Is The Client Always Right?
by Piyush Rakhecha in General
How many of us in the IT industry have heard the sentence “the client is always right” uttered by our seniors? Is this true?
In my over 25 years in the industry, I have learned 2 things – understand the client’s business and never be afraid of asking a question.
Putting in the effort to understand the client’s business has allowed me to become a partner rather than a provider. By asking questions, because I did not know the business, I was able to help myself and my client understand nuances of business that were being done just because “this is how it’s done”. This allowed me and the client to work together to develop a better solution and to convert a single transaction into a long term relationship.
This is a win-win for both sides. The client is looking for a provider who understands their business and we as providers are looking for a long term regular client (as making a new client is tough)
Coming back to the question “Is the client always right”, the answer depends on you – YES, if you do not want to spend the time to understand their business and NO, if you put in the effort to understand the business.