I can not overstate the importance of the relationship between an Access developer / development company and the customer. If bad, this relationship will create disillusionment and disappointment on both sides of the aisle and become toxic and destructive.

So what are Access developers looking for in a good customer?

1. Trust. If there is trust between two parties, it means that what is said is generally believed. If there is misunderstanding or doubt, it means that this can be openly discussed with the belief that both parties are working for a win-win situation.
2. Willing to pay. Letting the developer know that you are willing to pay by making a down payment of some kind indicates trust and an understanding that this is a valuable service to you. Also making payments quickly (even more quickly than the developer is asking for) can really make you a valuable customer to the developer!
3. Understand the two-way nature of the relationship. Be there to support the developer by explaining your company systems and processes as needed. The developer will not know your company better than you do so you will need to spend time with the developer and do your part in answering their questions and explaining what you need. Be available for these conversations. Make sure there is a single contact at your company that can act as a central point of contact. This will help both parties.
4. Respect the knowledge of the developer. While you know more about your business, the developer will know more about building applications. Micro-managing their every move will not reduce your costs or ensure a better outcome. Trying to listen to them and understand their thoughts in terms of how to best deliver the results you want. Don’t assume that a feature you want to see in how the application behaves will translate into the end result. The developer who understands the end results you want (like I want my employees to be able to report on when the original product order came in vs. I want a new date field on my form)

What have you found to have been good indicators that your relationships between developer and customer will work well?