How do I communicate with a customer about the bad quality of work I'm delivering?

Question

I've been working for a customer for about 3 months now and I just get more and more frustrated on the quality of the work I'm doing for them. They are paying around 40% higher than the current marked value for the work I'm doing for them. At the moment I feel they pay way too much compared to the work I'm delivering to them.

I really want to talk with them about it, but I'm not sure how to bring it up. I don't want to continue to do the same bad work and just charge a lower price. They have a lot of work which needs to be done due to big changes in the laws regulating their industry. I have no idea if we are on track or not. It needs to be done by the end of 2022. They are just assigning me tasks and I solve them.

How can I talk with them about the bad work I'm doing without "telling them about if they don't feel the same"?

Answer 1

This all depends on what constitutes "bad quality".

If you are making bugs, then the answer is to change how you are working. For example, use a more structured work process, add testing to your process, and make sure that what you code fits with the total system design.

If, on the other hand, you are doing simple programming tasks and are being paid more than you think those tasks are worth, then the real issue is not seeing the value from their perspective. In my first job, I did some real difficult coding tasks that were not valued while some other real simple tasks were valued highly. The value of what I did was not in how much effort I put into them but how much I helped other people do their job. Often a very simple programming task can greatly help someone else. The value to a business of what you do is in how it helps the whole business, not how much effort you put into them. Excel macros can be a big help to the business.

Answer 2

Whatever you do about your work and for your customer, you should never frustrate them. You should be result-oriented as a freelancer, if the outcome is good, you don't have to change your current work style. But I don't mean that you don't have to improve your work quality. If you feel sorry about your work which you suppose bad, then try to improve it as much as possible and also try to be dedicated to their team and the project. And also, to be honest is a great way to get yourself stable in current position but sometimes, you should manage it all yourself - work, communication, relieving your customer and yourself. When they found an issue with your current work, just tell them sorry and what can be a solution to fix it as soon as possible and as better as much. Lowering your salary rate is never a good idea for your client as well as yourself. It can be possible but they will be more sensitive about your work and it will not get you anywhere desired. All are not important that much but result and solution for it matters all the time!