Appendix 1 – Catapult’s Golden Rules of Customer Service

Below, I’ve included all sixty golden rules we shared with new hires at Catapult.

The Basics

1. We sell a service, not a product. Products are tangible; they can be touched, tested, and returned if necessary; they have features and benefits. Services do not. While we seek to produce tangible deliverables through our services, what we are really selling is a “promise” and a “relationship.” This requires an impartment of trust from the client.

2. Our services are used to provide solutions to our clients. We want to be remembered by the solutions that we make possible.

3. We expect everyone at Catapult Systems to make critical business decisions without having to ask for management approval. If you have an idea to improve a work process or need to make an on-the-spot decision, ask yourself:

• Is it right for the customer?
• Is it right for Catapult Systems?
• Is it ethical?
• Is it in line with Catapult’s Core Values?
• Are you willing to be held personally accountable for your decision?

If the answer to all five questions is “yes,” don’t ask, just do it.

4. When in doubt, always fall back on our Core Values:

5. Our minimum standards of professional conduct at Catapult Systems are:

• Show up on time.
• Say “please” and “thank you.”
• Do what you say you’re going to do.
• Finish what you start.

6. Companies are not our clients. People in companies are our clients.

7. Clients are nervous. They may not have done anything similar to what they’re doing with us. They have committed to an expensive proposition, and their own personal or professional success may be on the line. It’s your responsibility to make them feel at ease.

8. Clients retain us to help them reach their objectives not solely because of our technical prowess but also because they expect us to be in the same boat with them. Act as a partner, not as a contractor.

9. There is no school for clients to learn how to act as clients, whereas we are trained professionals in what we do. It’s our job to make the client-consultant relationship work, not the other way around.

10. With projects, the process is as important, if not more important, than the results.

11. Clients who are treated well will overlook minor errors or shortcomings on the part of service providers. Those who are not treated well will accept no errors. They will, in fact, hunt for errors to find fault with you or your work.

12. Surprises are for Valentine’s Day. If there is one thing our clients hate, it’s being surprised. Share all you know about the present and future with your client, both good news and especially bad news. There is practically no bad news that a project cannot recover from other than surprising bad news.

13. IT consultants’ costs appear extremely expensive, so act expensive. Do not waste time. Do not nickel and dime your client. Dress in a style commensurate to your billing rate and appropriate to the environment.

14. We do not usually compete for business with other consulting firms. Most of the time we compete with our client’s ability to do the job themselves.

15. As professional consultants, it is assumed, actually expected, that we are familiar with our client’s business, their challenges, their industry, where the project fits within their overall plans, and our role in the project. The last thing you want to ask your client during your first visit is: “What would you like me to do?” Always show confidence. Remember you have the whole Catapult team behind you if you need help.

16. When stuck, always ask for help.

Getting the Sale

17. True negotiating is finding a successful outcome for both sides. Trying to persuade or convince the client that your position is the “only one” that makes sense is a losing proposition.

18. Every interaction you have with someone has two consequences: the issue at hand and your relationship with that person. As a result, you must always ask yourself: “Where did I come out on the issue, and what did I just do to my relationship with that person?” Winning only one of these is completely useless; you’ve got to learn to win on both.

19. The three pillars of influence for consultants are Likeability, Explanation, and Trust. If they dislike you, if you don’t explain things in ways they can understand, or if they don’t trust you, then your chances of success are greatly reduced.

20. Trust has to be earned. You always start with a zero balance in your “trust account” with a new client. Trust is deposited in small drops and withdrawn in buckets. What’s worse, they won’t tell you when you’ve lost their trust, and they don’t care what made you do what you did to lose their trust.

21. Don’t criticize our competition. They are professionals just like we are. Let them do the negative campaigning. Stick to what you have to offer rather than what the others lack.

22. First impressions count. Your first meeting, the first hours, and the first day are what form the client’s first impression of you. Believe it or not, it sticks. Be on your best behavior, dress well, act prepared, and project professionalism in those first encounters.

23. Acquiring additional business while in your current assignment (cross-selling) is a very attractive method of rounding out your project and increasing revenue. A consultant’s role in this is critical, as you are closest to the issues your client is facing and can recognize many ways you can serve them that they have not thought of or stated yet.

Smart Estimating

24. Never give an estimate to a client on the spot. The first number out of your mouth, regardless of disclaimers, will be the number they remember forever.

25. Never submit an estimate for work without the underlying assumptions. If it’s a verbal statement, start with the assumptions and follow with your estimate. If it’s written, make sure the numbers and the assumptions are as close as possible. Regardless of what you’re told, an estimate creates a form of commitment.

26. Try to submit estimates as a pair of numbers—an upper and lower estimate. As you find out more about the task you’re estimating, the range should become narrower.

27. Estimates should always be for a list of tangible deliverables. These should be things that are clearly identified. Help the client understand that as deliverables change, the price may change as well.

Managing Expectations

28. We’re in the business of managing customer expectations.

29. The client’s perception of reality is reality. No matter how successful we may think a project is, if the client doesn’t think it’s successful, then it’s not.

30. The most effective way to meet expectations is to understand them and then to (1) act so you can satisfy them or (2) reset them to ensure the ultimate success of your project.

31. We have a tendency to blame others for setting expectations too high. Could it be you who set those expectations by what you said or did or the way you said it? Avoid making statements in which you unintentionally commit others or that are too broad (allowing the client to interpret them in many different ways). And it’s always better to underpromise and overdeliver.

32. The key to resetting expectations is communicating that what you plan to deliver (or the way in which you will be delivering it) will meet their real needs, even if different from their stated wishes. The key point to make is that you will still get them to the target, but over a different route.

Getting Requirements

33. The last words of a failed consultant are, “They never said they needed that!” It’s not the client’s job to tell us what they want or what they need; it’s our job to help them define what they need.

34. Searching for requirements is like trawling: cast a wide net, collect as much information as possible, and use what’s of value. Do not limit yourself to using one technique alone, such as interviewing. Collect data, watch business processes at work, talk to users.

35. Good listening takes effort. It’s more than eye contact, nodding your head, and asking follow-up questions. It takes allowing for silences. It takes courage to listen as though we’re trying to memorize what’s being said, then spending time to think of an answer. Formulating an answer while we’re listening—it can’t be done.

36. Always end a “conversation” by (1) thanking your client for their time, (2) asking if you can contact them if you have any further questions, and (3) asking your client if there were questions you should have asked that you did not.

37. When a client asks for a drill bit, what they’re really asking for is a hole. Don’t look for specifications of the tool; look for a description of the underlying problem.

Getting Work Done

38. The most common cause of decision-making problems in a project is asking the wrong people to decide: those who think they are empowered to make a decision and are later overruled, or those who know they are not empowered and avoid making decisions. Pick your decision-makers carefully and know who they are.

39. A common explanation (a.k.a. excuse) for delays is external dependencies: “But I was expecting it from Joe and never got it.” Experienced consultants know their dependencies and watch them carefully. Don’t be afraid to follow up before the due date. Escalate quickly if a reliable commitment cannot be obtained.

40. Known slippage is good. All projects have slippage (delays). The sign of a healthy project is when all delays are known and actions can be taken to remedy them. Projects fail when delays are not known or ignored. So instead of hiding delays in your work (and secretly hoping to catch up), let your project manager, your team members, and your client know. Slack is built into every one of our efforts, but it should not be wasted.

41. It’s not how you fail but how you recover. We all make mistakes. Clients judge us by how we handle the error. The key is avoiding excuses and finger-pointing. Instead, concentrate on how to make it right.

42. The best way to share bad news with your client is to present it along with a plan of attack to remedy the situation. Never give bad news without a plan.

43. We should not judge the significance of a problem by the level of intervention it requires from us. What you may think is a minor technical problem may be what bothers your clients most.

44. Your time is their money—don’t waste it. Making travel arrangements, negotiating your next assignment, reserving seats for your own training, and managing your investments are not billable activities. That is not where our clients want to spend their money. There are reasonable exceptions for missing work on a project: medical or family emergencies or a true emergency at a prior client—both of which need to be communicated to the client promptly.

Managing Your Scope of Work

45. You cannot manage what you can’t specify. One key to managing scope is knowing what your scope of work is. This is not an area to go on gut feelings or assumptions. Look for documented sources of scope definition: the RFP, the contract, the project plan, your deliverables list, and so on. If you can’t find it, develop a draft on your own and get your client’s approval.

46. Better than simply knowing your scope, try to get at the rationale behind it: the business challenges you’re trying to solve, the thinking behind your scope, and the measures of success.

47. Scope changes can come from any direction: from your client, from your project manager, from you team members, and even from yourself, as in when you decide on your own that a certain approach would be “better” or an added feature would be “cool.” So keep an eye out in all directions.

48. The slow but steady increase in the budget in “small” amounts is similar to how our scope of work increases unless it’s managed. Even the smallest scope changes should be acknowledged. The larger ones should be documented and approved, the smaller ones less so, and the smallest ones recorded and filed, but not formally.

49. It’s not a scope change until all parties agree.

50. Think—is it really scope change or just an inconvenience? Can I justify my position if I have to? What’s the basis? A document? Meeting notes? Or just an assumption on my part?

51. Significant scope change attempts can’t be resolved on the spot. Acknowledge the attempt by working up a response that includes a clear description of the change, suggested alternatives, the impact on the schedule and/or cost of the project, the associated risks, and a clearly defined path for the evaluation and approval of the alternatives.

52. Not all scope changes are bad. If it makes sense for the client’s business, does not derail your project, and your client is willing to accept changes in timing or compensation, what’s to complain about? Remember, some scope increases are a sign of the client’s trust in us and a source of additional business.

53. The best way to keep people from changing their minds is not to wait until the change occurs but to get them to agree to the implications of making a change before they make the original decision. Airlines do it by warning you of penalties when you change the dates on an advance purchase ticket. You could tell your client that the decision they are about to make will commit you and your team members to perform something that will be wasted if they change their mind. Remember to relate change to the agreed upon deliverables.

Developing Client Relationships

54. The key to good communication with clients is to have frequent contact, preferably face-to-face and one-on-one. Artificial communications such as email, voicemail, and PowerPoint presentations are not nearly as effective. “Face time” requires considerable effort, but it’s the most effective way to understand each other. And when one understands, one listens, adapts, and becomes a partner.

55. Whether you like it or not, life is a popularity contest. Be professional, but more importantly, be personable. Clients want to work with people they like.

56. One way to improve work relationships is to strengthen your personal relationships. This means getting to know your counterpart’s personal history, their interests, their family, their hobbies or pets, and letting them see into your life so you both understand each other’s concerns and preoccupations.

57. Time spent in personal exchanges with client counterparts is rarely a waste of time, whether it’s just prior to or after a meeting, an informal drop-in, lunch, or dinner. The cost in time or money is miniscule compared to the benefits gained. Do not, however, take this as freedom to toss your professionalism aside.

58. It’s not practical, in fact it’s sometimes impossible, to have “face time” when you are at a physical distance from your client, such as when you’re working offsite. One way to make up for that (serious) disadvantage is to create opportunities to meet with your client. If that’s not possible, check in by phone as often as you can without seeming nosy.

59. Politics in the workplace? We are consultants, advisors, and problem solvers but not in the corporate politics arena. There is not much you can do to remove or avoid the politicking. Do not take sides. Work only with facts.

60. Humor does have a place in your relationship with clients if used properly and if the client appreciates it. Pick the subject matter and timing carefully. Avoid risky subjects like politics, religion, and your former clients.