Betty

http://desktopmemory.info

How about a clause in the contract that says X amount of phone time and anything over that is billable?

75% of the time, they want to talk to a therapist, not a writer anyway.

Kimberly, I suffer the “but I’m your only client!” syndrome a few times a year myself. It’s why I limit my availability to phone and email, and, rarely, cell phone. It’s not for the masses of clients who conduct themselves in a professional manner. It’s for those rare few who don’t understand boundaries. And good for you for enforcing the IM boundaries! Technology gives people the false impression that we’re always able to respond instantly. We’re not. We have to actually work at some point!

That said, there have been time where phone calls were necessary because some clients cannot communicate their needs well in writing (I guess that’s why they hire us?).

I have a client that seems to have a knack for calling when I’m breaking my neck on deadline. He’s a sweetheart, but is very long winded and tends to repeat the same points over and over again in the conversation. A conversation that should take 10 minutes wilo very often creep over into an hour.

I now let him know I only have 15 minutes to talk before he gets started, and I still must politely cut him off to make sure we don’t go over.

I also don’t like IM. I have a client that requested I sign up for Skype messaging early on (before I knew better) and he acted as if he were my only client. He’d call if he didn’t see me online. I had to let hime know that I would only sign on briefly fromhere on out when he and I needed to communicate on a specific project. Never again!

Thanks for the tips. When I set up interviews, which is almost always by e-mail, I say I’d like to do a brief, 15-minute telephone interview. Then, I usually start out phone interviews by saying, “Thanks for taking the time to be interviewed today. As I mentioned in my e-mail, my article is very short, so I won’t take up much of your time…”

I’ve never had anybody like you had–who plainly wasn’t listening to interruptions. But I’ve got no problem interrupting and saying, “I’ve got another interview in a few minutes, so I’ll need to wrap this up.”

I guess that’s the benefit of my friends telling me I’m sometimes abrupt!

There are times – interviews for articles, etc. – that the phone is a must. But I agree with you. All other times, I prefer email. It’ just easier to dash off a quick, coherent note than to reread emails and notes and have a drawn-out conversation with someone.

But sometimes we just have to talk on the phone. For those times, we need a system. 🙂

I make it clear they can leave a DETAILED message during working hours, not a “call me” message. I check messages twice a day and return calls, but my phone is OFF when I’m working.

I check my email frequently throughout the day, so if they want a quick response, they can email me.

Also, I do not IM, and I don’t accept clients who required IM. Waste of time in 90% of the cases.

I am a WRITER. I work with WORDS ON THE PAGE! (pun intended).