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Poll: Do you follow-up your quotations by phone?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 30, 2015

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you follow-up your quotations by phone?".

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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 05:35
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Aug 30, 2015

This query entails too many assumptions.

 
Venkatesh Sundaram
Venkatesh Sundaram  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 09:05
German to English
Only sometimes Aug 30, 2015

Only if the project is very interesting and I would like very much to be part of it

 
Mert Öztaş
Mert Öztaş  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 06:35
English to Turkish
+ ...
Yes Aug 30, 2015

And that's why a mobile app -at least a mobile version of the site- would be much appreciated.

 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:35
Hebrew to English
Why would you do that? Aug 30, 2015

I'm more interested in wondering why they hyphenated 'follow up' when being used as a verb.

 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 12:35
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
No Aug 30, 2015

I don't issue quotations or estimates.

Besides, I don't want to get into a "he said, she said" kind of argument with a customer or client over something said over the phone. The moral of the story - always leave a paper trail, which these days means e-mail correspondence.


 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:35
Hebrew to English
Well said. Aug 30, 2015

Julian Holmes wrote:
I don't want to get into a "he said, she said" kind of argument with a customer or client over something said over the phone. The moral of the story - always leave a paper trail, which these days means e-mail correspondence.


... [nothing to add].


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 05:35
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
No Aug 30, 2015

I don't see why I should>
[Edited at 2015-08-30 14:01 GMT]

[Edited at 2015-08-30 14:02 GMT]


 
TB CommuniCAT
TB CommuniCAT  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 23:35
English to French
same here Aug 30, 2015

This:

Venkatesh Sundaram wrote:

Only if the project is very interesting and I would like very much to be part of it


 
Erzsébet Czopyk
Erzsébet Czopyk  Identity Verified
Hungary
Local time: 05:35
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Dixi Aug 30, 2015

Julian Holmes wrote:

I don't issue quotations or estimates.

Besides, I don't want to get into a "he said, she said" kind of argument with a customer or client over something said over the phone. The moral of the story - always leave a paper trail, which these days means e-mail correspondence.


Exactly. Sometimes they can even let the secretary sign the order then send it, accept the job and... then refuse a payment, saying, the boss did not sign the order... E-mail correspondence and signed/scanned orders are Ok. The question is a bit strange...


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
Zing! Aug 30, 2015

Ty Kendall wrote:

I'm more interested in wondering why they hyphenated 'follow up' when being used as a verb.


It's not only the ones whose native language is not English who stumble on this silly practice of hyphenating an expression when using it as a verb, but also the native English speakers who, despite their best efforts, ought to have no business writing documents in the first place.

I used to make fun of those English instructions for products made in China, but now I direct my mocking to my fellow Americans who write the brochures, health plans and other technical documents that I end up translating.


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
Ditto Aug 30, 2015

Julian Holmes wrote:

I don't issue quotations or estimates.

Besides, I don't want to get into a "he said, she said" kind of argument with a customer or client over something said over the phone. The moral of the story - always leave a paper trail, which these days means e-mail correspondence.


Exactly! I had a conversation with a client last week. We had exchanged emails on an upcoming project, and he continued the exchange on the phone. I insisted that we leave a paper trail of any decisions made by phone.


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 23:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
We also missed “quotations” Aug 30, 2015

I never give quotations, unless I'm writing a white paper, blogging or otherwise endeavoring to commit my thoughts on paper. And I also try to remember to put my quotations between quotation marks: “ and ”

Now, I do submit quotes or estimates upon request, always in writing, as my esteemed colleagues here have indicated.


 
Christelle P
Christelle P  Identity Verified
France
English to French
+ ...
yes Aug 30, 2015

a few comments here are really haughty and not too friendly. Calm down, we are among colleagues here, there is no prize to win...

I do follow up with quotes on the phone sometimes, a conversation can be more convenient at times and it can be faster, avoid a quick exchange of short emails that would interrupt me while I'm working on the current project. Talking on the phone doesn't mean there is no brief confirmation email afterwards ! "as discussed, xxx words for xx/xx/xxxx = xxxx�
... See more
a few comments here are really haughty and not too friendly. Calm down, we are among colleagues here, there is no prize to win...

I do follow up with quotes on the phone sometimes, a conversation can be more convenient at times and it can be faster, avoid a quick exchange of short emails that would interrupt me while I'm working on the current project. Talking on the phone doesn't mean there is no brief confirmation email afterwards ! "as discussed, xxx words for xx/xx/xxxx = xxxx€ . Confirmed"
Also, though I don't have the 10+ years experience (yet), I have learnt a few things, not all clients work the same way: some are easier to reach or understand over the phone, some work exclusively with emails, others I know well enough now to allow myself to call them directly without fear of disturbing or coming as insisting ... it's also a question of personality I guess.

I don't understand why some of you are so shocked that the follow-up could be done over the phone, I don't consider doing that as being a mistake or displaying a lack of professionalism. Besides, a dishonest client will find a way out of paying the invoice even if a PO has been issued anyway..
Collapse


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 04:35
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
I hate the phone Aug 30, 2015

I think we should each do business the way that suits us best. If I speak to a client twice in one year then that's a lot! My clients reserve it for when I haven't replied to an email alerting me to an urgent job. I reserve it for when the deadline approaches and the client is not responding to my emails.

 
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Poll: Do you follow-up your quotations by phone?






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