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Tips to Successfully Communicate with Clients By Email

Posted: 28 Jan 2010 07:46 AM PST

One of the most difficult ways to communicate with potential as well as existing clients is using email as a mode of communication. Most of the time freelancers make the mistake of using email as chat. Although chat or voice communication is often easier and preferred ways of communicating, there are just some people and situations who still prefer and insist on using email as the main mode of communication.

At first I didn't like how communication bounces on and off with one-liner questions that are passed which is really is a time-waster (I often end up losing jobs that way), but over time I had been able to adjust and learn this kind of communication.

There are always advantages and disadvantages to each mode of communication. Email communication can be too formal that it sets distance between a freelancer and the client – which is a lot different when during chat conversations where the freelancer and the client can still do small talk before discussing business. However, the distinct advantage of email is that, unlike chat conversations, you aren’t much pressured into doing things at the spur of the moment.

Email Interviews

Discuss the project outright. Instead of asking the first question that comes into your mind, come up with a set of specific questions about the project. It is better to make a list and ask these in just a single piece of email.
Boasting one's accomplishments and skills is unnecessary at the interview stage since the client had already reviewed your resume and had picked you out from dozens of applicants. Show more interest in the projects by asking questions (as discussed above).
As the expert considered for the project, try to address the issues/problems of the project. What will be the steps that you plan to do? However, be careful not to spread yourself out too thin with too much information that the client can just decide to do the job himself.
At most respond to emails within 48 hours. If you cannot answer the question just inform that you had received the message and will be replying at the shortest possible time.

Job Assignments

Get into the specifics of the project. Just like what was done in the email interview, it helps to ask a detailed set of instructions from the client.
For work done, try to inform that about the work done even if the job was left unfinished.
Follow the 48-hour communication rule like that in the email interviews, most especially for new clients.
If there are problems with the project, discuss this with the client at the soonest possible time over email.
Don’t forget to suggest improvements for the project too.

All the tips above are what I've definitely learned from simply communicating with clients simply through email. Those are the hard lessons I've learned myself.

Have you encountered clients who insist on using emails instead of chat or voice communication? Have you got any additional tips to add for this mode of communication? Or would you rather just walk away?

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