We all need both hard and soft skills to build positive relationships with clients, partners, and colleagues. Sometimes, people think that only technical skills are the key to career growth, but soft skills play a significant role. Many modern companies, like Google, Amazon, and Apple, place great emphasis on the psychological role and behavior of people in a team because this is part of the foundation for successful collaboration.
Why communication matters
Nowadays, there is no team where representatives of different departments would not intersect. Each project participant can’t work without specifying some details of the work. But also, regardless of the project, communication with the client is very influential, helping to achieve better results for the whole project:
- Common goal understanding
- Increased process efficiency
- Continuous workflow improvement
- Better business results
- Strong partnership
Since a QA engineer guarantees product quality, they need to ensure it not only on the technical level, and clear communication with clients helps achieve it.
Components of effective communication
Whether you communicate verbally or in writing, the communication should be clear, transparent, and result-oriented. This complex will provide the highest quality result. Among the main components of good communicative contribution are the following:
1. Staying on the same page
Interaction with the client can help the QA engineer understand the business goals, product idea, market, and competitors. The client will be able to receive suggestions on how the product can stand out and become more in demand. Thus, every member will contribute to the product's success.
2. Suggesting improvements
As QA engineers look at the future product through the eyes of the end user, they can provide some recommendations on possible improvements. Clearly formulated recommendations can transform into an excellent implementation and improvement of the project.
3. Working as a team
Ensure the client can convey their thoughts, ideas, and vision of the expected result, and the QA engineer can easily ask questions and request more information to understand the requirements better. Clearly defined goals contribute to achieving the result with the greatest fit.
4. Keeping up-to-date
Providing a report on the current state of processes helps the client form a completely transparent picture of the project for timely decision-making. Prompt identification of opportunities for process improvement leads to an overall increase in the efficiency of project work planning.
5. Establishing relationships
Consider a client as more than a one-time project – a long-term business partner. If the client is satisfied with the profitable work of the team, then they are likely to recommend the team and its services to other acquaintances, which is beneficial for both parties.
Adhering to the basic principles of high-quality communication will positively affect the work, the entire team's condition, and the project's final result.
To sum up
Communication between team members and the customer is essential in the current project process. Build trusting relationships through honest, timely updates and well-established communication to boost the workflow's productivity and ensure the project's success.