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In previous articles, I have explained four essential skills for Technical Leads, they were leadership, mentorship, onboarding, and hiring. The fifth and the last skill we measure in the Technical Leads competence matrix is called customer communication.
Customers in our article can be another department inside the same larger IT company or outside clients. Today, I will talk about Technical Leads skills to be a working contact with the customer on the behalf of the outsourcing IT company they work for.
Customer communication as a skill is superior to all developers skills, as it directly influences the success of projects and the satisfaction of your customers. Business continuity is at stake in this case.
Effective communication of your technical lead with customers ensures that technical solutions align with business needs and expectations.
It is not called done when a developer pushes their code to git, it is not done when a task is closed in Jira, and it is not done when QA checks and approves the solution. It is done when a TL presents a whole solution and gets approval for it by the customer.
At the junior level, a Technical Lead is accustomed to working on projects where direct communication with the customer is handled solely by the Project Manager (PM).
The Technical Lead relies on the manager to relay technical solutions and expects the manager to keep them informed of all customer correspondence. The focus here is on understanding and discussing technical solutions with the manager rather than the customer.
Advice for advancement:
Practice explaining technical concepts using analogies from everyday life
Create multiple versions of the same update with different levels of technical detail
Ask non-technical colleagues to review your communications for clarity
Study the client’s business model to connect technical work to their objectives
Record yourself during practice presentations to identify jargon and technical language
Develop a simple template that forces you to include business impact in technical updates
Observe how senior leaders communicate technical concepts to clients
Middle-level Technical Leads work well in environments where the team does not directly communicate with the customer, with the PM acting as the intermediary.
They form their own hypotheses about technical solutions and explain these to the PM. They may attend customer calls but do not lead the conversation, leaving that responsibility to the manager.
Advice for advancement:
Create stakeholder maps that identify key client personas and their information needs
Develop a “translation guide” for commonly used technical terms in your project
Practice tailoring the same message for technical, semi-technical, and non-technical audiences
Implement a “jargon jar” where team members contribute when using unexplained technical terms
Create communication templates that address both “what” and “why” for different audiences
Seek feedback specifically on how well you adapt to different stakeholders
Practice active listening techniques to better understand stakeholder concerns
Middle+ Technical Leads are ready to actively participate in conversations with the customer alongside the manager.
They take responsibility for their part of the conversation, explaining solutions and their alternatives, and defending the decisions made by the team. This level shows a shift towards more direct interaction and accountability.
Advice for advancement:
Develop a “client early warning system” to identify potential concerns from subtle cues
Create communication templates for different project phases and situations
Establish regular touchpoints that provide information before clients need to ask
Practice delivering difficult messages with clarity and appropriate context
Implement structured “expectation setting” discussions at key project milestones
Create decision trees for managing communication during common project challenges
Develop approaches for making technical trade-offs transparent to stakeholders
Senior Technical Leads are prepared to take full responsibility for conversations with the customer, with the manager serving only as a facilitator or moderator.
They actively involve team members in the dialogue, relying on their expertise. They are the best at explaining and defending the chosen solutions to the customer’s technical experts and always have well-reasoned answers to the question “Why?”
Advice for advancement:
Create stakeholder influence maps that identify key decision-makers and their relationships
Develop “communication bridges” that connect technical achievements to business outcomes
Establish feedback mechanisms that capture both explicit and implicit client concerns
Practice scenario planning for communication challenges and opportunities
Create documentation that serves both technical and business audiences
Develop approaches for “managing up” within client organizations
Establish trust-building practices like consistent follow-through on commitments
At the Architect (or senior+) level, Technical Leads take complete responsibility for the entire course of customer conversations. They act as moderators, ensuring comfortable communication for all participants.
They predict customer behavior, manage risks, and mobilize the development team in negative scenarios. TLs can resolve deadlock situations by offering solutions that account for all risks, maintaining composure and supporting the teams throughout.
Advice:
Develop frameworks for connecting technical innovation to business opportunities
Create forums for collaborative strategy development with clients
Establish yourself as a thought leader in relevant technical and business domains
Practice scenario planning for long-term technical and business evolution
Develop diplomatic approaches for challenging client assumptions when beneficial
Create communication strategies that support organizational change management
Establish measurement frameworks that demonstrate long-term technical impact on business outcomes
Understanding customer needs is a continuous process that involves proactive engagement and the ability to anticipate future requirements. Technical Leads, in an outsourcing company, should not only respond to immediate queries but also seek to understand the strategic goals of their customers.
This involves regular check-ins, comprehensive requirement gathering sessions, and fostering an environment where customers feel comfortable sharing their long-term visions. With the aligned business process in such a way, more senior technical leads can ensure that their teams deliver solutions in time.
Moreover, not only meet but exceed customer expectations on the done work. This is what business continuity really is, enabling the path for lasting partnerships and business success.
Effective communication with customers is a supreme skill for Technical Leads. It ensures that technical solutions are aligned with business needs and customer expectations. As Technical Leads progress from Junior to Senior+ levels, their role in customer communication evolves from passive participation to active leadership.
This progression not only benefits the projects and the organization but also contributes significantly to personal and professional growth. If you have further questions, please contact me via the form below or on LinkedIn.
Direct communication ensures that the Technical Lead fully understands the customer’s needs and can align the technical solutions accordingly. It also helps in building trust and credibility with the customer.
Continuous practice, seeking feedback, and participating in training programs focused on communication can help improve these skills. Additionally, shadowing more experienced colleagues during customer interactions can provide valuable insights.
Challenges include managing customer expectations, handling technical questions effectively. The Technical Lead needs to ensure that the team’s solutions meet the customer’s needs. Addressing these requires a mixture of technical expertise and soft skills like empathy and patience.
