Human Processes

What

Initial customer contact

How

The dish

Initial customer contact

Ingredients

• The customer
• The new system

Process

The aim for the current phase is to set up general guidelines for the first contact with the customer.

There are mainly two different ways to initiate this contact:

  1.

     The customer investigates the market for developers and makes contact
  2.

     The developer/the development company directly addresses companies to sell projects 

Ad. 1.

In this situation the customer has the lead - and the developer must react on first impressions, references and other information the customer has about the developer. It is therefore very important that the developer does a good job and sells his competence in the right way by giving the customer a good and confidence-inspiring picture of the developer's ability to solve the problem.

Ad. 2.

In this situation the developer/development company opens up the contact. Therefore, it is very important that this approach to the customer is relevant and well prepared. The first contact must be performed with a very high level of professionalism and humbleness.

In the following we will provide you with some general guidelines to establish a good initial contact:

Are we, the development company, right for the project? If not, suggest the customer other development companies within our network > EXIT

  1.

      If we are right, start getting information for the first meeting by  following a question guide (a list with relevant questions which the developer needs the answers to before the actual project is launched). While the customer is on the phone, suggest a date and agenda for the first meeting. After your conversation, write a short summary and a specified date and agenda for the coming meeting and send it (by e-mail) to the customer.
  2.

     Design the first meeting with the customer:

     - Make a question guide

     - What is the profile of the person we shall communicate with at the meeting? 

The first meeting with the customer, meeting #1:

Make the arrival respectful and "humble"

  1.

     Go through the agenda together with the customer and suggest three more points:

     - Description of the EUDP-philosophy

     - Description of our company (the developer)

     - Contracting
  2.

     Agenda (EUDP)

     - Confirm the project relevance >  EXIT

     - Do the meeting participants have the necessary decision competence? > EXIT (new meeting)

     - Short presentation of the development company. Experience in the field (customer trust).

     - Describe the project together with the customer:

        - Draw a rich picture

        - Draw storyboards

        - Use the question guide
  3.

     Based on the first joint unified picture of the project, decide to proceed with the project.
  4.

     Discuss the preliminary contract

     - Phases

     - Type of quotation, pay by time and fixed price
  5.

     Set time for draft contract
  6.

     Summarise and end the meeting.
  7.

     Make the contract:

     - Preanalyse (light)

       - Draw the Rich Picture

       - Make storyboards

       - Make decision log

       - Very short project description

       - Select methods for data collection

       - Describe the degree of customer involvement in the pre-analysis phases

       - Action plan

       - Make the preliminary contract
  8.

      Customer acceptance

      - Negotiation based on the draft for the contract

      - Acceptance/signing/initiate project

      - EXIT
  9.

     Preliminary contract drawn

     - From this point on the customer pays