, act professionally. When someone else screws up, act professionally. His behavior cost him two connection that day.
One of my best buddies is a guy who, in his early fifties, has not had what most of us would call a “real job” since I met him over ten years ago. Although I have never really gotten the straight story on how it is that he has come to this station in life, I have heard scattered rumors that he earned most of his money back in the 1980's working oid fields in Saudi Arabia. On a semi-guys weekend camping trip this last week, we got into the conversation about professionalism and I recounted the story above. He then shared with me this story:
“In the early 80's, me and work buddy were just finishing up a 13 week job in Saudi. 13 weeks in Saudi is a long time and back then, the facilities were basically just minimum security prisons. You couldn't drink or go out to eat or anything good. So, by the end of the shift, you are really ready to go.
Well, the day before we were supposed to leave, the client pulled us into his trailer and told us he desperately needed our help to fix a compressor that was out and that it meant we would miss our flight out.
My buddy was not about to spend another day there and proceeded to go off on the guy and told him there was no way he was doing it. As soon as he did that, I immediately started (in my mind) edging my chair away from him and, when he was done ranting, said I would stay and do it. My buddy, not wanting to be the lessor guy, begrudgingly agreed also.
After the job, we left and had a layover in Amsterdam where we spend a couple of days having fun. While there, we got a call from the boss, who was a good friend of my buddy. I could hear him yelling on the other end of the line telling my buddy that he had several telexes from the client saying they never wanted him back again.
However, when I got home, I also learned that the same client told me that they would refuse any team that came to work on their jobs if I was not on it. That meant big props and big money for me.”
In my friend's case as well as mine, the conditions were the same:
- We had both been pulling long hours and were tired.
- We both had sacrifices to make: I had to leave town the next morning and he had to leave the country.
- We were both dealing with a client who, despite that it was no fault of ours, was in a tight situation.
- We were both team with someone who didn't handle it well.
In summary, not every client is worth the extra work, but no client – no matter how bad – deserves your anger or should be treated unprofessionally. Even the most difficult clients (and maybe even especially) can be the best opportunity to build trust, credibility and a good reputation.
