Off Boarding an IT client
I guess when you think you saw everything there is to be seen in the IT world, a destiny or God’s will must prove you are wrong. There are many articles describing a step-by-step guide to the employee offboarding process. But what happens when a big client is leaving your development company after a long period of time? Are you completely and utterly lost on what to do next? Don’t be.
Client isn’t necessarily leaving!
Your company is in big trouble and still you think of a client? Of course you do, because it is a part of YOUR company culture. If it is NOT, then it is time to read about the customer first approach (it is out of scope of this article). Culture is what drives a company and a customer-centric philosophy is not only good business practice, but it’s integral to keeping your doors open. More and more customers are keen to give business to companies who appreciate them and are centralized around customers needs. In this case, the offboarding process can make that desired change in a way that a client will work with you in the future. Reset and rewind! Maybe your company has finished a Phase2 and will rejoin on a Phase4 of the project.
A team effort
The client offboarding process demands a team effort and ensures that this departure causes minimal disruption. Various employees and departments have to contribute to the process and it must be well-coordinated and efficient. Just as you differently approach to different kinds of personalities among the development team, it is exactly the same with the clients. Make sure that your developers and all related company’s personnel don’t feel any grudge because the client is leaving. Prepare a terrain for a possible return of the same client.
Business ethics
Ethics is part of everyday developer’s routine and a management must follow the same principles. In this case do everything that is needed. Pass the positive developer attitude and the code of the project or service to a new development team. There are probably some technical debts left to be done and the documentation of the project can always be better. Make the last team timesheets nice and clean. You will probably loose money on this even more, but do what it takes. You are shaping the future company’s culture once again, so be ethical at most!
Request feedback
Fast growing companies change their culture fast and you need to change fast to be on that train. Don’t run after that train! Your company needs to get some conclusions why the client has left and was there anything wrong with your service maybe? Ask for referrals and possible introductions in different business’s areas then your client’s current one. Inform your client of any extra services you offer or think of some new service specifically for this client. Be thankful for the time you have spent with the client. A lot of money has changed owners and who says it will not happen again in the future.
Kristijan Pušić, Engineering Manager, Setronica team
