| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Cooperation/help request and attitude. Thread poster: Rad Graban (X)
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Susana Valdez 
Portugal
Local time: 12:35
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| A bit off the topic | Jun 10, 2010 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
There is no excuse to leaving the email of a prospect unanswered, .
@ Tomás: I've been asking this question and thinking about this for a while now, and I wonder if we should or not be always available to answer emails all the time, no matter at what time, no matter about what. Let me give you an example: Today, in Portugal, we are celebrating a bank holiday - Portugal & Camões day. I've informed one particular client about this - nicely, wishing them a Happy Portugal day, so they can understand the hint, but at the same time, not being to blunt about it. But, even so, I've already received 2 emails from them asking me to confirm reception of a file. I know I've received them, but I'm not answering. Perhaps it is bad policy on my part. I don't know. I believe it is offensive on theirs to expect me to work around the clock and answer every single little question in a matter of minutes or an hour. I'm divided though, because I used to do it, but now, something changed, I don't feel so receptive to abusive behavior. But here is a question for you, since I shared your view not so long a go, do you answer every single email right away? Don't you feel that you should impose some limits?
Thanks for sharing.
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Nicole Schnell wrote: Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:
I never reply to offers coming from Proz.com, because they always are a total waste of time... they go straight into the bin... in fact, the only two contacts I acquired through Proz turned out to be very unprofessional... not saying that you are... just my impression in general... There is a huge difference between jobs advertised on the ProZ.com job list and direct and personalized contacts via the profile page.
Very much so...  Apologies...
| | | | | Auto reply is your friend | Jun 11, 2010 |
Susana Valdez wrote:
@ Tomás: I've been asking this question and thinking about this for a while now, and I wonder if we should or not be always available to answer emails all the time, no matter at what time, no matter about what.....(etc) , but I'm not answering. Perhaps it is bad policy on my part. I don't know. I believe it is offensive on theirs to expect me to work around the clock and answer every single little question in a matter of minutes or an hour.
If I am not working, or do not wish to interrupt what I am doing in order to reply to emails, I use the auto=reply feature. "Sorry, out of the office at the moment, will reply when I get back" - or, perhaps, if we in the UK are having a public holiday, I might say so in the auto-reply. It's brilliant for ANY time when clients might reasonably (or unreasonably!) expect you to be at your desk and able to reply in 10 minutes, but you cannot or do not want to do so.
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 04:35
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Mental sanity and the responsibility for your current project | Jun 12, 2010 |
Susana Valdez wrote:
@ ...I wonder if we should or not be always available to answer emails all the time, no matter at what time, no matter about what.
...
I believe it is offensive on theirs to expect me to work around the clock and answer every single little question in a matter of minutes or an hour. I'm divided though, because I used to do it, but now, something changed, I don't feel so receptive to abusive behavior. But here is a question for you, since I shared your view not so long a go, do you answer every single email right away? Don't you feel that you should impose some limits?
Excellent point, Susana, and I fully agree.
Allowing yourself to be victim to each and any disruption while you are working on a current project displays a severe lack of time management skills. If it is urgent, the client will call and leave a message. Which you can screen and answer at your convenience. But not between two paragraphs, in mid-sentence or amidst a train of thought.
My most wonderful client of all times (direct client) even has a disclaimer at the bottom of each email, headline: "Mental sanity alert", followed by a request for being contacted by phone in urgent cases instead of being expected to check his inbox every 5 minutes. I love this client.
This week I was booked up to my eyeballs and I replied to a request by a prospective new client 5 hours late. No way, there was no time for getting into the back-and-forth of exchanging emails and to view any documents. Never received any feedback. Well, sorry for the client. I just don't happen to be a vending machine for translations.
At my previous employer, the largest B2B agency in Germany, we had a neat policy, the so-called "Red Dot on the Door". Something like the "Do not disturb"-thingy that you will hang on the door of your hotel room. Even an intern had the right to be undisturbed temporarily to be able to get a job done on time.
I am working with truly seasoned colleagues who will not answer any emails in a week when they are focussing on a highly demanding project. Unethical? I don't think so. Not respecting the way how other people run their businesses would be unethical.
Edited for typo
[Edited at 2010-06-12 08:22 GMT]
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