You’re in the zone, crafting a brilliant design for a client. Suddenly, an email notification snaps you out of your creative flow—it’s the client asking for an update. Now, instead of focusing on your work, you’re juggling emails, deadlines, and admin tasks.
As a freelancer, especially in a creative field, it’s easy to feel torn between your craft and managing client relationships. But it doesn’t have to be so difficult. By streamlining your client operations, you can stay focused on what you do best while still delivering a top-notch customer experience.
In this article, we’ll explore some practical tips to help you improve client experience as a freelancer.
A Freelancer’s Guide to Great Customer Experience
1. Offer customized solutions
Customizing your services serves two key purposes. First, you can position yourself different from other freelancers or bigger agencies who are in the same industry. Second, with custom solutions, you’re not just delivering a product or service—you’re showing that you understand your client’s unique needs and are willing to adapt to meet them.
Let’s give you a quick rundown of how you can tailor your offer for every client:
- Initial consultation: Start with a thorough discussion to understand their goals, challenges, and preferences. Be genuinely interested in their vision and capture relevant information
- Custom proposals: Based on the consultation, create a proposal that speaks directly to their needs. Outline specific strategies, timelines, and deliverables that reflect their unique situation. A bit of personal touch goes a long way
- Flexible deliverables: Allow clients to choose or adjust services according to their needs. For instance, you might offer different levels/tiers of service or additional features they can select based on their budget or project scope
| For example, let’s say you’re a graphic designer. A client approaches you for a new logo. Instead of offering a standard logo package, start with a detailed consultation to understand their brand identity, target audience, and specific preferences. Based on this, craft a custom proposal outlining several design concepts tailored to their brand values, complete with mood boards and sketches that align with their vision. |
- Different payment methods: Provide multiple ways to pay—credit cards, bank transfers, or online platforms. The more options you offer, the more convenient it is for clients to handle payments
- Flexible payment plans: Clients appreciate when you offer flexible payment methods that suit their financial situation. Consider offering payment in installments, especially for larger projects. It becomes easier for clients to manage their budgets and stay engaged with the project
| For example, assume you’re a marketer working on a large-scale digital marketing campaign for a client. If you recognize that the client might have budget constraints, you can offer a flexible payment plan where they can pay in three installments: one upfront, one halfway through the campaign, and the final payment upon completion. |
Create a customized invoice with Bloom’s Free Invoice Generator and offer diverse payment methods—credit cards, bank transfer, ACH, and more!
2. Use a CRM with a customer portal
When you’re handling multiple clients and multiple projects, things can get overwhelming real quick. You might fail to pay close attention to each client, which in turn can take a toll on customer experience.
Tracking communication over email and deliverables over spreadsheets may seem like a seamless way to go when you’re just getting started. However, as you scale your business, you need to have more solid systems in place.
This is where Bloom comes in. Designed for creatives like photographers, artists, graphic designers, writers, and marketers, this CRM simplifies how you organize client information. From project documents and contracts to invoices and payments, everything stays in one easy-to-access place. Clients can effortlessly keep tabs on their projects (thanks to Bloom’s client portal), and you’ll have a much easier time managing multiple accounts. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Here’s a glimpse of how Bloom can help you deliver an outstanding customer experience:
- Seamless appointment scheduling: Clients can easily check your availability and book design consultations or meetings directly through the portal. No more back-and-forth emails or scheduling conflicts
- Proofing and feedback: After working on a design (if it’s a photography or graphic design project), upload initial proofs to the portal. Clients can view these proofs, select their favorites, and provide feedback or request specific changes—all in one place
- Quick invoicing and payments: Create and send invoices directly through the portal. Clients can review charges, make secure payments online, and keep track of their payment history without any extra fuss
- Automate communication: Make client communication smoother by using custom variables and rules. Set up specific triggers and automate responses, so clients don’t have to keep waiting
- Project tracking: Keep clients in the loop with updates on their projects. They can see when their designs are being worked on, when proofs will be available, and when the final files are ready for download
With Bloom, you can maintain transparency in client relationships, understand and meet their expectations, be in control of your workflow management, and deliver stellar customer service. Balancing client experience and creative work has never been this easy!
Also Read: Give Your Clients a Portal to Create a Seamless Experience
3. Provide transparent pricing
Transparency in pricing builds trust and prevents any unpleasant surprises. When clients know exactly what they’re paying for, it reduces the risk of misunderstandings, keeps the relationship smooth, and ensures a good client relationship.
Here are some tips for you to follow:
- Create pricing tables: Use pricing tables or charts to present your services and their costs in a clear, visual format. Make it easy for clients to compare different options and choose what best fits their needs. Include details about what each package or service level includes, such as the number of revisions, hours of work, or specific deliverables
- Offer detailed cost breakdown: Once the client picks a package, outline all costs in your proposal. Include everything—basic services, any potential extra costs, and applicable discounts. Detailed breakdowns help clients understand where their money is going
- Define the project scope: Mention the scope of work in your contract or proposal. Specify what is included in the project and what would be considered an additional request or change. Outline how additional work outside the initial scope will be billed
- Sign a formal agreement: Use a detailed contract that outlines all pricing terms, deliverables, and payment schedules, and set the expectations right. Ensure the client reviews and agrees to the contract terms before starting work, to prevent any disputes or confusion later on
| Let’s understand this approach with an example. Assume you’re a photographer creating a proposal for a potential client. In your proposal, include a clear breakdown of costs: base fee for the photo shoot, additional charges for extra hours, and prices for any optional add-ons like extra prints or a photo album. By being upfront about all potential costs, you can help the client understand what they are paying for and avoid any unexpected expenses. |
Pro Tip: Automate contract signing with Bloom!
4. Offer additional value
Provide extra benefits beyond the basic requirements of a project and improve client experience. Here are some strategies to differentiate yourself as a freelancer who goes the extra mile:
- Provide insights and recommendations: Share industry knowledge or best practices related to the project. For example, if you’re a graphic designer and you’ve created a website or brochure, recommend cohesive design elements for business cards, social media profiles, or promotional items to ensure a unified brand identity
- Offer upgrades: Suggest additional features or services that could improve the client’s project. For instance, if you’re helping the client with organic growth through blog posts, you can suggest them to build a distribution channel through social media
- Share resources: Provide useful resources such as guides, tools, or templates that could assist the client in achieving their goals. For example, you could share a marketing toolkit with a client after completing a branding project
- Provide future support: Offer to assist with minor revisions or provide guidance even after the project is completed. It shows that you’re invested in their long-term success
- Follow-up with value: After project completion, check in with the client to provide additional advice or resources based on how their project is performing. For example, you could follow up with analytics insights if you’ve worked on a marketing campaign
5. Be prepared for troubleshooting
Even with thorough planning and clear communication, unexpected issues can pop up. You might face challenges like struggling to access a client’s system, running into a last-minute change in project scope, or dealing with corrupted files. Sometimes, a miscommunication could lead to mismatched expectations, or you might encounter unexpected delays due to a client’s availability.
To handle these hiccups smoothly, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place. One key approach is to document all discussions, especially when changes are involved. This gives you a reliable reference point for what was agreed upon—whether it’s related to deliverables, payment schedules, or system access.
After every client meeting, make it a habit to send meeting minutes. It keeps everything on track and also serves as a record. If an issue does arise, refer back to the notes to understand what was discussed, inform the client, and then create a plan to resolve the problem.
6. Gather feedback and act on it
Feedback helps you understand what clients appreciate and where you can make improvements. After completing a project, ask clients for their feedback. You can do it through surveys, direct interviews, or simple feedback forms. The goal is to gather honest opinions about their experience and the quality of the work.
Review the feedback to identify trends and specific areas where you can improve. Use the feedback to refine your processes and services or address any issues they highlighted. For instance, if clients mention slow response times, work on improving your communication speed.
Adjust your processes based on the feedback, and let clients know that you’ve taken their feedback into account. Show through actions that you’re committed to improving the client experience, and your clients are more likely to retain.
| For example, if you’re a freelance marketer, you can schedule a follow-up call with the client to discuss their experience after a campaign ends. During the call, ask for their feedback on the campaign’s effectiveness, your responsiveness, and any suggestions for improvement. Assume they say they would’ve preferred more frequent updates on campaign performance. Take this feedback sportingly and implement a system to provide more regular progress reports for future campaigns. |
Build A Sustainable Freelance Business with Bloom
Incorporate these practices to strengthen client relationships and set the stage for a successful and lasting freelancing career. When clients feel valued and supported, they’ll be keen to return in future and recommend you to others. In the process, your bottom line will get a boost, and so will your reputation in the industry.
And if customer experience is a priority for you, Bloom is the tool you need.
With Bloom, you give your clients instant access to the information they need, eliminating the constant back-and-forth waiting for responses. You can keep your projects moving forward and stay focused on what you do best—your creative work.
While Bloom takes care of the administrative details, you’ll have more freedom to dive into your projects and bring your ideas to life, without getting bogged down by paperwork and tasks.