Improve Your Client Relationships Using Buckets

Organize your various client Projects, task lists, and deadlines all in real-time across multiple time zones!

Dealing with clients across multiple time zones (or even the same time zone!) can be an awful pain in the derriere, as the French would say. But only if you don’t have the proper systems in place to manage both your workflow and your everyday communications.

Using a collaborative project management system like Buckets makes it much more efficient to organize your various client Projects, task lists, and deadlines all in real-time and without having to wake anyone up at 1AM in the process.

Step 1: Getting Your Client/s On Board

Getting your client on board with Buckets has never been easier. Our new Project Permissions enable you to set specific Projects to Public View and also customize the access that each client has to a particular Project.

For example, you may want to invite a client to join Buckets but not want to give them editing privileges in case they disrupt the workflow you’ve created. In this case, you can use our “View Only” or “Comment Only” options to ensure that this isn’t a problem. Or if you want to directly collaborate with and give full Project permission to a client, you can add them as a non-restricted Private member.

Alternatively, you may have a client who is already using a productivity app and/or is reluctant to sign up to a new product. This is a great time to share a Project with them using our Public sharing option as it’ll give them an intro into what Buckets is all about without the “barrier” of signing up. You’ll find a step-by-step guide for getting new users to join you in Buckets in our post “5 Step Process To Get Your Colleagues And Friends on Board”.

Step 2: Move Them Away From Other Processes

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your clients will continue to communicate with you as they have before despite having a new system in place. This is where you need to compromise and slowly integrate them into using Buckets full-time.

Start by responding to emails by setting up Buckets Cards/tasks instead and inviting them to work with you there instead. Also make sure that they’re aware of the Buckets Sandbox Relay feature, which allows users to forward emails directly from their email inbox to the Buckets Sandbox where they can stay until it’s time to work on them.

The key here is to show them the benefits of solely working within Buckets rather than having it as an “add-on” that they use simply because you want them to. This is best done by using a Public Project to demonstrate how a Project works and guiding them through the process of setting up a more private Project that suits both of you once they’re comfortable with signing up (non-users can access Buckets via Public sharing only, and most companies will want more privacy around Projects).

Step 3: Guide Clients Through The Collaboration Process

Buckets is packed full of features that are amazing tools for collaborating on Projects with users anywhere in the world, whether that’s across the road or across the country. Once you have a Buckets Project set up for your client, they’ll be able to:

• Check-in on Project progress whenever they wish so they’ll feel more informed and in control
• Contribute to the Project (depending on the access controls you’ve set)
• Raise any issues/concerns immediately
• Access the Project info from anywhere and at any time
• Utilize features such as Checklists, Reminders, Labels, Card and Checklist Comments, and the Sandbox (again depending on their access level)
• Reduce email update anxiety (and those epic email threads!) as logging into Buckets will give them an instant visual of their Project progress

Step 4: Consider Using Buckets As Your Primary CRM

This will only apply to freelancers and smaller agencies/businesses, but Buckets is actually an excellent, cost-effective, CRM tool when you’re managing a limited number of clients.

In our blog post The Best Way To Manage Your CRM On The Cheap, we discuss the various ways of pitching to, winning, and managing client relationships using a Buckets Project. It’s definitely worth checking out if you fall into either of those categories.

Make Life Easier For Your Client

Once you have a client on board, the best way to keep them happy is to make your relationship as seamless and easy to manage as possible. By following the above steps, we’re confident that you can do this using Buckets. Give it a go and let us know how you get on!

Thanks For Reading!

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