The CreativesAtWork Response to Common Client Complaints
Disclaimer: This article was not written to criticise any of the freelancers whose hard work have made at CreativesAtWork possible. As project managers, it is our duty to bridge the gap between clients and freelancers and provide all of our partners with the best working experience possible. We hope that this piece helps to break down barriers that prevent that and help build mutual understanding between clients and freelancers.
Not all complaints are valid — we’re with freelancers on that 100%. But complaints still reflect client perspectives and expectations that have to be managed for those who hope to build a successful career out of freelancing. After 10 years of cushioning our freelancers from harsh feedback, we laid it all out unfiltered on 31 Jan, 2023, at the very first session of Freelancer Ask: Kopi Talk with Fanny Tham.
The talk gave us the opportunity to see many familiar faces (some for the first time!) in the same room, CAW ClubHouse (Reading Room) at WorkCentral, Level 6, Singapore Shopping Centre, which also happens to be the birthplace of Freelancer Nation. As part of our efforts to equip freelancers with the tools necessary to manage client expectations, we drew back the curtain that we usually hold up between clients and freelancers. Here are the complaints that were revealed…
“Why is this submission so late?”
This is by far the most common complaint that we receive, and also the hardest one to defend — because expectations have been written in black and white.
A recurring theme that you’ll find throughout this article is trust and the importance of building it. Meeting deadlines is absolutely critical to establishing it. But we understand that everyone’s human, that life gets busy, and even the best of us fall ill or burn out from time to time.
Turns out, there’s actually an art to negotiating deadlines. With retainer clients who have become familiar with your process and trust your ability to handle things, you do have a bit of leeway to make up for missed deadlines in subsequent months by going above and beyond. The same luxury is not available for one-off, ad-hoc projects, where you only have one shot at impressing the client. Missing such deadlines will almost guarantee the lack of follow-up projects.
“Why are my creative assets on their website?”
A comprehensive portfolio goes hand-in-hand with a successful freelance career. But that doesn’t mean that client assets are free-for-all. As a rule of thumb, if something is stored within a private Google Drive or similar, we would advise you to exclude it from your showreel. Videos, photos, and writing on public domain, on the other hand, falls under fair use. Even then, you should always link back to the original source.
The reason why creative assets have to be handled carefully is because they often do not belong to your client alone. For example, an executive who reaches out for freelance work might have to seek clearance from their comms department before an asset can be released for use. As much as we would have to protect our own rice bowls, our clients do as well. That’s why it’s always important to think about the impact that an action will have on another person’s livelihood before carrying it out, not just for their sake, but to protect your own reputation as well.
“Why is this service so expensive?”
If you don’t document your process and show clients exactly how much work you’re saving them, they are probably going to feel undercut 9 times out of 10 — especially in the age of automation where everything can (seemingly) be put together with a few mouse clicks.
Giving clients a detailed breakdown of your creative process can help you avoid this. And by that, we mean EVERYTHING. For example, video producers have to ideate, script, produce, and edit before the first video draft can even be put together. Similarly, writers have to go through SEO analysis, image sourcing, web research, and even interviews before cohesive drafts can be formed. Never assume that your client understands the creative process. Explain it to them like they’re five, and you’ll be rewarded with clients who pay you for your time and effort.
It’s also important to remember that clients are not simply paying for your creative output, but an experience. Responding on time and maintaining a cordial and professional demeanour are just some of the ways you can boost your chances of earning repeat customers who are willing to come back for more. The truth is that we find it hard to match feisty clients with freelancers who are equally feisty, simply because it often results in a disastrous working experience for both. Rather than seeing every project as a transactional process, focusing on long-term relationship building often brings positive outcomes for both parties in the long run.
When in doubt, always harken back to production tradition, where the trick to avoiding trouble is to always look busy. In other words, never give clients a reason to say: “That’s it?”
“I can never find your freelancer!”
Look, we get it. You’re freelancing because you enjoy the freedom that comes along with it. But it’s important to balance that freedom with maintaining client trust — a most valuable asset that is easy to break, but hard to restore. It’s what will determine whether clients give you full reign over a project or nitpick your work every step of the way.
Equally important is recognising when a client is entitled to your time, and when they are not. Take a social media management project, for example. If a client asks for a certain number of posts each week, those are the only assets that they own, and you are free to manage your time as you please as long as said assets are submitted on time, with quality.
However, it’s a different story altogether if you’ve agreed to be available during certain hours of the day in exchange for a weekly or monthly fee. Not responding within a reasonable timeframe under those circumstances would actually be a violation of the agreement, and should be avoided as much as possible for a smooth, long-lasting client-freelancer relationship.
“Why does the first draft look like a work-in-progress?”
We don’t contest the fact that clients can be unreasonable with their feedback. Often, it’s simply because they do not understand the creative industry and the importance of giving consolidated feedback. Having been burned by past unpleasant experiences, freelancers go on the defensive by investing less time and effort into first drafts before things can be finalised.
Here at CreativesAtWork, we always emphasise that the first draft should be as good as the final draft. There’s a good reason for this. While we understand that not everything can be finalised the first time around, everything that can be, should. The reason for this is simple. In our experience, clients who are satisfied with the first draft are much easier to deal with later on.
A lot of this has to do with psychology. Even if your first draft misses the mark and you get the dreaded “good effort, but not what I want” comment, you would at least have proven to the client that you're a freelancer who takes pride in their work, and be given respect accordingly. If you’re unsure about how much effort to give in a first draft, we’d say that 125% would be a good gauge and healthy middle.
“Why is this taking so long?”
On a similar note, clients often don’t have insight into the creative process nor the understanding of how much time it takes to fix things. For example, in 3D animation and graphics (which we are pretty strong in nowadays), rendering can take half a day, or even an entire day. Any animator would know that there’s nothing that can be done except waiting for the machine to render. Unfortunately, most clients are not animators, and assume that changes can be made with a few button clicks.
In such instances, always prewarn clients that any changes will be reflected within one working day at least. Even if you’re not in animation, giving yourself that buffer time and reminding clients that you have other responsibilities to attend to can help set expectations. And be prepared to stress things over and over again, because they will forget.
“Why is this design so similar to others out there?”
A common misconception among clients is that every piece of creative work needs to be done from scratch. What they don’t realise is that templates have been used even before the days of technology and automation to help streamline workflows. There’s definitely nothing wrong with trying to work faster, but templates should always be customised to a client’s needs.
Believe it or not, we have faced situations where freelancers submitted work that looked exactly the same as assets that could be found online. To be fair, the freelancer believed that they were in the right because they drew everything from scratch. But because the style was replicated 1-for-1, any viewer who takes a cursory glance between the two assets would automatically assume that they were copied.
We ended up taking the loss by paying the freelancer for their time without charging the client. One of the attendees to our talk helpfully added that taking inspiration from existing work is ok as long as key elements such as placement of objects or poses are different enough to distinguish the new from the original. The lesson here is: Always try to make things your own, even when taking inspiration or using templates.
“Why am I doing the freelancer’s work?”
Scope creep is one thing that freelancers fear the most. Unfortunately, it is part of the game when dealing with clients who do not understand exactly what they want in the beginning. That’s when your knowledge and experience in marketing comes in. Rather than waiting for clients to request for specific assets, lay out all the possibilities during your discovery call. You may even draw up a list of fellow freelancers with complementary skills to partner if your client asks for campaign management and video editing skills while on a social media management contract, for example.
Freelancers can choose to focus on their craft, or grow the scope of skills that they provide. It’s up to you, but setting expectations of what you can and cannot do from the beginning is key.
Concerns brought up by fellow freelancers
Freelancer Ask wasn’t meant to be a one-way street, which is why we made time for the audience to ask questions as well. One freelancer kick started the conversation about client communication by highlighting difficulties narrowing down exactly what their client needed due to a lack of information. Here are some suggestions that our fellow freelancers provided:
Apart from the aforementioned google forms (make sure to personalise those!), providing examples of references that previous clients have given can help clients understand exactly what you mean by the word ‘references’.
When providing reference examples, it’s important to show your own work. While it’s important to challenge ourselves and push the boundaries, showing work that is too ambitious might set you up for failure when you realise that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. Pinterest boards are really helpful for this.
Sometimes, clients get nervous at the thought of approaching an artist. Sketching out a rough, labelled stick figure can help break down those barriers.
If you really want to include a project within your portfolio and don’t have prior work to show for it, providing one sample for free may be a way to get your foot in the door. Of course, this option should be used sparingly, and only for projects that you are absolutely dying to get your hands on.
The beauty about being a creative freelancer is finding creative solutions to problems. Do whatever it takes to get the client, and get them to understand the problem. Even if it means explaining things like they’re 5.
About Freelancer Nation: A physical workspace where freelancers find and create opportunities, grow their skill repertoire, and partner with like-minded creatives. See you at the next Freelancer Ask session where we bounce even more brilliant ideas off each other!
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