Communicating with Clients in Different Time Zones
The title of this post says it all. As a freelance writer, there may be times when you have to communicate with clients in a different time zone. While this may not sound like a big deal, there are some things you have to be aware of.
To start, what is the difference in time? I have some clients that are only an hour behind my time. That being said, there are others, on the other side of the world, who are sleeping when I am working – and vice versa. As you can imagine, this makes communication and staying on the same page a bit more difficult.
Before you ever start working with a client in a different time zone make sure you discuss this potential problem. It is important that both parties are aware of what this will mean for the relationship. By knowing what you are getting into, things will work out much better in the long run. The last thing you want is to be at odds with a client because you cannot find a time to speak, or are having difficulties getting on the same schedule.
For clients that are three to five hours ahead or behind, communication is not much more difficult than usual. You can use email or phone – just make sure you keep the other person’s time zone in mind. A situation in which a client is five or more hours ahead or behind, more planning and discussion is necessary.
You can find a way to communicate with a client, no matter what time zone they are in. You just need to make sure that everybody involved is aware of this difference, and is willing to make the relationship work.
