Our Standout Arts Client Process Workflow

The Goal Of The Process

Our goal is maintain a client process workflow that serves a variety of purposes:

• Maintain a consistent approach for each client and each project
• Provide transparency to the client so that there's a clear understanding of how we go about our processes and how we work
• Allow us to assess, at the beginning of a new client relationship, whether the new client or a new project is an appropriate fit for our team
• Provide our clients with upfront information to ensure that there's an establishment of expectations
• Respect the goals, values, and boundaries of our Standout Arts team
• Maintain a methodology that allows us to properly prioritize projects and best serve all clients as efficiently and effectively as possible

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The Process

• Standout Arts provides the new client (or client with a new or unique project for our team) with a questionnaire to assess the project details and goals, as well as collect background information about the client. The purpose of the questionnaire is three-fold: 1) To provide quality and accurate information to our team so that we can prepare an accurate proposal of our services (how we will solve their problem/create projects that meet with their goals) and 2) Provide the client with an initial action step to assess the client's true level of interest in working with us or following through with the project. Too often, we'll be contacted by someone who isn't sure whether or not they wish to move forward with an idea and they're simply looking to chat about the project or brainstorm (or receive free consulting or other free services). To make sure that we're respecting the integrity of the potential project and our potential working relationship, we want to be as sure as possible, from the onset, that the client is serious about the project/working with us. If a potential client fails to complete the first action step we've asked, it's a clear indicator that this client isn't a good fit for our process. Lastly, 3) Allow the client to work through a series of targeted questions so that they, themselves, have a better understanding of their project and goals. When the client feels involved in this step, from the beginning, they're engaged and can move forward in knowing that they have provided specific information that we'll be using to implement our next step in our process (rather than feeling as though we've moved on to our next step in an arbitrary or haphazard or non-customized approach). This also helps our clients to get an immediate understanding of our own tone of voice (how we phrase our questions) and how we work, which helps to lay the groundwork for expectations.
• Standout Arts incorporates the responses from the questionnaire to build a proposal of services. This will provide the client with a "roadmap" for the project(s). The proposal takes the responses to the questions that we've asked and demonstrates to the client exactly how we plan to help them achieve the goals that they mentioned to us within the questionnaire. We'll also provide pricing information (i.e. "You told us you want to do this. Here's what we recommend as the plan of action in order to help you accomplish that. Here's what it costs.") as well as samples of our work, bios about our team members, and demonstrate our experience and commitment to honoring the specific goals and expectations that the client has already told us by developing a customized plan for the course of action. If the client provided budget information from the responses included with the questionnaire, we can also demonstrate how we've worked to create solutions within the scope of their budget, whenever possible.
• Standout Arts schedules a 1-hour virtual consultation with the client to formerly present the proposal. This allows us to build a "human connection" with the client and explain our proposal in details - making sure that the client sees how we've incorporated their responses from our questionnaire into the proposal.
• Standout Arts prepares a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that serves as a Statement of Work/Contract for the project. Here, include exactly what we're going to do, the costs, the payment schedule, and our Terms of Service and will ask that the client sign and accept the SLA and our Terms of Service and make a deposit.
• Standout Arts prepares an initial/deposit invoice and submits it to the client in accordance with our billing procedures.
• When payment is received and the SLA is signed, Standout Arts begins work on the project and lets the client know an estimated timeline as to when we'll be in touch with a project update.
• When the project is ready for presentation (even if incomplete), Standout Arts will request a virtual consultation for up to 1 hour to present the work. During this presentation, Standout Arts will demonstrate how we've specifically integrated their preferences and goals from the initial questionnaire and the proposal that we presented as the "roadmap" for the project to ensure that we're adhering to the procedures we presented within the proposal. We will accept general feedback from the client at this time, but will not process or take note of specific revisions at this time. The purpose of this initial presentation is to simply present the work to the client, explain why we produced the work in the specific ways that we did, and assess the client's initial response to our work. For revisions, we'll let the client know that we will provide them with their own digital copy (or link) of the project for their continued review following this initial presentation on the live call and instruct them to submit all known revisions to us via email or our project management software (Basecamp) to initiate the first Revision Cycle in accordance with their SLA/contract with Standout Arts...noting that our policies will primarily be to offer 2 Revision Cycles.
• When the client submits the Revisions, Standout Arts will work to implement those revisions and will re-present the work, now including the client revisions, and instruct the client to review the work closely and remind them that they have one additional Revision Cycle remaining in their SLA and that we welcome any additional feedback or revision requests via email or project management software (Basecamp) at this time.
• When the client submits the Revisions for Revision Cycle 2, Standout Arts will repeat the previous step and remind the client that the Revision Cycles included with the SLA/Contract have been used. We will let the client know that any additional revisions will be accommodated to the best of our ability (noting that some revisions are not always possible due to the nature of the limitations of the project itself, especially for projects such as websites) and that additional revision requests will be billed in accordance with the terms of their SLA/Contract and our general Terms of Service. All continued drafts of the project, with new/additional revisions implemented, will be presented digitally (informally) via email or through our project management software (Basecamp). If an additional consultation/virtual meeting is needed, it will be provided as our schedule allows and will be billed as a consultation service under the terms of their SLA/Contract with us as well as the terms set forth in our general Terms of Service.
• Standout Arts will continue to invoice for all work performed in accordance with the payment schedule as outlined within the SLA/contract and under the terms of our general Terms of Service.
• When the project is approved, Standout Arts will implement the finalization of the project based on the nature of the project and the end service descriptions of the SLA/contract. This could entail providing the client with a package of graphic files, submitting files for printing or distribution or publishing, proceeding with the project under the expectations of the project as outlined within the proposal and SLA/contract, launching the website, etc.
• Upon finalization of the project, Standout Arts will bill for any remaining balances associated with the project, under the terms of the SLA/contract and our general Terms of Service.
• When final payment has been received and the final deliverables have been submitted to the client, Standout Arts considers the project to be completed in full. If changes or updates or additional requests for revisions happen after this point within the process, a new micro-proposal or written commitment regarding additional fees or additional services will be implemented and a new/add-on SLA/Contract will be provided to the client by Standout Arts. The client will be asked to accept the new/add-on SLA and re-accept our general Terms of Service. The new SLA/Contract will clearly outline exactly what new/add-on services are to be provided by Standout Arts, how it affects the project, and the fees associated with these add-on services and the updated or add-on payment schedule associated with these added services. As needed, Standout Arts will repeat the processes listed above in accordance with the terms of the new SLA/Contract and our general Terms of Service and will continue to bill for the services under our normal billing procedures and in accordance with the SLA/Contract and our general Terms of Service.
• Approximately 30 days after the completion of the project, Standout Arts will follow up with the client to provide a "check in". We'll ask the client if the additional recommendations and suggestions that we've offered along the way have been implemented, how the project's end result is helping them in their goals, and proactively mitigate any potential issue with the project once it's been turned over to the client. We will also use this step as an opportunity to see if the client has additional changes to the project now that it's been in use in "real world scenarios" or if the client has any new projects with which we can assist. Any updates or revisions to the project or new services will require a new or updated SLA/Contract and may require repeating to the top of the process with a project questionnaire or "Creative Brief" to ensure that we have enough information about the updates to the project or the new project(s) to provide accurate pricing information and an accurate Statement of Work for the new/updated SLA/Contract. We'll also use this an opportunity to thank the client for partnering with us on their project(s) and ask for an online review as well as referrals of our services to others within their circle. We'll also invite them to contact us in the future for other projects with which we may be able to assist them.

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