Game Changer Followup

[Tim Kolb]

[beenyweenies] “Clients are rarely willing to sign off on a file via an online system, much less leave notes. In my experience, people are so used to email and phone communication that they were hesitant to use these tools.”

I suppose this depends on the client. Clients who consume large amounts of these types of services like expedient ways of taking care of communication in my experience…and asynchronous methods (like email and web deployed assets where the send and receive/response can happen when convenient for each party) seem to make sense to my clients.

I suppose when you have a client who has very little practical experience with our business and assumes that all production locations look like a feature film set probably expect more…

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

Creative Cow Host,
Author/Trainer
http://www.focalpress.com
http://www.classondemand.net

[Walter Biscardi]

[beenyweenies] “1. Clients are rarely willing to sign off on a file via an online system, much less leave notes. In my experience, people are so used to email and phone communication that they were hesitant to use these tools.”

actually this is a HUGE part of our workflow today. Not only for our national clients, but even for local clients the ability to review and finalize videos via an online system has been a large selling point for our shop. Locally because traffic in Atlanta is just horrendous. And nationally, we work exclusively with internet reviews.

[beenyweenies] ”
2. When doing work for outside producers, online systems like this make it more difficult for them to share the file with their client.”

Our FTP site has been very widely accepted by outside Producers. It’s some Corporate Clients that we have had to “hand hold” to get them through the FTP Site. That’s where Media Batch is really going to help us out.

[beenyweenies] “3. Many clients are tucked behind a corporate firewall with strict access rules. This makes online review systems even more tricky because it MUST conform to the client’s needs.”

We have found that Corporate IT departments have been more than willing to open up the website addresses for the clients. In our FTP case, it’s actually all done through our regular website. Once that’s opened up, we haven’t had any issues with our corporate clients.

[beenyweenies] “4. We built our system to simplify the review process. Clients merely type in a user name and password and they are taken to a secure page that lists current files up for review. They click a file and the video plays, with a box for notes and a checkbox to approve that version of the video. Very simple. Even still, some clients are so computer-challenged that even this system has required explanation and hand-holding.”

Yep, that’s how our current system works, though Media Batch has a LOT more features that we’re looking to add and we honestly can’t wait until it’s installed next week.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com

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[Mike Cohen]

I have to agree with this post from beenyweenies. I encounter clients even here in 2007 who have any of the following issues:

1. Windows Media Player 7
2. Flash player version 6
3. No media player
4. A DVD-ROM drive but no DVD player software.
“can you make a DVD that plays in a CD-ROM drive?” actual question.
5. Firewall preventing any media and/or downloads.
6. Inability to understand “right click to download file”

We too created a flash and php based client review system. Most clients love it, a few don’t “get” it and a few have one of the above issues.

Mike