• Susie
  • Advanced Member
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  • Gender: Female
  • From: Columbus, OH
  • Registered: 2008-12-19
  • Posts: 3,027

Topic: Scheduling new & current clients

I am really a little frazzled here.  How do you guys handle client scheduling?  I have several current clients who are waiting for major updates/changes to their site plus I have two new clients waiting for me to begin their sites.  I feel like I've maybe bitten off more than I can chew, but a couple months ago I was fine and running on schedule.  What's happening is that some of my clients ask to be added to my schedule but then when it's their turn, they aren't ready.  When they finally are ready, I've already moved on and really don't have time for their stuff.

I feel like I'm going slightly crazy while trying to create a couple new designs plus all the maintenance work that my current clients need.  Add on top of that needing to spend time with my kids, shuttle them back and forth to school and then cooking dinner, laundry, etc. and you have the recipe for someone who feels totally overwhelmed.

I ran across the website of another designer who publishes her schedule in two week increments.  So, she shows something like this:

May 4 - Client Name
May 18 - Client Name
June 1 - Client Name
June 15- Client Name
and so on....

She states on her site that if the client isn't ready when it's their turn, their project will need to be rescheduled. 

Maybe I should include something like this on my new site.  I have to do SOMETHING.

So, how do you guys deal with this?

Last edited by Susie (2009-05-05 11:39:25)

  • From: Florida
  • Registered: 2008-12-19
  • Posts: 2,593

Re: Scheduling new & current clients

No two clients are alike and so when they say they are ready it doesn't mean they are for a variety of reasons.

It's ideal to have 3-4 projects going so that way if a client or two is slow to respond to the things you require attention to then you can work on the other projects while you are waiting on them.

Basically, if you really want to keep a tight schedule then you can give your clients a specific deadline to deliver the info that you require to get your job done in a timely manner. You also indicate that if they don't meet the deadline then their project will be pushed back thus you give them a new deadline for them to deliver the info you require. 

If they want the job finished yesterday but they are the one that caused the delays then you can stipulate a new billable rate to give priority over the other.

In most cases, clients know they have delayed the project and are willing to make adjustments to a new deadline.

The other suggestion is to schedule your projects  further apart so it will not take up too much of your time with your family (like me). The other option is to raise your rate. You produce quality work and if you are in demand then maybe a new rate will wean out the little jobs that might take up too much of your time. 

This was the case with me. I had serveral clients that wanted stuff done at my low rate that I given them when I first did the project. I have since raised my rate because I just don't have the time to do jobs at that former rate. Sure I lost a few but most of them I was able to retain at my new rate.

Of course my suggestion above is something that works for me but it might not be ideal for you.

Last edited by newseed (2009-05-05 12:28:41)

  • Susie
  • Advanced Member
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  • Gender: Female
  • From: Columbus, OH
  • Registered: 2008-12-19
  • Posts: 3,027

Re: Scheduling new & current clients

Thanks for your input, Eddie.  I appreciate it and will take it into account as I come up with my new system!