Adopt the pixel perfect procedure of handing off website to clients

Communication and seamless experience

Once a website project approaches the final delivery stage, it signals an end to many hours of tireless work. This is an emotional moment for all designers and developers associated with the project. Maintaining relationships with customers, designers and software engineers after the hand-off is important. The hardest part is bidding goodbye to the people involved and finding a pixel perfect procedure to keep the relationship alive like the website.

This post is dotted with key points adopted by experienced professionals to conduct the hand-off successfully. A smooth transition is critical to see the project come alive. WROCUS has experts who pay keen attention to this transition. We listen, have patience and communicate to make the entire handover worthwhile for the client. 

Points to remember before the final handover

• Best practices
• Explaining admin how to run the site
• Be patient with client during the project

Having handled several website development projects with designers, software engineers and dealing with customers the above points should be crystal clear. After conclusion the relationship and communication should continue with all stakeholders.

Best practices

Officially everything begins with the proposed design & development discussion and finalization. The client should be aware of the progress at every stage. This ensures the handover is not an unpleasant surprise. Project management tool for timelines keeps all stages under control.

Every one should be on the same page:

1. Every phase requires a background evolution of design & development. The client should know how the systems deployed through clear communications.
2. After wireframing, conduct a walkthrough for the client to understand the basics. Let the designer explain why he is using a particular pattern, color scheme, images and text.
3. Clarify how much time will be spent on the design and development. Answer any questions related to timelines and goals.
4. Assemble the right team in advance. Scrambling for professionals in the middle of the project causes delays.
5. The configuration and DSN settings should be faultless. Don’t forget to deliver the backup of the old site and return it to the client.

A smooth transition is necessary and should be hassle-free by checking all servers, security and certificates. Don’t expect the client to figure out things.

Preventing mistakes

1. To err is human. Keeping this adage in mind to minimize risks. It remains the only solution rather than committing costly mistakes that may result in abandoning the assignment. Create a good impression right till the completion.
2. Share all practical information and technical specifications with the internal team which will eventually handle the company website.
3. Ensure all professionals working in your team know their job and are available with ready solutions even after the hand-off. Often freelance experts move on and are not available. Keeping in touch with them for impromptu changes prevents negative feedback from the client.
4. Often developers forget to surrender important files and fail to explain points related to software usage. Give only licensed products and legal software for proper functioning of systems.
5. You are used to acronyms at work and please do not forget to clarify them to the client to avoid confusion.
6. List probable FAQs for technical data and share the same to save time. This includes login for admin, ownership and licenses. Avoid sharing anything while work is in progress. Clients may unknowingly tamper and create problems. Non-technical people fail to understand the complexity of re-coding.

Be Patient and listen

Few clients poke their nose while work is underway. Being patient. Listening is the key to keeping calm and getting things done efficiently. For example, they may wish to change the design mid-way. Many service providers undergo this pain but dealing sensibly is critical.

When you are producing a responsive design, the trouble is, a client might ask why he cannot access it on his tablet or smartphone. In case of a dynamic news site or an e-commerce portal create a mobile-friendly design as 85% of users check the phone and later shift to tablets or desktops.

So, what do you do to avoid frustration build up?

Explain the break up points in the design. The developer will appreciate if the break point is clear and specific. It does not create interruptions when the site goes live. The technicalities involved in responsive sites are complex. The challenge lies in making the design impressive and responsiveness simple.

Develop a grid system for better understanding to avoid confusion during the handover. This process helps in scaling the system later, however annoying it is in the initial stage. Give ample room for type fonts, styles, color palette and image optimization. Compress the images before delivery as an important checklist thing.

Handover with a final meeting and a firm handshake, expecting all will go well.

WROCUS has a design and development team which offers a consistent way of delivering websites. Let us know how our services can enable your company officials to run it after the handover.