There are some things that as a web developer you wish would happen more often, take the case of Andy Larholt of Montash Associates in London.

They have been a long-standing client of another firm that I co-founded in 2005, so I guess we have worked with Andy Larholt for over 5 years now. During this time he has relentlessly driven forward his company, Montash Associates, and it has grown and developed from humble beginings into a top-flight business working globally with some of the largest blue-chip organisations. And his market comprises a vastly demanding clientele so Andy understands the need to meet expectations, deadlines and budgets!

Now we weren't a part of their original web site development.

So what has Andy Larholt got to do with us?

Well, apart from the odd website update that we carry out from time to time, our main business with Montash is predominently in providing infrastructure and network support. It has been valuable work and we appreciate it.

But the main reason we particularly like working with Andy and his team at Montash is that they are always crystal clear on what they need from us. Every single aspect of the project work has been based around an agreed specification of functionality, time-scale and cost. Andy Larholt is a dream client in that he gathers opinion and advice, considers his options, makes decisions and follows them through. And just as Andy's clients expect certain standards, Andy expects the same of his suppliers too.

Which is fine by us!

Because Andy is explicit in what he wants from us and is flexible on what can and cannot be achieved, once we have 'shaken hands' on an item we are absolutely clear on what we need to do to deliver. And this approach ensures we have the best opportunity to meet a client's expectations to the letter.

As a service supplier, it can sometimes be very difficult to maintain a happy client relationship simply because the client themselves really don't know what they want or need. It's the clarity of working with a company like Montash Associates, which enables a service supplier to meet high expectations and demands in a smooth and efficient manner - so we're all happy!

A cynic could claim that 'it's not like that in the real world', but actually it is! After all, who buys a car based solely on a vague notion of needing something to get them from A to B? Most car buyers may start out unclear, but when they reach a buying decision it is always based on their review of all the options, and weighing up all the factors before they actually part with their cash!

If only all our clients had the clarity of vision of an Andy Larholt - we'd actually be much better able to provide even higher quality services, sign-off on invoices and move on.