Phone or Email

What is the preferred means of correspondence of people on here when dealing with clients?

My colleague here is on the phone the entire time to clients while I barely make a call a day.

If I could get away with using email all the time I would. I hate using the phone as I generally turn to mush and let the client walk all over me.

On emails though I can be quite a bastard. In fact twice people have complained about my ā€˜toneā€™ on such mails.

You turn to mush on the phone? I wouldnā€™t have though that would happen to you farmer?

Email is definitely my preferred means though when it comes to regular stuff. If I want to rip into someone though itā€™s the phone all the way. Much more fun hearing the other persons voice as they tremble in fear.

If someone is clearly taking the piss then I have no problem giving them a ring and telling them. But itā€™s those middle areas that can be messy. Perhaps I can see it from their point of view - fook off and leave me alone.

Clarkey revealed an interesting thing to me recently. He said that he was thinking of making a complaint to the manager of an auditor who had been breaking his balls for the previous few days. This is the same guy who probably had been harassing some poor fooker in his previous life on the other side.

[quote=ā€œfarmerinthecityā€]What is the preferred means of correspondence of people on here when dealing with clients?

My colleague here is on the phone the entire time to clients while I barely make a call a day.

If I could get away with using email all the time I would. I hate using the phone as I generally turn to mush and let the client walk all over me.

On emails though I can be quite a bastard. In fact twice people have complained about my ā€˜toneā€™ on such mails.[/quote]

This ties in to what I was about to post. Iā€™m considering my course of action over a guy I emailed looking for portfolio valuation statements. Weā€™re a client of this company and have 3 accounts with them. Luckily I emailed him in all cases. Iā€™ve compiled a chronology and am considering trying to go over his head to his boss.

17 December - requested portfolio statements to be sent as close to the start of the new year as possible.
10 January - hadnā€™t had a response so emailed again.
14 January - he sent a statement fo one of the accounts. I emailed back to ask about the other 2.
22 January - no repsonse on the other 2 so emailed again.
1 Feb - no response so emailed again. He responded to say he was out of the office but would reply on Monday.
5 Feb - by Tuesday he hadnā€™t replied so I emailed him again. He replied with one of the two remaining statements and said he couldnā€™t find the other. He asked if I had more info on the o/s account so i sent him more info and havenā€™t heard back.

Now Iā€™m rightly pissed and want his blood.

You want his blood? That can be arranged

Itā€™s funny because as I tyeped that I thought of sending you round.

Flano?

I would be more afraid of you to be honestā€¦

Itā€™s not me you should be afraid of. Itā€™s the knife and baseball bat in my hands that should be the worry http://www.thefreekick.com/vbforum/images/icons/icon10.gif

I only use the phone in extremely urgent cases and rely almost exclusively on email. A lot of the interaction I have with clients is about banal housekeeping type things and to ring up about this type of stuff is fairly unnecessary when I can just request it over email and then have the document sent back to me. I donā€™t enjoy small talk at the best of times so a quick, concise email generally does the job. My tone is always respectful though, unlike Farmer.

This suprises me Bandage as youā€™ve always struck me as the type of lad whoā€™d get on with anyone. Plenty of banter as long as itā€™s Celtic/Home+away/gambling related. Iā€™d have thought those soft southeastern dulcet tones might melt the heart of anyone.

That is all true Juhniallio. I can charm, charm them all but I like to retain an air of formality and professional distance. These people are not my friends and Iā€™m only contacting them to serve my masters.

[quote=ā€œfarmerinthecityā€]
Clarkey revealed an interesting thing to me recently. He said that he was thinking of making a complaint to the manager of an auditor who had been breaking his balls for the previous few days. This is the same guy who probably had been harassing some poor fooker in his previous life on the other side.[/quote]

Did I? What was the context or did you just make this up?

Think we were in Supermacs. The night of The Sackville Lounge and The Flowing Tide

May have said something quite positive (wink, nudge) but never said I was going to give out about her to her manager.

Auditors are pretty stupid though and Iā€™d hold my hands up and say I was when I was an auditor. You go into a company you know nothing about and ask stupid questions because you donā€™t know anything. Iā€™m not blaming anybody just saying thatā€™s how it is. I donā€™t expect anybody to be divinely inspired.

BTW, change in the name in your above post please Farmer.

Auditors are rides.

I do e-mail and phone, depending on who it is really. I get complimented on the tone of my e-mails regularly, generally do things that way if Iā€™ve a choice.

[quote=ā€œSledgehammerā€]Auditors are rides.
[/quote]

:eek:

Clarkey I donā€™t know what your experience of auditing is but it is healthy for a fresh pair of eyes to look at things, professional skepticism and all that. If you were doing the same thing every year clients could more easily get things by you.

Iā€™m referring to the females here Flingoā€¦

I assumed so but youā€™ve got to be clear.