Poll: Do you turn off your phone if you are racing against the clock to complete a project? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you turn off your phone if you are racing against the clock to complete a project?".
This poll was originally submitted by Anne-Sophie Cardinal. View the poll results »
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My customers always contact me by email. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I received a phone call from a customer. In general, if the phone rings it’s either one of my children, my friends or… a sales call! Anyway, I tend to answer right away. More often than not I do not have to race against the clock to complete a project and I'm even known to deliver before the deadline...
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:31
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Yes sometimes | Oct 19, 2014 |
And not only when "racing against time", but simply in general when working. I much prefer to deal with clients by e-mail, as it gives me time to think. And interruptions may not always be work-related. For example, cold callers trying to get me to change my telephone or Internet provider, insurance, etc. So, I tend to leave my phone switched off quite often. I can always check up on the missed calls and messages etc when I turn it back on.
Just last week, one client managed to catc... See more And not only when "racing against time", but simply in general when working. I much prefer to deal with clients by e-mail, as it gives me time to think. And interruptions may not always be work-related. For example, cold callers trying to get me to change my telephone or Internet provider, insurance, etc. So, I tend to leave my phone switched off quite often. I can always check up on the missed calls and messages etc when I turn it back on.
Just last week, one client managed to catch me on the phone and told me he'd been trying to get hold of me all morning. I explained that when my phone is switched off it is probably because I am so busy because I am in such great demand and that it is usually quicker and easier to get in touch with me by e-mail. He accepted my explanation.
[Edited at 2014-10-19 10:28 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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My clients don't phone me, so I don't have to.
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| Nope, not the phone... | Oct 19, 2014 |
Because like everyone else who answered the poll, my customers rarely call me, our communication is mostly e-mail exchange. What I do when I'm busy is get off Skype. I have several customers on Skype, and in the few occasions I'm projectless that's where they'll find me
| | | | Thayenga 
Germany
Local time: 11:31
Member (2009)
English to German
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| Yes, sometimes | Oct 19, 2014 |
I close my browser.... because like most of us here, my client contact me through email. A phone call is a rare exception.
| | | | Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 03:31
Dutch to English
+ ...
| No phone period | Oct 19, 2014 |
I have call display on my phone. I answer only if it's my family. Friends I call back later. Any other calls I don't answer at all. If someone really needs to speak me, they can leave a message. Translation clients know that they should communicate with by email (and send me the document right away).
| | | | | I don't answer it | Oct 20, 2014 |
I screen all my calls through the answering machine. I turn it off if I'm really concentrating because even the fact that it rings is a distraction.
Like others, I prefer to do business by e-mail, especially because it ensures that everything is in writing. I seldom communicate with my clients by phone.
Since I don't have family in town, I don't feel obligated to be at people's beck and call. In fact, the telephone is not my favorite invention. The fact that people exp... See more I screen all my calls through the answering machine. I turn it off if I'm really concentrating because even the fact that it rings is a distraction.
Like others, I prefer to do business by e-mail, especially because it ensures that everything is in writing. I seldom communicate with my clients by phone.
Since I don't have family in town, I don't feel obligated to be at people's beck and call. In fact, the telephone is not my favorite invention. The fact that people expect me to drop everything when they want to talk with me feels like an invasion of my privacy. I make appointments to talk with the people I care about. ▲ Collapse
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Rebecca Garber
Local time: 05:31
Member (2005)
German to English
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My deadlines are for the next morning in Europe, so my "races" take place after 10pm at night. No one rational calls at that time, and, as everyone else has said, I only communicate with clients via email.
So it's simply not needed.
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