Tried a flat-rate billing model last quarter vs our usual time-tracking approach. Night and day difference for customer satisfaction.

We had this one client who would call us every other day with tiny requests. Just little stuff like changing a report field or adding a user. Our old method meant tracking every 15 minute block and billing later. It got annoying for both sides. The client kept asking why small things cost so much and we got tired of explaining. Last quarter we switched them to a flat monthly fee for unlimited small changes. Their IT guy literally told me last week that he stopped dreading our emails. Now they send us bigger projects too because they know the price won't jump. Has anyone else tried flat billing and seen a similar shift in how clients act toward you?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaronsullivan16d ago

That thing about the client not dreading emails anymore hits home for me. We had the same vibe shift once we stopped nickel and diming them on every little request.

ross.lily16d agoMost Upvoted

right? i used to be all about "every dollar counts" and would charge for every tiny extra thing. but then i had a client who was about to walk because they felt like we were bleeding them dry. @aaronsullivan is totally right about that vibe shift - once we stopped charging for small tweaks and quick fixes, the whole relationship changed. people started reaching out more, asking for help instead of avoiding us. feels way better being the person clients actually want to talk to.

owens.anthony16d ago

Had that same wake up call about two years back with a regular who was always on edge about their bill. Made me wonder though, how do you draw that line between what's a quick freebie and what's actually worth billing for? I've been trying to figure out where that cutoff is so I don't just give away hours of work but still keep that good vibe going. Like if a client calls for a five minute answer, that's easy. But what about when they start expecting half hour conversations for free every single time? Curious what your rule of thumb ended up being after you made that switch.