{4:15 minutes to read} How does phoneBlogger remind its clients of publication deadlines, approvals, and appointments?
Like every business, we walk a fine line between being a nuisance and being diligent when communicating with our clients. I was speaking a week or so ago with one of our editors about reminding me, and other clients, about something important. In this particular case, she was reminding me to review a newsletter that needed my approval.
In a remarkable coincidence, it came to mind that sometimes people just hate to be reminded.
Accountability Partners
The phoneBlogger.net service was created in part as an accountability partnership with our clients. While we help our clients with a lot of things, and they are certainly the authors of their work, in many cases we’re dependent upon them to get certain things done. Some of the most important tasks that only the client can perform include approving blog articles and newsletters and providing their contact lists.
There is no way we can be an accountability partner if we only send a reminder or request once—and then do nothing more while awaiting a reply (for days or weeks, even). At that point, what are our choices? We can either allow the work to not get done and allow the publishing schedule to keep slipping, or we can remind them again, oftentimes, several more times than that.
So sometimes we have to remind and remind some more.
On occasion, I think our staff can start to feel bad about having to remind clients, frequently 2, 3 or more times. We don’t really see a choice, though; it’s something we simply have to do. Where the choice lies, perhaps, is in asking each client: “How frequently should we remind you?”
We are all busy and have a lot going on. I’ve often said that if it’s not in my schedule, it’s not going to happen. The reality is lots of things that aren’t in my schedule do happen because I’ve gotten some kind of reminder—whether in the form of email, text message, or a phone call—prompting me to do something that needs to be taken care of or a decision that I need to make.
The entire phoneBlogger.net staff has my permission to send me reminders. If I don’t respond to them on the same day, in fact, I expect them to remind me again. They all know that I sometimes I need to be reminded—more than once.
In no way is reminding intended to annoy, irritate, or frustrate. Most of us simply need reminding. Plus, it’s our job; we feel pretty much like we have to.
We’re here to help you get your articles written, published, and syndicated through your social media channels and your newsletters. The only way we can do that is with your approval.
We’d like your permission—and if you don’t grant it, that’s fine—to reach out to you, in any way possible, if you’re not responsive to our initial request. We don’t mind doing it, but sometimes we feel bad about it. We put ourselves in the client’s shoes and think, “I’d be annoyed if I received all of these messages.”
But the fact is that most of our clients appreciate the reminders and ask us for them. They like and recognize the need for accountability.
Please realize that we’re trying to move you forward because we presume that’s a big part of why you are working with us in the first place.
How can we improve our approach to reminding you?
Mark Bullock
Telephone: (631) 754-0800
Email: Mark@phoneBlogger.net
Website:phoneBlogger.net
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