We all participate in an 24/7 Online, Web enabled, Social Media controlled shop front by virtue of belonging to various online resources.
We feel comfortable posting updates on Facebook & LinkedIn, Tweeting our latest activity at any time that suits us.
It's become our "shop-front" - as a business we set out our stall, dress it up and offer products and services that members of the public can see, investigate, consider and importantly allows potential & existing clients to interact with us.
However, how many of us stop and think about what we are doing and the expectations we set online ?
Do you set out your terms of service?
Do you define when and how you can be contacted ?
How many have their 'service' hours on their website?
Do you then set unrealistic 'expectations' by Tweeting etc at all hours?
Do you allow and only respond to certain interactions?
What happens if potential client contact you 'outside' of your expectations?
Do you get annoyed with them even though you have led them up that path ?
Do you still service them?
I was discussing this with a client on Friday as they had just started to use Twitter and were somewhat surprised when someone started to interact with them over a property enquiry. They had to switch 'channels' to email and the phone to continue this 'digital' conversation. The problem was the time line..... The phone interaction was tied by office hours (ie 6pm), yet they had engaged the prospect online in social media with the implication they could reach and ask questions 24/7.
.........So, do we need to look at it from the client's side?
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If you run your own business, dealing with client contact outside of the working day is essential, and you should tailor it around your life without it interfering. Some of my most valued clients know to call for non-urgent things when it's pouring with rain, for instance, and they all learn very early on that calling be between 14:00 and 14:15 on a weekday is going to lead to the contract being terminated!
The advances in the last few years have made dealing with overseas clients far simpler, receiving emails with requests for quotes whilst out and about saves masses of time for both client and contractor,it's all far easier than it was when I started out. Email is a geniune life-changer, as was the mobile phone: we were able to do without a full-time member of staff manning the phones when we got our first "brick", despite it costing what would be a fortune today.
Whether social media creates a monster, I don't know, but it could well do. I don't want my new-found social networking with friends and family to include work: it's my own time. I think you raise a very valid point in clients seeing you "available" at all hours if you're tweeting, or even posting on LJN, and expecting you to respond to them immediately. It's harder to seperate work from home life in some respects, and that's a bad thing IMO.