We had the great pleasure of launching a number of projects over the course of April, and three of them recently landed in our portfolio.

Vigilant Investments

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The Noticer Project

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The Salon Professional Academy

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Great companies, successful entrepreneurs and product innovations start with a simple question. Why?

Zappos built their company by asking why companies spent more on marketing than customer service. Ricardo Semler created democracy and empowerment within the workplace by asking why companies don't trust their own people. Apple asked why mobile phone manufacturers put all their efforts into fancy hardware when the software is what sucked.

All of these ideas come about as a result of dissatisfaction with the status quo. To these people, "industry standards", company policies, or the way things have been done in the past are nothing but excuses. What excuses have you made in the last 30 days that kept you or your company from being it's very best?

It's a simple test, really. In everything you do, ask yourself the following:

1. Why is it done this way?
2. Can it be done better?
3. How can I become the best or be most effective at this?

It might be appropriate for you to ask yourself why people don't ask why more often. I ask myself that all the time! It's because asking why is never popular, it's never cheap or easy, and it's never the most productive thing at that moment. But if why is the difference between you and being average, wouldn't it be worth it to ask every time?

Sometimes when you ask why, the answer is to change nothing, and sometimes the answer is to change everything. In both cases, there should be a great reason to do so. For the record, none of the following count as "a great reason":

• That's how our competitors do it
• I don't have time
• Our industry has always done it this way
• My boss or my client doesn't like it that way, and I don't want to rock the boat

That last one is loaded, because sometimes you have to give in and keep the boss/client first. But you still shouldn't be afraid to question something that can be done better, and challenge anyone that is afraid to leave their comfort zone.

If you are content running in the middle of the pack and not getting noticed, then by all means do not ask why. If you want to be the best, ask why at every opportunity, and be prepared to take action at whatever cost.

A thrilled customer is the biggest WIN a company can have in my opinion. Happy customers can single-handedly keep you in business, and outlasting any challenges a recession or struggling industry may bring about. For Project83, our customers are everything, considering we have yet to spend our first dime on marketing (and don't plan to).

That said, providing an outstanding customer experience in our business (web design and development) takes work—a LOT of work. It's something I was severely under-prepared for in starting this company, and I definitely have room to get better; even after nearly four years of learning.

If you are considering a career in web design or already have one, I feel it's important to be aware of what it takes to WOW a client over the course of a project.

It's a Marathon

When you typically think about customer service, it's a sprint. Purchasing a product in a store, going to a restaurant, or calling a 1-800 number are all forms of customer service that begin and end in a short span of time, thus the reason I call them sprints.

A typical web design project is very different. It's a marathon. It can easily take 3-6 months of work to provide one single outstanding customer experience to a client. That also means you have six months to screw it up.

My advice? Be patient, communicate constantly, take responsibility for mistakes and meet the deadlines you set. Do those things and you've already surpassed most companies in our business.

The Work is Subjective

By providing a creative service, literally nothing we do is black and white. It's all up for debate until you have analytics to back up your theories. All of our work is subjective, and in the end the client has final say on which direction the project goes. If we believe a project is perfect, yet the client believes it's not close, then it's not close. Sometimes that can be a hard pill to swallow.

Consider creative differences as a challenge for you to get better, and to get out of your comfort zone. At times we simply have to trust that our clients understand their business better than we do, and just make what they want happen. At other times you should be honest and try to steer them in another direction. It's a delicate balance, but always make your points with respect, and be willing to move on if they don't agree with you.

Personal Relationships are Everything

Web development is still like any other business in that it revolves around people. Due to the long-term nature of a web project, you are expected to initiate and maintain a great working relationship with the people that hired you, or else things can go downhill. If you are an unbelievable designer with bad people skills, it's virtually impossible to make your customers happy, despite the work being good.

My advice is not to be a hermit (I can struggle with this). Seriously, don't lean solely on email communication with clients. Check-in with them on a regular basis over the phone or in person to keep your relationship on good positive terms. Email can be so easily misinterpreted and cold, that you simply must do more to keep your relationship with a client on solid footing.

It's Not About You

As a matter of personal pride, it is perfectly natural to want each project you work on to be your very best. But that won't always happen, and you have to be able to smile through it.

Web design work is about honoring the client, and providing a product for them that will generate a great return on investment. Most importantly, you want them to have a big smile and tell all their friends about the great experience they had working with you. Do that and everyone wins. Make the project about you or your ego and you will lose most of the time.

I am not writing this post because we have the customer service thing down; because we don't. However, I do think we're getting better at it every day. Being conscious of common pitfalls in our business is the first step in rocking them out and providing outstanding customer service.