{"id":195,"date":"2011-03-23T10:45:13","date_gmt":"2011-03-23T10:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/policybee.co.uk\/blog\/?p=195"},"modified":"2020-06-25T11:34:15","modified_gmt":"2020-06-25T10:34:15","slug":"why-client-sign-off-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/why-client-sign-off-matters","title":{"rendered":"Why client sign off matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Client<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Seems straightforward doesn\u2019t it? Do the work, get it signed off, everyone\u2019s happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, yes and no. Although that does<\/em> sound pretty straightforward, the whole sign off thing can be a bit of a grey area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you provide a professional service, it\u2019s a good idea to be aware of what client sign off means, why it makes good business sense to get it, and how you can make sure you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This *cough* completely real conversation explains more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> Hello PolicyBee. So, sign off then. What\u2019s that all about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PolicyBee: <\/strong>Hmm, yes, good one that. Bit of hot potato so let’s see if we can help. W<\/em>hat do you do?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> I\u2019m in marketing. Consultancy mainly but some design and copywriting too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> So you get your clients\u2019 approval on the work you do? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> Yep. Well, I think so. I show it to them and they give me the thumbs up. Is that what you mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> Sort of. The next thing is getting that thumbs up documented in some way. Getting client sign off for your work is one of the first steps to ‘best practice’.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> Best practice. Right. How so?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> Simple. Let\u2019s take your work as an example \u2013 a print ad, say. It\u2019s a well-established legal precedent that your client accepts final responsibility for it by signing it off.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they spot an error after they\u2019ve put pen to paper, it’s their problem, not yours. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an important distinction.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> But what if my client argues my error is my error, regardless of whether they signed off the work or not? And what if they decide to sue me for the cost of putting the ad right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> OK. Let\u2019s assume you\u2019re a switched-on kind of person and have professional indemnity insurance. <\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this example, it\u2019s important to realise if your client sues you for an ad they’ve signed off<\/strong>, your policy won\u2019t pay to reprint it. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> That\u2019s because it’s no longer my responsibility, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> Right<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client: <\/strong>So does that mean I\u2019m not covered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> No it doesn\u2019t. If your client decides to sue, your professional indemnity insurance will still defend you. That is<\/strong> what it\u2019s for, after all. Here<\/em>, it just won\u2019t pay for the costs of a reprint.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client: <\/strong>I see. What if, despite my best efforts, something goes wrong after <\/em>I’ve got client sign off?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> Like?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client: <\/strong>Well, what if I accidentally send the wrong, unapproved version of my work to a printer? Or what if I change part of a document while correcting another error, and it\u2019s not noticed until it\u2019s too late?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> Good examples and both are actually pretty common. Either way, as before, you\u2019re covered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> That\u2019s a relief. And what about the printer? What if they drop the ball?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> If the printer makes a mistake, the printer puts it right. Simple as that.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> My clients frequently ask for last-minute verbal amendments too. How do I keep track of them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> That\u2019s no problem. Your best bet is to acknowledge the amendment in writing. Importantly, within that, you should point out if your client doesn’t sign off the final version, you\u2019ll accept no responsibility for subsequent errors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> That seems fair enough. So how do I go about making the whole client sign off process \u2018official\u2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t have to be complicated. We\u2019d recommend having a section in your terms and conditions<\/a> that references your sign off procedure and explains your clients\u2019 responsibilities. That should be enough.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then don\u2019t forget to actually apply it, of course \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client:<\/strong> Of course. Just one more thing: can I assume that if I don\u2019t get sign off then I\u2019m not covered at all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> You\u2019d think so wouldn\u2019t you? But no, that\u2019s not the case.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, for some reason, you didn\u2019t get client sign off and it turns out there was an error (and it was your fault), your policy would still defend you. You have<\/strong> made a genuine mistake after all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be thinking that that gets you off the hook though. It doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t bother getting sign off on every contract \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Client: <\/strong>I wouldn\u2019t dream of it. I\u2019ll get cracking on that then. Thanks, PB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PB:<\/strong> No problem. PolicyBee, er, signing off \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image used under license from Shutterstock.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seems straightforward doesn\u2019t it? Do the work, get it signed off, everyone\u2019s happy. Well, yes and no. Although that does sound pretty straightforward, the whole sign off thing can be a bit of a grey area. If you provide a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[132],"tags":[237,150,98,140],"class_list":["post-195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-small-business-advice","tag-freelancers","tag-managing-risk","tag-marketing-2","tag-running-a-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nWhy client sign off matters<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s a good idea to be aware of what client sign off means, why it makes good business sense to get it and how you can make sure you do.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/why-client-sign-off-matters\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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