How Client's Feedback Ruins the Image Sometimes
The year is 1905. Three successful retailers realize the success of their business depends on customers and their happiness levels. They instructed their staff to treat customers as if they were always right – even in situations when they weren’t.
Historically, the 20th century is a period of great market expansion and globalization. With so many new brands emerging, going the extra mile for customers has become an important differentiating factor.
The retailers mentioned above were Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker, and Marshall Field. According to a Sears, Robuck, and Co. publication from 1905, it is believed that they are the ones who coined the unexpectedly dangerous phrase:
“The customer is always right.”
The reasoning behind this phrase?
Well, they thought it was better to risk occasionally being bullied by the Karens of the world than jeopardizing their reputation.
There are so many things wrong with this approach.
Read on to understand why we don’t nod to everything our clients say.
If You Hire Us For Expertise, Then Let Us Be
At Kaiserbold, we always listen to our client’s feedback.
However, there is a difference between listening to feedback and blindly following feedback.
When we were just getting started with setting up our CGI studio and learning about business and client management, we made some rookie mistakes – which is completely normal.
However, in contrast to other successful companies, we are not ashamed of our modest beginnings. Moreover, we’re more than happy to share what we’ve learned.
We’ve started a series of posts called “Render gone wrong” on our Instagram page (follow us there if you aren’t already) with the idea of transparently showing some of the shitty renders that were of poor quality. Partly because of our lack of experience in the beginning, then inadequate brief and unclear expectations regarding the general feel of the end image (*cough can’t read your mind yet cough*), and partly because of the client’s feedback.
In the early days, we thought that we needed to do everything we could to make the client happy. This is still true, to an extent: the client has to be satisfied with your work. That’s our goal. Always.
However, little did we know that doing what the client wants doesn’t mean that they will be happy in the end.
Sounds like a paradox, but it’s rather logical.
Despite us being good in our field, we blindly followed clients’ feedback and tried to please them. We haven’t stood up to corrections that didn’t make much sense and ended up negatively influencing the overall quality of the image.
The thing is, changing just one or two single elements might make sense if you’re looking at them in isolation, outside of the wider context. But then when you see the entire image, something will seem off, too artificial, or cheap.
The key takeaway?
– Just let us do our job.
– Provide feedback, of course.
– Suspend yourself from micromanaging.
No Need To Be a Bully
When working with clients, we fully respect their time, opinions, resources, and the investment they’ve put into our services. Trust is a two-way street, while decency and professionalism are mandatory.
Sometimes it happens that the client gets carried away when it comes to revisions and starts nitpicking. One time, we had a client who requested a ton of changes and rejected every single one of our suggestions. They were borderline aggressive in pushing their agenda that we eventually obeyed. We knew this wasn’t going to end well.
…And we were right.
They were not satisfied. Surprise, surprise!
They got angry and frustrated because of the endless back-and-forth, despite the fact that they were in full control of the communication.
It is important to end up with the image you have envisioned, of course. But it takes two to tango. The responsibility for the quality is primarily on our side, but you also participate because you brief us, provide us with the concepts and examples, and share the goal you are trying to achieve.
We’re Here to Help, Not to Act Smart
Whether it’s due to their previous bad experiences with other CGI studios or a general lack of trust toward external partners, some clients tend to become rather possessive when it comes to the final look of the image.
The thing is, we want the best for you. In all honesty.
There is absolutely no reason for us to force a certain type of aesthetics, color, or lighting. We don’t have a horse in that race.
We’ve been in the business for over a decade, which means we know a thing or two about:
- What attracts the eye of different types of audiences (whether it’s an archviz project or something else),
- What should be the focal point of the image depending on the reaction you want to trigger,
- What type of details should be included to achieve the exact emotion you want to communicate,
- What are the additional elements that make the image more realistic (if hyperrealism is something that you’re aiming for),
- What are the cultural elements that should be included because of their subliminal effect,
- What details are not essential, but are complementary to the overall scene and can make the image more valuable,
…and much more.
We believe the synergy between the client and us is where all the beauty lies. But to allow it to shine through, you need to let your guard down and discuss potential changes with us – not order revisions without consulting us first.
Because in 9/10 cases, it will end badly.
Trust Fall With Kaiserbold - We’ll Catch You
To summarize, we care about what you think – a lot. We respect your opinion as well.
However, what we care much more about is that you are happy with the end image and that it entices the right business value for your company. It may seem that in order to get there, you need to hover over us from day one. But we are big boys. We can make it happen.
Check out how we did it for Parla Projekt and Lloyoll Prefabs, or snoop around our portfolio. Whether you need exteriors, interiors, furniture renderings, or product configurators – we are here to make your audience’s jaw drop.
If you’re ready to discuss your project, reach out to us today. We won’t bite.
Thank you,
