With the easy access of social media and instant gratification boundaries have blurred a bit especially in a professional digital setting. Communication is key and the best form of communication is via email. The best response time should be within 24 hours of receiving said email. If you use skype for phone or video calls, those should be scheduled ahead of time. At any time there is a lapse in communication the project should be archived, I allow a 14-day grace period before archiving a project for lack of communication.
Never ever answer your emails outside of your business hours. This sets a precedent of unrealistic expectations if you email them back late hours of the night because that when you had free time. The client will assume that you’re available to them anytime during that 24-hour day period. If your client PM via Facebook don’t answer outside of your business hours as well. Let them know that they need to communication with you via email only. This also keeps conversations between the two of you on record.
Never give out your personal phone to any current or potential clients. Clients tend to call outside of business hours which can also cause an inconvenience in your personal life. I use eVoice for my client calls, they only route to my actual phone during business hours. Outside those hours, the client is then sent to a voicemail system.
To prevent an indecisive client make sure to have a set amount of revisions. So once they get out of control with the tweaks, you can refer them to the contract and let them know that it will cost them extra.
Are you being rushed? Not yet, well you might be one day. Make sure to set up a rush fee. It’s known that clients aren’t very aware of the amount of time you already put into a project.
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