5 Tips For Successful Client Management and Project Tracking

Client management is an essential part of successful independent work—and you might not even realize you've been doing it.

Each time you chat with a client about project progress, come up with a new solution to meet their needs, or help them set goals, you're engaging in project management.

A lot of this work happens naturally. Being intentional about client management, though, can take your work and success to a new level.

As an agency owner who's spent more than 1,800 hours working with companies on Upwork, I've had plenty of practice honing my client management skills—and I'm going to share my know-how with you.

By the end of this guide, you'll be better prepared to recognize opportunities for intentional client management—and feel confident in your response.

5 Common situations that call for excellent client management

Have you ever been working with a client, thinking things are going smoothly, and then suddenly … things aren’t?

Perhaps you're having a hard time getting hold of your client, or their feedback deviates from the original project scope. You're no longer aligned—and this is a tricky situation to navigate.

Typically, these splits don't happen without warning. There are often subtle signs or early indicators that you and your client may not be on the same wavelength.

By remaining aware of these five signals, and intentionally committing to good client management practices, you can:

• Improve client relationships
• Deliver an excellent customer experience
• Experience higher rates of client retention
• Build trust-based working relationships
• Get referrals from happy clients
• Increase your revenue

Look for these five signals.

1. Unclear client requirements

When a client doesn't know quite what they want, it can feel frustrating—but it's also the perfect example of how good client management can set you up for success.

It may be that your potential client is new to working with an independent professional, or that they really need an expert's insight to achieve a goal. Whatever the reason, it's a chance for you to deliver great customer service.

If a client's needs or wants seem vague, don't hesitate to guide your initial discussions with them. Clarify what you need to know, and what you'll need the client to contribute to the project.

Through my agency, Web Rocket Media, I help clients run ads on a variety of social media platforms. If a new client comes to me and says they want to run ads on LinkedIn, but doesn't know what outcome they're hoping to achieve, I'll start by asking a series of questions.

It's important to me that my clients get a great return on their investment, both in my work and in advertising spend. I'll work with them to uncover what they're trying to achieve and who they want to target. By doing this, I can assess whether my client should really be running ads on LinkedIn—or if Facebook ads would be better suited for their needs.

This results in the client getting the best results from their advertising and marketing campaigns. Plus, the client feels like they've got a true knowledgeable partner on their side. This goes a long way toward building a stronger working relationship and good customer loyalty.

2. Changes to project timelines

Some clients will come to you knowing exactly what they need or want … but they have a hard time establishing a realistic timeline.

Rather than agreeing to a turnaround time that you know isn't feasible, educate your client on a realistic time frame for the project.

Upwork’s milestone functionality is very helpful in this situation.

Let's say your client asks for a new website in one week. You tell them that's not possible, and you can have it to them in a month. While it's clear to you why this is the case—you need to research, build wireframes, work with a copywriter, and execute the final design—it might not be as clear to the client.

When you use milestones, you can tell the client that you'll have an initial design in a week, wireframes in two, copy in three, and a final design in four. This makes it really easy for the client to see how work is actively progressing.

Plus, when you add milestones to your Upwork contract, it creates a clear record of the way in which you and your client agreed to work.

If your client wants to change the timeline at any point and you're not able to do so, you can refer back to the original contract.

3. Scope creep

Milestones also come in handy when dealing with scope creep.

This is a fairly common issue that crops up when a client asks for additional deliverables or work that extends beyond your initial agreement.

It's typically not intentional on the part of the client—they may not realize they're asking for something outside of scope—and can seem minor. However, if you don't catch scope creep early on, it can snowball into a bigger problem.

By creating a strong contract that outlines hours to be worked or milestones to be reached, you establish a clear scope of work. You can then refer back to the contract if the client begins requesting things that fall outside of this scope.

In my experience, most clients are very understanding—especially when I explain that we can do the additional work as part of a new milestone or contract. Their needs are met while my time and boundaries are respected.

4. Different communication styles

Effective client management involves being mindful of differences in communication styles. Sometimes, when two people communicate differently, it can create confusion or conflict. This is avoidable with a little extra attention and care up front.

When starting a new contract, I like to clarify whether my client prefers to communicate via direct message (such as through Upwork), email, phone call, or via video.

This doesn't mean I completely abandon my normal workflow if it’s different from what a client is used to. Instead, I look for a way for me and my team members to meet the client halfway.

Here's an example. If my new client likes to use video to communicate, but we live in very different time zones—or I'm simply not able to hop on a call each time they're free—I may rely on a tool like Loom to help us communicate.

The ability to record and share short videos asynchronously lets us communicate in the client’s preferred way, but without one of us having to get on a real-time call at midnight or totally rearrange our schedules on short notice.

I also make a point to let my clients know my standard working hours, and how quickly they can typically expect a response from me.

Because of this, when I see a message from a client pop up, I know that I don't have to drop what I'm doing and respond at that exact moment. I'm confident that my client knows I'll be getting back to them soon, just as we discussed.

5. Projects that won’t end

Sometimes, you've gotten final sign-off on a project and are just about ready to wrap everything up when your client requests an additional change.

And then another … and another.

Like scope creep, the never-ending project is something you can nip in the bud right away with good client management.

When I first start a project with a client, I'm very clear about when the project will be finished, either on a specific date or after a particular deliverable is complete. I also limit the number of follow-up edits and revisions that can take place—and record it in the contract.

This kind of clarity makes it easier to manage client expectations and neatly wrap up projects when we've reached the end.

I also make it a point to let my clients know when the end date is approaching. This helps to avoid confusion and gives me a chance to upsell my clients on another service. It's a great opportunity to offer a follow-up project and build a long-term relationship.

Practicing good client management

Practicing client management, and identifying opportunities to do so, will become easier as you keep working with different clients.

Whether you're currently looking for your first client or are thinking about how you can improve work with your hundredth client, there's always room to improve and grow.

Keep an eye out for opportunities to guide your clients and set expectations during your next project—you can find one right now by submitting proposals on Upwork.

If you’d like to learn more about working with me directly, I’d be happy to talk with you. Just log into your Upwork account and send Web Rocket Media a message.