The Language Gap

While I am trilingual, for each of the languages I know there are hundreds that I am not familiar with, so English is the default language that I use to communicate with foreign clients. Though every client I’ve worked with has at least some familiarity with English, a few of them weren’t fluent enough to express clear instructions. When this happens I just look for solutions that will help us communicate better.

My first approach is usually to confirm and repeat the client’s instructions. If I receive an email with a list of tasks the client wants me to do, I send an itemized reply to confirm that I have understood everything correctly. This is good practice even without a language barrier, since it lessens the risk for misunderstandings.

It also helps to encourage clients to express themselves naturally. For business communication most people feel that they must speak formally, sometimes to the extent of sacrificing clarity. If this is the case with your client, encourage him or her to speak conversationally and not worry too much about “sounding professional”.

Online translation tools can come in handy if your client has a hard time translating a phrase or idea into English. Ask your client to express the thought in his or her native language, then use translation tools like Google Translate and Babel Fish. Keep in mind that with these tools the results might not be accurate. For a better translation, you can ask around in foreign language forums or even visit the language section of Yahoo Answers. Just make sure you receive more than one answer to check for accuracy.

Still, these solutions might not be enough in some cases. Once, I had a client who had trouble with expressing negations. When she would say something like “write a list” she actually meant “do not write a list”. When I realized this problem, I would include graphics in my confirmation emails. I attached check marks for the things I would do and a cross beside any item I would not do. This taught me that it can be more helpful to use visual cues that substitute or complement your discussions.

But if communication becomes truly difficult and a do-it-yourself approach is no longer good for the project, it’s worth considering hiring a translator.

The Cultural Gap

Since what we have with clients is a business relationship rather than a personal one, it may seem like cultural differences won’t matter. But there are cases where there’s a difference in professional culture. The way you approach meetings, calls, and projects, may be a bit different from what they are expecting, and vice versa.

This was what happened to my WWD colleague Pamela when she worked on a startup project in France, which she wrote about in a previous article. Basically, she discovered that her definition of a vacation was different from theirs.

The solution to this is to begin your working relationship with a discussion on your preferred work process. How often do you need to report to the client? Should you be available for support at certain hours of the day? Will any of their holidays fall within the dates of your project? Formalize your work process by coming up with a project milestone sheet together. Discussing your concerns and committing to tasks in writing will help you both adjust your expectations before the work has begun.

Have you worked with clients whose language and culture are different from yours? What was your experience?

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While many of us love working in our home office or other alternative venue of choice there will often be times when your projects take you to a client site for an extended period of time. I’ve spent time on and off client sites for a majority of my career, and know it can be difficult for some workers who are used to working from home.

This post offers up a refresher on some client site etiquette in case you find yourself rusty on it as you find yourself making the trudge back to a client site for the short or long term.

• Observe your client’s IT security standards at all times. While many of us take extra pains to secure our home office network and computers from viruses, hackers and malware, you aren’t in charge of IT security once you are on site. So make sure that you receive information from your client about IT security standards that are in place. Unfortunately, this may mean your personal laptop needs to stay in its bag while you rely on client issue equipment.
• Dress the part. My home office dress code in the warm months is a T-shirt and cargo shorts. Colder months my home office dress code changes to jeans and fleece. When you take up residence on a client site, don’t forget to dress the part. Ask about any dress code in place before day one.
• Take advantage of face time. While some people may say that face time with a client is overrated, I believe that it can only benefit you, your client, and the project by helping you both forge a more trusting relationship. Not every organization is ready to hire remote web workers, but the first steps toward an off-site engagement often take place during an on-site project where relationship and trust building can take place. This is also a time for you to show yourself off as a self-sufficient worker — just the kind of worker who can function off-site –and deliver on projects without a lot of supervision.
• Plan for other client communications. If you have multiple clients, being on a client site might make you feel isolated from the rest of your business. So be prudent and ensure that you have your communications with other clients prearranged before you step onto a client site for an extended engagement. For example, if you use your mobile phone as your business line, you are already one step ahead. However, I recommend you scope out some “rabbit holes,” where you can make and take calls privately while on site. Another rule of thumb is to never let communicating with your other clients interfere with your on-site work.
  
• Consider the benefits. While spending time in a cubicle might seem like a sentence worse than death for many of us web workers, it can offer all of us valuable insights into our client’s organization, including identifying the politics, power players, and dynamics which may not be apparent via email, IM session, web conference or conference call. So take advantage of your on-site time to learn as much as you can about these organizational dynamics.
  

Have you spent time on a client site since going independent? Share your favorite survival tips below.

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A friend of mine who is new to teleworking was complaining that her overseas prospects wanted to speak with her on the phone. Since she didn’t want to have to pay for international calls, she turned down these lucrative offers. “I don’t want my fees to be consumed by phone bills,” she said.

“You don’t need to use the phone, you can always use voice chat or VoIP,” I suggested.

“What’s that?”

It seems that not everyone who sets out to do web work knows how to establish their communication methods. There are many tools that allow us to sidestep more traditional — and usually more expensive — means of communicating with our clients, such as client visits and phone calls. For those who are just starting out, here are your options:

Email

Sometimes I still see online contractors with casual email addresses like “sexychick2009@example.com.” While you can use any email address to communicate with friends and family, stick to something more formal for professional use. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of checking multiple inboxes and notifying personal contacts about your new email address, you can easily use multiple email accounts instead, and access all of them via one master inbox.

To avoid having your email addresses plastered all over the Internet (and attracting spam), set up a contact form on your web site. In my experience, potential clients often prefer a contact form they can fill out on your site, since they don’t have to open their email client to send you a message.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging (IM) is real-time text chatting over the web. IM is useful for real-time client support and quick exchanges that are too short for email.

Some people have trouble expressing themselves via instant messaging, so don’t make this your only option for client support. Also, if you have clients that aren’t tech savvy, they rarely want to communicate this way. Still, many corporate remote workers I know stay in touch throughout the day via instant messaging. Here are some IM applications you can use:

• GTalk
• Windows Live Messenger
• AIM
• Skype

If you need an IM app that allows you to handle multiple accounts using the same interface, you might want to look at Lifehacker’s roundup of the five best instant messengers.

Phone, VoIP and Voice Chat

Although it might seem simpler to have one phone line for both business and personal contacts, it’s wise to keep them separate. You don’t want to provide 24/7 phone support for colleagues and clients, and you don’t want your workday to be interrupted by a call from your mom, either.

But what if you’re working with people who are overseas, as in the case mentioned earlier? That’s where VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) comes in. Instead of using regular phone lines, VoIP transmits audio through the internet. We’ve covered VoIP here at WWD before, including how you can use it to cut business costs.

There are many available options for VoIP and voice chat apps, including Skype, Truphone, Vonage, Gmail Voice and Video Chat, Calliflower, Phonefusion One and FreeConference.

Fax

While I’ve never felt the need to purchase my own fax machine, there are still some situations that call for faxing. For those of us who primarily deal with local clients, a regular fax machine might be enough even if it’s a second-hand unit. But if you’re mostly working with people overseas, sending faxes back and forth can be costly. Online faxing solutions such as efax and MyFax can be much cheaper in the long run.

Postal Mail

If you’re wary about giving your home address out to clients and business contacts, you can use a PO box or take advantage of online mailbox services such as Earth Class Mail or its European equivalent, Swiss Post Box. There’s also Private Box for those who want mailboxes in New Zealand.

Establishing multiple ways for clients to communicate with you isn’t that hard. When you’re starting out, it’s usually enough to have two different ways for clients to reach you (say, email and phone). Should you need more, the apps and services above give you plenty of options to choose from.

How do potential clients usually contact you? Which method do they use the least?

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The project milestone sheet is an incredibly important document for freelancers and their clients. It defines all the most important tasks, who is assigned to them, and when they are due. In other words, it serves as the map for your entire work process. As Darrell noted in a previous post, even small projects need to have these milestones set.

So how can you create a milestone sheet that works?

Deliverables and dates. The most important items on the milestone sheet are the deliverable items that will come from both you and your client. From planning to development to project conclusion, every significant step should be noted.

Apart from the developmental stages of the project, here’s what you should include:

• Contract signing;
• Payment schedules;
• Submission of existing relevant documents from the client (previous marketing materials, business vision and objectives, etc.); and
• Ample time for the client to review your work and send feedback.

If you’re located in a different timezone from your client, identify the timezone that the schedule is based on. This isn’t such a big deal when there’s only a 2-3-hour difference — unless the project you’re working on has strict hour-by-hour deadlines. But for time differences of more than eight hours, I usually set the deadlines according to the client’s timezone by default. For my own schedule, I also have a personal copy based on my own timezone.

Identify the client’s area of responsibility. You can do this through color differentiation when there’s just you and the client (a trick I picked up from Justin Hartfield’s post on Freelance Switch). If you’re working with multiple people, it might be better to tabulate the schedule based on deadlines, the expected item, and the name of the person responsible.

Include consequences of deviating from the schedule. The end of the project milestone sheet should also clearly describe the consequences of failing to follow the set schedule. If delays in providing one deliverable will impact the rest of the scheduled items, make that clear. Don’t make this the “fine print” of your schedule. It should have the same font size as the rest of the text on the milestone sheet. After all, it’s equally important.

Make sure the client reads it. To increase the chances that my client reads the milestone sheet, I attach it to an email that doesn’t bring up any other issues. The email simply states something like “Attached is the schedule for the project. Please read it carefully and let me know if you want to make any adjustments. Is the time frame adequate for you?”

A short message like that works for the following reasons:

• You’re talking about one thing only so your clients won’t be distracted with other issues;
• You’re calling it a “schedule,” making it sound less intimidating to non-corporate clients or clients whose first language isn’t English; and
• The client can’t answer your parting question without looking at the schedule you sent.

Follow up. I might come off as repetitive, but for typically forgetful clients, I mention the milestone sheet every time I’ve completed something. I also tell them what comes next, whether it’s additional work I have to do or I’m waiting for something from their end. The frequency and phrasing of your follow-ups depends on the client. When you’re working with clients who are more attentive to schedule, sending out frequent and repetitive reminders won’t be necessary.

If there’s a deadline looming for something that your client is accountable for, such as comments on a draft or payments, it helps to send reminders a day or two before the due date. For tech-savvy clients you can do this through your project management software. In most situations, sending email reminders is enough.

By applying these tips, you can make large projects more manageable, and tasks easier to track. Also, with a good project milestone sheet, even the most difficult clients become easier to work with.

Do you use a milestone sheet for your online freelancing practice? What tactics have worked for you so far?

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When one of your more difficult clients contacts you for a new project, how do you work with them again, without repeating the problems you previously had?

Points to Consider

Before you sign up to work with a previously difficult client, there are some issues you need to address.

Refer to the paperwork. If your client is contacting you for support on a previous project, it helps to go over your signed contracts and documents to see whether the new request is within your area of responsibility.

Understand their position. Oftentimes, I’m the only go-to person that these difficult clients have worked with. This is usually because they’re not that tech-savvy or they have a hard time convincing other professionals to take on their projects. With their situation, they just want to get things done as fast as possible. Keep this in mind if they sound frustrated or in a rush when they’re contacting you.

If you’re going to help them out, know why. In my experience, guilt is never a good reason to stay with difficult clients. This is especially true if they are verbally abusive, need 24/7 hand-holding, and don’t value your work. If they’re immature enough, they might try to appeal to your guilt. Just remember not to give in.

Help out your difficult clients only if you believe in the project and if you’re confident that you can learn to foster a better, mutually beneficial working relationship.

Rebuild Your Relationship

Once you decide to work with a difficult client again, make sure that you’ve learned from your previous mistakes and won’t be likely to repeat them. Use the insights you’ve gained from your experience to make the relationship work this time around.

Improve your contract terms to forge a more balanced relationship. Go over the last contract you signed with this particular client. Are the terms clear and easy to understand? Are there any clauses you need to add or modify to protect yourself from being exploited?

Discuss the things that didn’t work out last time and propose solutions for them. If you had to “fire” a client before, they’re probably aware that your working relationship wasn’t smooth to begin with. It’s best to express your concerns and propose ways on how problems can be avoided this time around — without blaming each other for previous mistakes, of course.

Train your client to be more self-sufficient. I used to provide solutions to my clients’ simplest needs even if they were outside the project scope. While there’s nothing wrong with going the extra mile from time to time, constant support for even the most irrelevant tech issues can be a drain on your time and energy. Instead of providing solutions yourself, point them towards the resources that can best empower them to help themselves.

As freelancers, we see ourselves improving and becoming more professional as we gain more experience. Our difficult clients are the same way. It’s reasonable to expect that they, too, can become easier to work over time.

Have you ever had a difficult client go back to you for more projects? If so, did you avoid working with them again or were you able to establish a healthier working relationship?

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To avoid this problem in the future, I’m reevaluating the way I work with clients. How do I include them in my work process? Can I improve on my current methodology?

So far, here are some points I’ve come up with:

Include your process on your web site. The first thing I noticed was that I failed to set expectations at the earliest stage possible — on my web site. There was nothing on my site about how I performed a needs analysis, did research and reworked drafts based on client comments. I’m going to create a page about my work process as soon as possible. Some good examples include one from Mount Evans Designs and another from Recopy Studio.

Have a milestone sheet and refer to it often. The milestone sheet includes a table that lists all the deliverables required, along with a corresponding deadline for each item. Since you’ll be needing input from the client, whether it’s comments on your work or additional documents, you should include these in the milestone sheet as well. For emphasis, I use a dark red font color for the deliverables that the client is responsible for. I let her know that these items will be coming from her, and that if there’s a delay in sending out those items, the project will be delayed as well.

When I first sent out a milestone sheet some years ago, I didn’t realize that the client didn’t even read it. Be sure to refer to it often, at every stage of the project, so that your client knows what it is for and how to use it.

Choose only the simplest tools. For less technically-savvy clients, I stick to email and instant messaging as our main communication/collaboration tools. I find that if I’m teaching my client too many things at once — from how to use a fancy collaboration app to how to improve their web site copy — they become easily confused and frustrated. Which is more important: (a) getting them to use that new app or (b) that they properly utilize your expertise to better their business?

If use of a specific tool will make a big difference in the quality of your service, then go ahead and teach your client. It’s usually much better if you can find existing video tutorials so that she can learn how to use those tools on her own time, isolated from her consultation with you.

Let them know the consequences of deviating from the process. The first time a client doesn’t follow your process, be clear about what consequences this had on the project. They have to know that if they insist on doing things their way, you won’t be able to meet your deadlines or give them your best work.

End with the important stuff. Whether you’re talking to a client on the phone or sending her an email, always finish with a list of the important things. Let them know what you’ll be submitting next and when they can expect to receive it. You should also go over what you require from the client, and when. Don’t let important details get lost in the middle of a phone call or email.

With that said, it’s always important to keep your cool and remain polite. Don’t sounding bossy or get angry; it will just irritate your client. Remember that your process is about giving the best customer service possible. It’s not just about following a flowchart.

Do your clients respect your work process? Are there any apps, tools or techniques you use to make your work process clear?

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But if something is repetitive, then it can be automated.  How can we make our clients better informed so that they don’t ask us the same questions repeatedly?  I believe that the following 5 documents can help:
Client tutorial reports. I got this idea from Yuwanda Black’s post at Copyblogger.  As an SEO copywriter, she works with many clients who are unfamiliar with her field.  This is common among web workers.  Designers may be approached by clients who haven’t figured out their branding yet, and PPC (pay-per-click) consultants might have clients who haven’t chosen a target market.

So what should be in your client tutorial?

• Prerequisites. What do they need to know, prepare, and have before they can start a project with you?  Why do they need these things?  If they don’t have these prerequisites, list some handy resources that will help get them started.
• A glossary of jargon. Although you should avoid using too much jargon during initial communication, those terms will eventually come up.  Give your clients an easy reference in case they encounter these terms that they don’t understand.
• A short “crash course” on your field. This may include paragraphs on why hiring a professional is important, how good design/copywriting/whatever service you provide will improve their business, and any background information that can help them understand what you’ll be doing.

FAQ document. FAQs or “Frequently Asked Questions” are usually found in websites of a company or small business.  I rarely find links to FAQ pages in a solo freelancer’s website.

For the uninitiated,  FAQs are pages where you respond to anticipated or predicted questions from clients or website visitors.  They are presented in a simple question and answer format.

This document, when introduced well, will lessen the time you spend answering repetitive questions such as “What methods can I use to pay you?” or “Are there other services you provide that aren’t listed on your website?”  Note the most common questions that your previous and current clients have raised.  These will give you a good idea of what questions you should include in your FAQ page or document.  You also have the option to serve this in the same file as your client tutorial.

Layperson’s translation of legalese. While some of your clients can easily afford lawyers, there will always be those who cannot.  It’s entirely possible that some clients actually just skim through your contracts without reading them, leaving them unaware of the details of your arrangement.  If you don’t think it’s possible or if you believe all the fault lies with your client, just remember how many times you signed up for an online app without reading the lengthy Terms and Conditions.

What might work is an accompanying document that translates each paragraph or item from the contract into plain English.  I don’t just do this with clients, I provide a similar document to my contractors as well.

Just remember to add a notice at the end stating that your layperson’s version is not meant to be a replacement for the contract itself.

Annual update. After all, a lot can happen in a year.  You may have received an award, got another certificate, or were featured in a major magazine.  You shouldn’t hide these things, especially not from your clients, who would probably love to know that they’re working with someone as accomplished as you are.  Just make sure that you mention these accomplishments in a way that shows how these will benefit them.  If you’re the overachieving type, you can do this 2 to 3 times a year, just make sure that your tone is personal and that you don’t come off as a spammer.

Case studies. Unlike the 4 documents mentioned above, case studies are better if they’re publicly accessible rather than sent to clients privately or on a need-to-know basis.  They are meant to convince potential clients that your methods work.  They are marketing tools rather than ways to facilitate better communication and understanding between you and your clients.

Darrell Etherington recently wrote an informative post about case studies, which is a must-read for any freelancer who is interested in creating them.

These 5 documents might require many of your non-billable hours if you want to produce them.  You can create them incrementally over time, so that you won’t be too overwhelmed.  Of course, you can always outsource or delegate to others.

Even with all the initial work involved, I think these documents would be worth it.  If you have any experience with creating these documents, please share it with us in the comments.  How have they worked for you?  What are the other advantages of having these documents?

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I know this because it has often happened to me, whether I’m applying as a contractor for a project or I’m the one hiring others to work with me.  Asking these questions, no matter how simple or common they might be, makes you better prepared to take on a project.  Plus, they show your client that you go the extra mile.

So what are these questions and why should we ask them?

What is this for? A few years ago, I made the mistake of accepting a seemingly simple request from a client to write articles about bathroom cleaning tips.  I did the project with a slant on using homemade cleansers, not knowing that what the client wanted was to incorporate the use of commercially available products into the article.  In the end I had to redo the entire job.

Some projects only look simple on the surface, but they turn out to be more layered than you think once you ask your client what they intend to accomplish with your work.

Will we be working together on this project? I’ve had a couple of instances where a contractor would assume that we’ve sealed the deal even without mutually signing a contract or me giving them the “Go!” signal.  One of them even got angry because he cleared his entire schedule for two weeks expecting that I would hire him for the project.

Most clients would be looking at the portfolios, resumes, and applications of several freelancers before committing to one.  Unless it is stated clearly, you cannot be sure that you will be chosen.  Other ways to phrase this would be “Would you like me to start this project?” or “Do we have a deal?”.  Of course, don’t get started on anything without the actual contracts signed.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how did I do? It’s best to ask this for each aspect of the services you provide including the quality of your final output, customer support, and an overall rating.  This gives you an idea of how successful you were at meeting a client’s expectations.

If you didn’t get a perfect 10 in some areas, it’s best to follow this up with “What could I have done to get a 10?”  This shows your client that you are constantly pushing yourself to improve with each project.

Is there anything else I can do for you? I make this question a mandatory part of my final email once I’ve sent in my final output and I’ve received full payment.  It never hurts to ask this, and it might even give you a few unexpected projects from satisfied clients.

How has my output affected your business so far? You should ask this question a week or a month after you’ve completed the project. In fact, if you’ve provided services that have long term effect (such as a website design, online ad design, or an ebook) you might want to contact your clients every few months to ask this very question.

If your work had very little effect on your client’s business, propose to find alternative or added solutions that will help them reach their goal.  This isn’t necessarily about upselling, it’s about caring for your clients enough to provide them with solutions that truly work.

What has your experience been like when it comes to asking – or forgetting to ask – these questions?  Do you have any questions to add to this list?

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In cases like those, it’s important to take calculated steps in fixing what went wrong.

Don’t panic. Your client is probably emotional the first time they contact you about a problem.  Since that’s the case, it’s your job to be calm and logical.  No good can come from having a shouting match about who’s right and who’s wrong.

Of course, this is easier to say than it is to do – especially if the client calls you on the phone.  It’s easier to be calm and collected (or at least to seem that way) when you’re communicating via chat or email.  On the phone, it takes more willpower.

Read (or listen) between the lines. Oftentimes, when your client is saying something, that’s not what they really mean.  “This isn’t what we talked about” could mean “I understood your proposal differently”. A phrase like “I could easily replace you with a high school student” usually means “Fix this as soon as possible” with a dash of “I have no idea how difficult your work is”.

In other words, take the time to truly listen and interpret what went wrong.

Be accountable. At least a small fraction of the blame, if not all of it, should rest on you.  This is why you need to take control of the situation and start channeling both your energies into finding a solution.  You need to ask yourselves what went wrong and what could be done to repair the damage.  Speak in terms of situations and events, rather than people.  Otherwise, it will look like finger-pointing.

Remember that even if you’re at least partially accountable, this doesn’t mean you have to accept verbal abuse and enslave yourself to unreasonable requests just because you’re feeling guilty.

Provide options. Giving clients several options to choose from makes them feel empowered.  You’re not forcing solutions on them or telling them what to do.  This makes it easier for your client to accept your proposed solutions, since they know that the final decision is in their hands.

Give insurance. Your client needs to know that you’re also taking steps to avoid this particular problem in the future.  Even after you’ve resolved their problem, it’s important to send them an update about any steps you’ve made towards prevention.

Ask for a testimonial. I know this part sounds unusual, but if you actually resolve the problem and your client is appreciative and pleasantly surprised, it makes sense to request a testimonial.  Most people take perfect testimonials with a grain of salt, so nothing stands out like a testimonial that says “I encountered this problem with her service, but she was there 100% to fix it with me.  Didn’t have another problem since then.”  This tells potential clients three things: that you’re honest, you’re a reliable problem solver, and that you take their feedback seriously enough to improve yourself.

Taking care of angry clients can be an emotionally exhausting task.  Although our instinctive response is to feel some anger as well, it’s important to remember that these disappointed clients are the ones who will teach us the most about what we need to do to be better web workers.

Have you ever had an angry client?  How did you handle the situation?

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How can we reconcile its usefulness as a communication tool with the fact that it can be downright annoying?

Using one interface

Having MSN messenger, Yahoo!Messenger, and GTalk open all at the same time can be a bit confusing, or even a complete eyesore (as you can see from the image below).  If you don’t like having too many windows open, you’ll benefit from having just one interface for all your IM accounts.  Programs such as Trillian, Pidgin, and Miranda accomplish this simply.  The one-interface approach can also make archiving conversations much easier.

Tweak your IM client’s settings

Being available via instant messaging is like having the phone ring constantly – just like Melanie said – but only if you don’t change your IM client’s settings.  Find the settings or options menu of your chosen IM program and be ruthless about how you’re notified of incoming messages.  This, of course, will depend on your own preferences.  Personally, I prefer to have no audio notifications, no blinking, and incoming messages don’t launch on top of other windows.  If I want to check for IM messages, I just glance at the Windows taskbar when I welcome such distractions.  But that approach is just for me.  Find what works for you.

One other thing I do is customize my visibility.  Many IM programs will allow you to be “invisible” to different contacts or contact groups when you come online.   You can also be invisible to clients who rarely IM you anyway, and leave yourself visible for a few clients whose projects are more urgent.  Taking advantage of your visibility settings can also come in handy if you use the same IM accounts for both personal and business contacts.

Know your sacred working hours

There are some online tasks you can do that allow for a bit of distraction, such as writing a short email to your mom, commenting on other blogs, or reading your feeds.  There are also tasks that require nothing less than your full attention, especially when you’re doing The Work.  You know, the thing you are mostly paid to do.  It’s often the descriptive text under your name on your business card.

When you’re doing The Work, the rule is simple: don’t be available for IM.  Block out your working hours and let your clients know about it.  It’s likely that they’ll appreciate that you’re taking their projects seriously enough to block out sacred time for them.

Having maximum IM hours

It’s also very important to let clients know that they have a maximum number IM consultation hours with you.  Since I have few clients who need me for back and forth IM, I put a maximum of 4 hours a week for clients with heavy projects (complete web design and web content) and 2 hours a week for clients with lighter projects.

The funny thing is, when I implemented these maximum hours, the clients who used to take up several hours of my day chatting with me changed their behavior.  They didn’t even reach their weekly limit.  In fact, they seemed to have a preference for email when they realized how non-urgent most of their requests were in the first place.  I guess putting a limit in place allowed them to also prioritize their time as much as I did mine.  I was very satisfied with how things changed because of this system that I added a clause for the maximum IM hours in my new contracts, so that clients are aware of it in the beginning.

Getting someone else to do the talking

If you happen to be a web working rockstar and you really can’t handle all the IM requests, you can hire someone else to do it.  Of course, this option is complex and requires a lot of time, money, and effort to implement.  Plus, your clients might not welcome the idea of talking to someone else, especially if they’re so used to communicating with you.  Consider this method only when you’re more of a big business owner rather than a freelancer.

Instant messaging doesn’t have to be a pain, you just need to know how to use it well within your working style.  After all, we should adjust our web working tools to fit into our own work processes, and not the other way around.

Do you have any IM tips and tricks?  What do you do to prevent it from interfering with your workflow?

Photo Credit: Image by Celine Roque

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