[Rebuff5007]

This whole post is coming of a bit naive to me... I highly doubt this client is just an inspirational design meeting away from changing their offering and make a massive investment in customer support. I also don't get why a web-development consultant would feel so responsible for a pretty typical business decision.

[oneeyedpigeon]

> I also don't get why a web-development consultant would feel so responsible for a pretty typical business decision by their client.

Because they are an expert in their field and the client, presumably, isn't? I can't imagine another field—hairdressing, construction, financial advice—where the client would reject the paid expert's viewpoint so readily and firmly.

[graemep]

Its bikeshedding - they can see it so they have an opinion on it. I think it happens in many fields where the output is visual - photography, advertising,.....

There is also a general feeling that websites are primarily about design (rather than development) and that the design is aesthetic (rather than UI).

> I can't imagine another field—hairdressing, construction, financial advice

For financial advice, maybe not as readily, but it definitely happens pretty firmly. Lots of people have lost money taking risks they have been warned about. A lot during booms because of FOMO, and a lot because people do not even take advice in the first place.

[watwut]

But honestly, they are more likely to NOT be experts in the business of the client. They are experts on tech, their own business and aesthetic.

People come to hairdressers with own ideas about how their hair should look like and reject hairdressers advice. In fact, hairdressers are not even trying to give you advice unless you explicitly ask for it. They sometimes makes mild suggestions and offers, but that is it.

Frankly, financial advisors are more likely to give advice designed to max out their bonuses rather then one good for you. You probably should firmly reject that financial product or flat tire insurance.

[carlosjobim]

What is the purpose of a website for a business? There is only one correct answer to that question, and if you get it right then you can make great websites for any business. This is also a question you as a webmaster have to ask your business clients and explain to them if they have the wrong idea.

[Rebuff5007]

The expertise offered here is "how to build a website". If the client is insisting that the dev use a specific javascript library, that would be odd.

The client here is just requesting specific content on their website, similar to someone requesting a granite countertop in their kitchen; that seems fine, even if its not particularly classy or aesthetically pleasing to the contractor.

[oneeyedpigeon]

Do we know that for a fact? You described them as a "web development consultant", but I couldn't tell for certain what their exact role on this project was. Their services page (https://www.nicchan.me/services/) lists both "Web Application front-ends" and "translate your designs into a scalable system", so I think they offer a range.

[Rebuff5007]

Both of those sound like expertise in building a website, and not like expertise in business strategy.

To be clear, I would personally have a similar view to the author here. I'm just surprised that they think their opinion on the strategy side matters so much to their client!

[EZ-E]

> "translate your designs into a scalable system

To be fair telling customers to f** off when they want to reach out for help scales infinitely

[ludicrousdispla]

And that is likely why it's a common tactic for large companies.

[pmx]

It's more similar to someone asking for a cardboard countertop - any contractor would be well within their rights to tell them it's a bad idea and would be negligent if they didn't.

[knollimar]

It's more a matter of not the right use. Cardboard is inherently shitty.

I'd say L shaped island in a tiny kitchen. It just needs a bigger kitchen

[Telaneo]

I doubt the client is wanting to make a massive investment in customer support, but they're probably also not wanting to be actively hostile to anyone who wants that support. It wouldn't surprise me if the client's older support page was little more than a phone number and/or an email address, and the only reason they moved away from that is because of spam. Maybe they're another step removed from that again, but they're not the 16 steps removed that the Fuck Off page is.

If the client's intent is to provide as little support as possible, that would probably have come up during the conversation where they said they wanted that design, but it seems that they like that design for other reasons (it's a decent way to seem bigger than you actually are, seems more professional maybe?).

[Normal_gaussian]

There is an underlying point in general, but it seems like the author has got hung up over the words "talk to our sales team" and wants to ditch the whole design and go to something with less function as a result.

If I was hiring them I might well start ignoring them at this point as well - thy are literally proposing only implementing only one of the three methods, and the most simple one at that.

I assume I've determined that customers want ready access to some questions. I assume that I have a physical location customers want to see.

Proposing to ditch these is preposterous. I could see proposing inlining the contract form. I could see using more neutral terms ('get in touch' vs 'contract our sales team').

[ikr678]

If you're a web dev who has had past clients not pay up due to going broke/cashflow issues, then you have a bit of vested interest in seeing them succeed (and then pay you properly).

[iamsaitam]

They explained it. It goes against the client's goals. Massive investment in customer support? It's about generating leads. I think you're seen it as a SaaS offering which the writer has mentioned multiple times, isn't the case for the client.