How To Master Customer Service As A Freelancer

As a freelancer, you might be used to thinking about customer service as an afterthought. After all, most of your time is spent on the work itself: designing a logo, writing copy, creating spreadsheets, building websites you name it. 

But here’s the thing: customer service holds just as much weight as the quality of your product or service. How well you treat your customers and cater to them throughout the length of your project is often what determines whether they’ll pay you for future work or worse yet, write a scathing review online.

So how do you master customer service as a freelancer? First, it’s critical to understand that good customer service means being flexible and accommodating with clients. 

That doesn’t mean bending over backward to please every request no matter how outrageous and we’ll show you why not in this article but clients will expect you to prioritize their needs and expectations over everything else during the course of your business relationship with them (including personal preferences).

By the end of this article, we hope that our tips will help you master customer service as a freelancer so that more clients are eager to work with you in the future!

Get Ahead Of Customer Complaints

The best way to stay on top of customer service is to be proactive. What kinds of problems might customers run into while using your services, and how can you head them off from the past? 

If your business involves designing websites, for example, anticipate that not all clients will have a basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript and prepare resources for them to learn.

If you’re unable to answer a customer’s question immediately, don’t panic and don’t lie about knowing the answer. Instead, tell the customer that you need time to look into their question further.

Knowing what kinds of questions and complaints your customers will have goes a long way toward anticipating their needs. In order to do this effectively, you’ll need strong communication skills and the ability to listen carefully when they’re speaking so that you know what kind of problems they might be having with your product or service.

Don’t Overpromise, And Overdeliver

We’re all excited to work on the client’s project but it’s easy to overpromise, especially when you feel like you’re being creative. The result? Your client still has a job to do and won’t be fully satisfied with your completion. But if you underpromise, you’ll know exactly what needs to be done and can then deliver it at an exceptional level of quality.

To start off, we recommend a monthly calendar. On this calendar, make sure that each of your deadlines is marked with a date and time (and maybe even a color) that makes sense for both parties involved. If this sounds like too much work for our own personal calendars, ask clients to mark their deadlines on paper or on their phones with the same system as well: date + time + color. 

In addition, draw up an estimate of how much work will go into the project at its current stage for example, in order for this thing to be delivered by October 1st (or whatever deadline is set), I’d need three hours from my entire week devoted exclusively to putting together this document (with more descriptions than just “add some text here” or “do these things”).

By preparing these estimates ahead of time instead of trying to think on the spot about what needs to be done and how much it’ll cost upfront, you’ll save yourself stress later on: by working out detailed estimates in advance rather than rushing toward a deadline without forethought.

See Yourself As A Partner, Not A Freelancer

Any work you do for a client that results in their success is a win for you as well. Being invested in the success of your clients and their business means that you should see yourself as more than just a freelancer; rather, see yourself as a partner. One way to be an effective partner is to share relevant information with your clients. 

For instance, if they are looking to expand into mobile app development and don’t have much knowledge in that area, provide them with resources or websites where they can learn more about it. 

Another way is by being proactive: think ahead and make sure that the company’s needs are met both today and in the future. You could help them build trust by establishing clear protocols like setting up daily or weekly check-ins so they know what’s going on at all times and rapport by engaging them in meaningful conversations outside of the scope of your project(s).

Track Your Client Experiences Using A Spreadsheet

If you’re like most people, you don’t keep a spreadsheet of every customer interaction. But as a freelancer or solopreneur, it’s to your advantage to do exactly that.

This spreadsheet might include each customer’s contact information and the products or services they purchased from you. It can also show where you are in the customer service process for each individual (for example, whether you’ve sent an invoice and when). 

And if anything goes wrong, it’ll be easy to look back at which customers were involved so that they can get any refunds or replacements they need and so that the problem doesn’t happen again.

Figure Out What Makes You Unique (And Then Tell People About It)

The first step in standing out from the crowd as a freelancer is to pinpoint your unique selling proposition (USP). This can be tricky, especially if you’re a new freelancer you might not yet have much experience in the field, and you could feel overwhelmed by how many other people are doing what you do. But don’t worry! We all start somewhere. 

The upside of being a beginner is that your lack of experience gives you an opportunity to make the most of who you are: use your knowledge and experience to create something special or build on who you already are and push yourself to grow.

When it comes down to it, being different isn’t scary it’s what makes us interesting! And while discovering who we really take time, we can always speed up the process by asking ourselves some important questions:

• What do I love?

• What motivates me?

• What am I good at?

• What makes me happy?

Once you know what makes you unique, think about how those traits would stand out to potential clients. Why should they hire you instead of one of the bazillion other freelancers with similar skills? If your answer isn’t clear yet, keep exploring until it becomes so. Once you’ve found your USP, it’s time for step 2: tell people about it!

Be Flexible And Be Willing To Move Outside Your Comfort Zone

The key to mastering customer service as a freelancer is flexibility. Being open to new ideas and different ways of doing things will help you stay relevant in an ever-changing industry.

That’s not to say that sticking to your old ways is a bad thing. On the contrary, if you’re being paid well for something you know how to do or really enjoy doing there’s nothing wrong with continuing on that path indefinitely. 

But if there are areas where you could use some improvement or tasks your clients expect of you but would like to see more efficiently done, it may be time for a change.

You’ll find that making even small adjustments can have an immense impact on both client satisfaction levels and your bottom line (as long as these changes are coming from the desire for better service). 

Try out new strategies for handling client interactions; experiment with different pricing models; be willing to move outside your comfort zone! You might just come across something great.

Create An Easy Way For Clients To Get In Touch With You

If you’re a freelancer, you need to be available and responsive to your clients. But how do you ensure that your customers can easily reach out to you?

Creating ways for clients to get in touch with you is key. Here are some great strategies for making it easy for them:

Have a dedicated email, phone number, or website address that’s 100% related to work. For example, if your name is John Doe but all of your freelance work is under the name “Doe Designs,” you may want to register a different phone number or email address like herman@doedesigns.com. 

This would allow clients and potential customers to contact you through an account that allows them to distinguish between work-related and non-work-related emails and calls. That way, they don’t have to worry about whether they’re reaching out at an inconvenient time if they’re contacting Doe Designs, they know it’s business hours!

Be prompt in responding (but not too prompt). It’s often said that freelancers should respond within 24 hours of receiving a message from a potential client so as not to lose their interest in working together or run the risk of being perceived as unprofessional! 

A good rule of thumb for this is 24 hours during weekdays (Mondays through Fridays) but 48 hours on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays), which gives us plenty of time without missing any opportunities either way.

When someone emails me looking for my services I usually respond within one hour on weekdays but two days later on weekends because I want anyone interested enough in what we provide at Doe Designs not only has my attention but yours too! Any questions about our products? Just reply back using the same email address used when sending this message thanks so much again John D.”

Don’t Complain About Things That Aren’t Problems

It’s not always easy to stick to a schedule and keep up with everything that comes up when you’re working for multiple clients. But when it comes to client service, it’s important not to complain about anything that isn’t a legitimate problem. 

If you start whining about how your client sent you their assignment at the last possible moment, or how they changed their mind about what they wanted halfway through your project, they’ll get the impression that you don’t have enough experience or are just lazy.

And if they think of you as unreliable and unprofessional, they won’t want to work with you again. Plus, if you make too much noise about every little thing in front of your client, there’s a good chance word will get around and other clients may be reluctant to trust your services in the future.

Conclusion

Thanks for joining me today in exploring how to master customer service as a freelancer. I hope this article has been helpful in providing you with information on how to deliver outstanding customer service in your freelance career.

I’d love to hear from you, so please leave any questions or comments below. If you found it useful, please share it with others who may find it helpful as well.

looking for more articles like this? Check out my blog at www.unleashcash.co

Here are some brief answers to frequently asked questions about customer service.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “The customer’s always right.” 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Here are some brief answers to frequently asked questions about customer service.

What Do You Do When A Client Asks For Something That You Can’t Deliver?

You’ll be better off if you don’t agree to anything you can’t actually deliver. If a customer makes a demand that you’re unable to meet, be honest and let them know what your limits are. 

A good idea is to have an in-person meeting at the beginning of any project so that both parties have a clear understanding of what’s expected and what will happen if for whatever reason those expectations aren’t met.

How Do You Deal With A Client That Wants To Change The Brief?

If this happens, be prepared to negotiate. For instance: “I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m not sure how feasible it would be to include those extra details without extending the deadline.” 

Keep in mind that even though freelancers are often seen as contractors for hire essentially, people who perform tasks for others still need to feel empowered in their role and comfortable refusing certain requests if it feels like those requests will compromise their integrity or overwhelm their schedule.

How Do I Master Customer Service As A Freelancer?

Many times, you will be the first person your clients interact with. That means you’re the one who is shaping their perception of your company and its culture. Make sure you’re ready for them by being prepared:

• Read up on common questions so you can answer them quickly and confidently

• Practice what’s going to come out of your mouth before you actually have to say it in front of them (this will help with confidence)

• Make sure any equipment you need is ready to go before they arrive, if possible

How Do I Get Started?

The first thing you need to do is make sure that your business is properly registered with the state where it will operate. Once that’s done, it’s time to build your reputation by offering free advice on social media and online forums related to your field of expertise. Then, once people have seen what you can do and heard what others have said about you, they’ll be more likely to hire you for their projects!

What Kinds Of Things Should I Consider When Writing Up Contracts With Clients?

The most important thing when writing up contracts with clients is knowing what kind of work they want to be done and what kind of timeline they expect it finished in (for example). You should also include details about how much money each party will pay and how long payments will take before starting work (or after finishing). Finally, make sure that both parties agree

How Do I Know What My Clients Want?

One of the most important parts of serving customers is knowing what they want from you. Are they looking for something specific? Or do they just want someone who will work hard and get the job done quickly? The more information you have about what they expect from you, the better able you’ll be to meet their needs.

How Can I Make Sure That My Clients Are Happy With My Work?

The best way to ensure that your client is happy with your work is through regular communication. This means asking questions and listening carefully so that they feel like they’re being heard by someone who cares about their ideas as much as their money. It also means following through on commitments made during discussions before starting any project together.