One of my favorite Michael Crichton novels is the suspense thriller “Disclosure”.
When I watched a movie of it a few years after reading the book, one scene that stayed in my mind’s eye showed the main character rushing to board a ship at the Seattle ferry docks on the way to work.
It reminded me of a colleague from a few years ago, who lived on Toronto Island when we worked at the same downtown office. You could always tell when Andrea was coming in, because she’d be carrying her lunch and personal belongings in a backpack. Along with whatever she was working on that day, in a soft-sided briefcase or bag.
I noticed something else about Andrea. She never worked in the office after 7:43pm. Ever.
Everyone knew how dedicated she was to the work she was doing, so there was no question about her commitment. One day Andrea told me why, after I’d spent a particularly demanding all-night session to finish a project on time.
“You see, the ferry’s scheduled to run every hour during the day, with only 4 extra runs during the morning and evening rush-hour,” she told me. “So I really have only one chance to ride the boat over each day to get here on time. As soon as I decide to head back to the island, my day’s done… no matter what time of day it is.”
That’s because, with travel time from the office to the ferry dock, waiting for the boat, then making the trip across the lake and walking to her house once she arrived, that was usually the end of the rush-hour scheduling. Turning around to come back again… even right away… would more than double the amount of time needed for the return trip, once you add “wait for the next ferry” into the equation.
So the extra baggage she carried with her each day wasn’t just for show. It was because she couldn’t afford to forget one sheet of paper, or leave her lunch on the kitchen table on the way out the door. Anything left behind would have to wait for the next day… plus another round-trip on the boat.
That’s a lot like how your custom order is prepared here, whether it’s a website, a copy project, or a video.
How so?
When we first discuss your project by phone or email, we’ll set out the parameters for what you want to accomplish with the completed piece. And establish what the finished product will look like, sound like, or include.
Along with that, we both agree on what you’ll provide in the way of pictures, background or support material, and a schedule. And we’ll agree on a price for the things you don’t have yet, that you’d like us to prepare for you.
Because just like with the ferry, you don’t want to be spending all of your time ‘waiting for the next boat,’ or even sitting in transit. You probably want to make one trip, and then have us just get on with the work.
Us too.
So like Andrea, if you knew you needed to bring a 20-page report to the office one day, you wouldn’t bring it one page at a time, would you?
Imagine how much time you’d burn if you did! With each round trip lasting over an hour and a half at the best of times, you’d spend more than 3 1/2 days in transit… and that’s without doing any actual work on the project!
Sounds ridiculous? Sure it does. That’s why we set a ‘drop-dead date’ for receiving your materials, and then get to work on fulfilling your order.
And that’s why any changes after that point are exactly that… changes to the custom order that’s already in progress. All that research, or resource-gathering, or creativity that’s been set off in your direction begins when you say “Go”.
Of course, occasionally something happens, or a new idea comes to mind, and you might want to switch something up. That’s normal too, and we’ll do our best to roll with the changes. But if it means finding your info, getting re-familarized with your project details, or logging in to your website again, it’s like starting a new trip all over again.
Just know that – like Andrea – when you want to get that book you left on the kitchen table, you’ll have to use another ticket to get on the boat!
