Notes from the Future Desk: June

The definition of constructive feedback is “specific information based on observations” and it is one of the hardest things to eek out of a client. This is because nobody has ever taught them how to communicate their thoughts around a creative piece of work, however, without it we can’t do our jobs well. I have found the book You’re My Favorite Client from A Book Apart to be invaluable in helping me coach clients into getting us the information we need to get to our creative targets faster. Its an oldie but goodie. You can purchase it here.
– Kim

I think Slack was developed by someone in Account Service… okay, probably not. But they definitely had our best interests in mind! Slack is a great tool for communicating with project-specific teams.



The communication can be as simple as a meeting location change to an all-hands-on-deck we have a client emergency. Regardless of importance, the message is delivered to all team members (without having to remember who is on that team) and gets the conversation started.



This allows those who know the answer- or have time to research it- to immediately speak up. And that is a beautiful thing.
– Johanna

No matter how good your process and your team are, being able to adapt is essential to a project’s success. It’s the Account Manager’s job to be able to read a client, and see what will work best for them. Sometimes clients get the hang of Basecamp and love it. Other clients prefer broader, overarching updates over the granular details in which a project management system provides. Knowing how your client is most efficient and working with their preferences in mind will ensure a happier client, and a happier team.
Happy client + happy team = strong relationship
– Leslie

We all struggle with sitting in too many meetings that could have been emails. On the other hand, how much efficiency is lost in a game of telephone? I have found that adding key people to early meetings in a project facilitates better communication within the group and the whole project benefits. It makes things slower to get off the ground, but they really get moving when everyone on the internal team feels fully committed to the project because they know the client and their goals first hand.
– Kim

Apparently Microsoft is buying LinkedIn. I appreciate the attempt to consolidate my rage.
-Natalie