Whether you are freelancing to earn some extra cash or making a living with it, you should always keep in mind that your job is not limited to the work that you are being paid to do. Customer service and client communication play a vital role in how you are perceived by your clients, which can affect your ability to attract future clients and also affect your pay rate. Understanding the importance of these traits and executing them in the field can make the difference between a good and great freelancer. Always put yourself in your client’s shoes and think about what you would want in the same situation. If you are choosing between two freelancers that both have exceptional skills, would you prefer the friendly one with good communication or the power hungry, rude one that hardly ever speaks to you?



Customer Service


When you work as a freelancer online, your clients are your bosses and should be treated as you would any other boss at a real job. They sign a paycheck for you, have the ability to sign more and are also your references to earn more paychecks from other clients. You should always try to make an impression on each new client with your knowledge of your field of work, willingness to help and a desire to help make a difference with their goals. Anybody can learn to perform the tasks that freelancers do, so it is up to you to go above and beyond to set yourself apart from the competition. Try to figure out what the client’s goals are. What is their business? What are they trying to accomplish with the work you are doing? Don’t be afraid to make suggestions to clients and even potential clients that are relevant to the project they have requested or their goals. Think of ways that you can make their project better or an improvement for something you may notice on their website. Potential clients love to see these qualities in freelancers when they are trying to select a winner. Some projects can have heavy competition and you must do something to grab their attention. Always be respectful and gracious of your clients and treat them as if they had just given you one of their kidneys. When you have completed a project, thank them for the work and for the payment. Tell them that if they ever run into any problems or need a hand with something else to feel free to email you anytime - you are politely sending them an invitation to do future projects for them and they will be done off of the freelancing websites. If you have any issues with payment, you may consider having them open future projects for you on the freelance websites so you can have funds held in escrow. Otherwise, this can lead to excellent opportunities of more projects and sometimes even regular work that can get you payments direct to your paypal account. After using this polite invitation myself, I cannot tell you how many times I get an email back saying there is something else they want done or want you to take a look at something. Some of the best clients I ever had were obtained through a simple project on a freelancing site. They put the project up there to get something done, but also to try and find a decent freelancer to do some regular work for them. The simple project on the freelancing site is really a test project to see if you are worthy of the other work they need done.



Communication


Some freelancers will drift through their careers without communicating with their clients. While some clients will allow you to get away with it, all clients will like you better if you communicate with them throughout every step of the project. If you are involved in a project that spans more than a days worth of work, be sure to email your client to let them know how the progress is going and possibly even give them a sneak peek if you can. Don’t be afraid to talk to them about problems you may be having. It’s better to talk to them about it as it’s happening than it is to let it all pile up on you until it explodes. Even the best freelancers run into unforeseen problems that end up prolonging project timelines and costing somebody money. If you are upfront and honest with your clients, you will find that some of them are willing to foot the bill for those types of things.