| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | A difficult client - suggestions needed Thread poster: Emma Hradecka (X)
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Abba Storgen (X)
United States
Local time: 04:08
Greek to English
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| Socializes with laptops | Sep 7, 2009 |
Being firm about your office hours is the correct (and also politically correct) advice.
The problem you' re facing made me also rethink the whole issue of an entire new generation who have become people completely stuck in front of small glowing devices. Overall benefit? Absolutely none (except to the people who invented the social networks and became very rich).
I'm 41 years old, and normally I should be the one "in awe" with computers, but I'm not. My advantage? I wa... See more Being firm about your office hours is the correct (and also politically correct) advice.
The problem you' re facing made me also rethink the whole issue of an entire new generation who have become people completely stuck in front of small glowing devices. Overall benefit? Absolutely none (except to the people who invented the social networks and became very rich).
I'm 41 years old, and normally I should be the one "in awe" with computers, but I'm not. My advantage? I was there when it started, so I know they' re just tools. Then, when I go to the local Starbucks for coffee, I see a bunch of people socializing with laptops, not with other people. "Socializes with laptops" could be the Native American name of this generation (such as "dances with wolves").
Anyway, besides all those personal thoughts, I believe that the advice others are giving you about defining your office hours is the most appropriate. It wouldn't hurt also informing your client that "one (1) confirmation before each appointment is fine, but calls after work hours and on weekends will be charged at a minimum $30 per call".
I can't tell you how more simple and comfortable my life would have been if every email received and sent cost $1 to everyone. People would have more respect for it, they would write better, and they would avoid sending dozens of emails which, in most cases, contain useless information that steals time from me.
Also, you could double-check the image that you' re giving your clients. We all make such mistakes sometimes. Make sure you don't give the impression "whatever you want, Your Highness".
Once I didn't take her call at 10pm on Sunday because I was really tired and I knew she was going to talk about "nothing" for 30 minutes, and she sent me a message telling me I was not being professional.
First of all, you don't have to defend yourself by saying "because I was really tired". You don't have to give a reason. You are right, she was wrong. The overall case sounds like your client probably suffered from a serious mental disease.
I do not know if such cases are "normal" in other countries, but in the United States there are many people who would have called the police, go to court and issue a restraining order against the caller. Legally speaking, the grounds are sufficient.
[Edited at 2009-09-07 15:05 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Madalena TH (X)
Portugal
Local time: 10:08
English to Portuguese
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| Establish your own work policy and stick to it! | Sep 7, 2009 |
Dear Emma,
On my opinion you should establish a standard work policy, with rules that should be followed. You should gently, but firmly, send a message to your client with such rules and ask her to respect them. There are people who need to be heard and to talk, but time is money and your relationship is a professional one, so you can't waste time listening to a client who feels she must be heard by you! That's not ok, I think. Maybe you might make a sort of schedule for her calls, I don't... See more Dear Emma,
On my opinion you should establish a standard work policy, with rules that should be followed. You should gently, but firmly, send a message to your client with such rules and ask her to respect them. There are people who need to be heard and to talk, but time is money and your relationship is a professional one, so you can't waste time listening to a client who feels she must be heard by you! That's not ok, I think. Maybe you might make a sort of schedule for her calls, I don't know, two days before the session, for half an hour, one hour max.
But be firm! She is your client, but you're your boss, not her.
Best regards
Madalena Marcão ▲ Collapse
| | | | NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 05:08
Member (2002)
French to English
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Moderator of this forum | It's always darkest before the dawn | Sep 7, 2009 |
Countless books and articles exhort us to weed out toxic people from our lives. As Amy says, this is the only way to your own peace of mind.
You'll likely feel the greatest anxiety before the "break-up". A few weeks later, however, you'll appreciate how much more relaxed you are, and realise that cutting her out was the best possible action to take in this case.
Nancy
| | | | Paul Daubreu (X)
Local time: 11:08
French to German
+ ...
| Been there, seen that | Sep 12, 2009 |
Amy Duncan wrote:
I've had situations like this in my personal life, although not in my business life. People like this are emotional "stalkers" and for your own peace of mind you simply have to end it. In my experience there's no other way. Any other attempts at trying to get them to act "normal" are just a waste of time and will cause you more discomfort.
I can relate to this. One toxic communicator assumed that I had to be at their disposal whenever they had time or were on holidays (note: this one was employed by the French ministry of education, so "holidays" meant two weeks every two months). And it came to the point at which I could not stand it anymore, about 2-3 hours in a row when I had a deadline looming.
The worst part of it is being insulted simply because you have other fish to fry and cannot play the therapist or the entertainer for some person who lives around their navel .
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