I used to think client questionnaires were a waste of time... now I won't start a job without one

For like 2 years I skipped sending questionnaires to new clients. Felt too formal, like I was making them do homework. Then I took on a logo project for a coffee shop in Portland and the owner kept changing what they wanted every single call. After three rounds of revisions I finally asked them to fill out a simple 8 question form I found on a design blog. Turns out they wanted a totally different vibe than what I was doing. They said 'we thought you understood from our emails' and I realized I was guessing everything. Now I send a questionnaire before any project over $200 and it honestly saves me hours of back and forth. It also makes clients feel like I actually care about their business. Has anyone else had a tool they ignored for way too long that ended up being a lifesaver?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sage7d ago

Used to skip them too but this post totally changed my mind on that.

juliaa657d ago

@the_sage maybe it works for some but questionnaires feel too cold for my process.

hannahj492d ago

Thing is, half the time those questionnaires are written by someone who's never actually done the work themselves, just read about it. Your gut feeling about what's cold or not might be the most honest tool you've got.