Web Worker Tip: Don't Go Dark

One of the joys of independent web work is the ability to be in your own space – be it home office, coffeeshop, or coworking facility – rather than in the customer’s office. But this is a two-edged sword: you may pay for your freedom by falling into the “out of sight, out of mind” category. If this results in getting less work that you want, having bills paid late, or implementing the wrong features because you didn’t get the memo on what’s changed, being away can be worse for business than being there.

The solution? It’s obvious, but overlooked all too often: keep the customer posted on what you’re doing. If you’re luck enough to have a web-savvy customer, you can do this by instant messenger or video chatting. But for most customers, you’ll want to fall back on the old-fashioned regular status email (remember, even if you’re drowning in email, your customer likely isn’t), or actually pick up the phone at a fixed time each week. If you’re having trouble getting repeat business or finding steady customers, it’s often a hint that you’re just not keeping them aware of what you’re doing on their behalf.

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