Digital KitchenThe Client Reply KitCheck the agreed revision allowance and the completed rounds before naming a limit. Separate a correction to your own work from a new client change. If the allowance is genuinely used, identify the remaining request and offer assessment or a separately decided additional round; do not imply that extra work has already started.
Check what a revision round means
“We have reached the revision limit” is useful only when both sides can identify the allowance and the work counted against it. Read the agreed wording, the feedback record and any later exceptions. A round might mean one consolidated list, one review meeting or something else you actually agreed.
Create a short record: version reviewed, date feedback arrived, changes requested and date the revised version was delivered. Do not count a second reviewer’s message as another round merely because it came in a different email, unless that matches the agreed process.
If there was no clear allowance, acknowledge that ambiguity and propose a process for the remaining work. Announcing a new limit as though it had always existed can create a different disagreement.
Separate a correction from an additional change
A missing item that was included in the brief needs a different response from a request to explore another concept. A revision limit does not explain away an omission in your deliverable. Check the specific issue before asking the client to buy more work.
| Request | Useful next step |
|---|---|
| Fix an omitted agreed mobile layout | Acknowledge the omission and give a feasible correction date. |
| Apply feedback within a remaining included round | Confirm one usable feedback list and the revision plan. |
| Explore another concept after the included rounds | Assess the new direction and offer additional work separately. |
| Neither side can identify the remaining allowance | Clarify the record before asserting that a limit applies. |
A revision-limit email you can adapt
Subject: [Project] remaining design changes
Hi [contact], The agreed [number] revision rounds for [deliverable] are complete, including [last completed round/version]. Your new request is [specific change]. Please confirm the full list of remaining changes so I can assess an additional round and offer a fee and schedule. I have not started that additional work. [Your name]
Use the first sentence only when the allowance and completed rounds are documented. If you have already assessed the list, replace the assessment request with your actual offer, including the work, fee, timing and acceptance process.
Example: another logo direction after two rounds
In this fictional project, Maya’s logo offer includes two consolidated revision rounds. Both were delivered. Alex now asks for a different symbol and a new color direction. Maya has not assessed the full request.
Subject: Northline logo: remaining changes
Hi Alex, The two included revision rounds are complete; the second revised logo was delivered on October 12. A different symbol and color direction would be additional work. Please send one complete list of the changes you want to explore so I can assess the work and offer a fee and schedule. I have not started another round. Maya
Maya names the actual work instead of labeling Alex difficult. The reply also makes the current status explicit. A client can ask for a change without that request itself becoming an accepted new assignment.
What if the client calls it a tiny change?
Evaluate the actual change. Size in the client’s wording is not a measure of effort, and a genuinely quick correction may need a different decision from a new concept. If you choose an exception, state exactly what you are including and record it. Do not suggest that every later request will receive the same treatment.
Should I include a price immediately?
Only if you have assessed the work and chosen the price. A generated amount or a previous project’s fee does not establish an appropriate offer for this project.
What should I avoid saying?
Avoid “as previously agreed” without checking the agreement, “last revision” without identifying which round, and “I’ll take care of it” when you mean “I’ll assess it.” Each can obscure the decision you need.