Managing every aspect of the business is quite challenging. If not handled correctly, a business can go down very fast. So, to keep your freelance business sustainable by all means you should keep all your bases covered.
In an attempt to cover all your bases, there are four essential elements that you should put into consideration. Most of the freelancers have faced rough times because they didn’t learn the modern techniques of maintaining the growing businesses.
Time management:
Time management is probably among the essential elements that should be considered in a freelance business. Effective scheduling of your days and the ability to stick to the schedule is the key to success. It assists you, especially when trying to curb the competition emerging from other established companies that have got high reputation in the freelancing business.
Inability to manage your time will simply mean that you can’t submit work on time. Beating the deadline is the main factor that should be considered in the freelancing industry. On the other hand, time management will ensure that you produce high quality work because you will get enough time to go through your work to see if there are any errors.
To get rid of any doubt that may arise, you have to take the necessary steps to ensure that you stay on the right track.
Customer support arena
This is another area that needs some major boosting in order to deal with the competition that comes from large companies. Big companies have established independent departments to deal with customers’ issues. Customers are the ones who determine the success of your business and should be handled with utmost care.
Unlike the time factor, learning customer support techniques that will create a rapport between you and your clients happens to be an easy task. Nowadays, clients have a lot of expectation when it comes to the customer care department. It also ensures that the customers’ faith in this business is duly supported. Another advantage of the customer service unit is that clients can raise issues and these issues are addressed individually with regards to the department concerned.
Ways of improving freelance customer service
To offer the best customer service, you need to fully understand your customers’ needs. You can achieve this by doing the following:
1. Checking your emails frequently
The first thing you should do every morning is to check your emails and respond to them instantly. This should be done before undertaking any task. The instant response of mails gives your clients that confidence and trust in you.
2. Calling your clients
If you feel that you need to communicate with your client urgently, then giving him/her a call is always welcomed. This is an indication to the clients that you have their best interest at heart.
3. Follow up
Even if the project is complete, you should not ignore your clients. Try by all means to frequently contact them and ask them about their experience with your product or service. This will always keep them coming back to you.
4. Give guidance to your clients
You should always be in a position to give guidance to your clients especially when it comes to decision making. They will really appreciate this thereby strengthening the bond between the two of you. Out of that, you are likely to get more clients as a result of recommendation.
5. Set strict working hours
Though you will be working at home or wherever you may be, you need to set the time frame in which you will interact with your clients. This is an assurance to your clients of your constant availability in times of need.
Project management
Apart from good time management and customer support, proper project management is also very essential. The true measure of a freelancer’s success is the ability to run several projects at once without failure. This is not an easy task especially with the little time available.
In project management, what is important is how you tackle your organization skills, ability to work under pressure and the capability of handling un-expected problems.
Conclusion
Freelance business has in recent times proved to be among the best businesses globally. It has a big base of clientele worldwide and that is why there is fierce competition in the field. To succeed in freelancing, you have to be focused and determined. Establish a base by offering unique products and services that are of high quality.
