Client Tip 4: Phone Call Etiquette

I don’t tend to get many phone calls from clients but when I do it always appears that the phone calls go on for much longer than they need to thus keeping me from actually doing the work I should be doing. Of course phone conversations are necessary at times to allow a more fluid conversation but both timing and content makes for some frustrations:

Don’t call on Friday at 5.25pm

Actually ringing any day after 5pm can hold the same annoyance. I’m not averse to working late if a phone call overruns but rarely do I receive a phone call at this time of the day that is critical and that cannot be either emailed or left till the following working day.

It’s not as if clients forget the time as frequently they state that they’ll be quick as they have noted the time but rarely the phone call is anything but quick. After 5pm the day is winding down and I rarely look to start anything I can’t finish till the next day, this includes phone calls too.

Don’t call at 9am either

Like the last 30 minutes of the day the first 30 is also an awkward time to receive a phone call. Within the first 30 minutes of the day you’re still getting into the swing of things to start the day proper. Having a phone call before being able to turn on your computer or read your emails puts you on the back foot and usually means you’re distracted from the conversation whilst still trying to complete these tasks.

Unless something is critical surely a phone call can wait 30 minutes.

Distractions

It amazes me at the things that can distract the clients on the other end of the phone. It’s actually a little disrespectful as a client that does leave you on hold whilst doing something else has decided your time is not so precious and that you have nothing better to do that wait for them. Some of the distractions I’ve come across include:

  • Other phone calls
  • Instant Messaging
  • Emails
  • Pets

Sure some distractions can be out of a person’s hands but how they deal with them isn’t. Taking another phone call or answering IM messages are things that can be done after the current phone call.

Emails

Sure emails can be a distraction but they can also be a whole lot more. At times clients can be emailing you whilst on the phone or at times email you before and then ring you to review the email. When doing the latter it’s usually before you have had a time to even see the email and the phone call tells you nothing that could have not been put within the original email.

Your priority isn’t mine

As a client it’s good to remember that your priority isn’t the same as that of your web developer and that although a phone conversation is a good way of communicating information it can often simply be a distraction from getting on with the work at hand.

Comments

  • Scott Mallinson

    I generally prefer emails as a means of communication over telephone conversations for a couple of reasons.

    Firstly, with emails there is an audit trail. If a client asks you to do something you have it in writing. With telephone conversations you’re going on what they say and if it turns sour you have nothing to go back to them with. Not that it ever should.

    Working with the web it can be difficult at the best of times trying to spell out a web address over the phone. Providing a link to the web address in an email is much easier.

    With your ‘rules’ on not calling after 5.25pm or at 9am, you’re missing a key point. You’re a service provider and there to service the needs of your clients. Imagine if banks didn’t open until they’d cleared their decks in the morning and closed 5 minutes before the stated closing times. Whether you like it or not, this is the industry we work in. Service provision.

  • Jeff Porter

    I’m dealing with this now! I have a new client for a writing assignment that just doesn’t respect phone call etiquette. She has called me AFTER 11pm twice already for non-emergencies and she hasn’t even signed the contract or given me the deposit yet!

    Admittedly I am a guy that will work on a project during late hours but that’s different than taking calls late, which usually takes me away from my work. If I’m on deadline, I’ll take a call even in the middle of the night because the client may be checking on the status of the project for delivery. But just to tell me an random thought idea that popped into their head, that can wait….

    It’s just bad form to call a client or a vendor on their cell phone or at home after hours and late nights. They may have a family or some semblance of a social life so unless its an emergency, the call should wait until the next business day.

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