Why Unlimited Website Design Revisions Aren’t Good Customer Service

Some people say unlimited website design revisions are good customer service.

We don’t agree.

In fact, unlimited design revisions can be terrible service because they waste a client’s time and money.

They can also delay the launch of your website, the very thing that serves as the cornerstone of your marketing strategy.

What does it really mean when a web design company offers unlimited design revisions?

1. It could mean the company didn’t do their homework in the first place

A web design team should make sure they understand exactly what you want before they start to make it a reality. An experienced web designer knows clients don’t always show up with a clear vision.

It’s the responsibility of the web designer to help the client conceptualize and communicate the desired end result.

The intake process should be detailed

Good web design begins with a detailed intake process.

While an in-depth discovery questionnaire can be intimidating, it prevents costly miscommunications and misconceptions.

Answering these discovery questions can also reveal concepts and ideas the client hadn’t considered yet!

The designer should be able to help you convey and communicate your design feelings and emotions

Much of what you want might be buried in your subconscious: a flash of feeling, an “it” factor that you haven’t identified yet. It’s impossible to be happy with the end result until that feeling is a communicable idea because no designer will be able to tap into it or deliver if they’ve skipped the intake steps.

The designer should do their research before designing

Homework is more than a questionnaire of course. While you’re thinking about and answering the discovery questions, your designer should be researching your industry and your competitors to find out what works and what doesn’t.

The designer should be listening and asking questions

All of this then should come together in a discovery call where your designer listens to what you have to say.

Hearing, directly, what you have to say about your own brand can be an illuminating process, and the natural flow of conversation tends to uncover information that no questionnaire can deliver.

It’s also a chance for the designer to start asking questions: the key to ensuring understanding!

2. It likely means you are paying a premium for having your time wasted

The focus should be on getting the job done right the first time.

Going back and forth multiple times doesn’t just waste a lot of money and time. It also strains the relationship! Clients stop feeling heard and the web designer stops feeling valued.

Companies who do offer unlimited service understand this. They also can’t take on new projects while they’re still struggling with old ones. As a result, they have to charge a lot more money up front.

The company may be friendly and accommodating, but you’re paying a premium for the privilege of wasting your time.

The focus should be on getting the job done more efficiently

Ultimately who is more impressive? The company that expects to get it wrong two, or four, or ten times? Or the company who intends to deliver what you want, with minimal back-and-forth, on-time and on-budget?

What are the results of this philosophy?

We can only speak for ourselves and our clients, but we’ve certainly seen great results.

Your first mockup is 95% there

Our first website mockups are generally 95% of the way there. It’s impossible to create a 100% revision-free website the first time, but we nevertheless receive feedback (with exclamation points!) full of words like “love it” and “exactly what I envisioned.”

What’s left, then, are a few tweaks. Then the website can launch, marketing efforts can commence, and the business can start using the website to generate leads and revenue.

Weeks, not months

This also happens a lot faster. It doesn’t take months to complete the design process because we’re not going back and forth to make major revisions on every mock-up. Fewer touchpoints means more effective work.

Finally, we provide you with a website at a fixed cost. Because we’re confident in our process and know revisions will be limited, it’s easy for us to guarantee a price up front and to stick to it. You get your website on time and on budget with no surprises.

Skeptical? Check out our reviews. You might just change your mind about unlimited revisions for good!