Texting With Clients
If you own your business or have some flexibility with your employer, you can decide whether or not to allow clients to text you.
I do not allow clients to text me about event planning tasks until the day of the wedding or event. It just doesn’t jive with my work flow. Also, we had clients in the past who would text us at 11pm at night with random wedding planning ideas or questions.
If you love to text or have clients who prefer text messaging, here are a few options to help you keep track of the communication:
1. Email your text messages. Use txtdrop (a free service) to send a text to your clients. Their reply will go to your email so that you can keep track of the conversation.
2. Find out which company they use for phone services and text clients through email using this chart:
- (Sprint) phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
- (Verizon) phonenumber@vtext.com
- (T-Mobile) phonenumber@tmomail.net
- (AT&T) phonenumber@txt.att.net
For example, if my client uses AT&T, I would compose a new email and send to clientphonenumber@txt.att.net as the recipient email. Then I would input the subject and text as normal. Keep in mind that text messages are limited to 160 characters so don’t send lengthy messages if you can help it.
3. Set the expectation in your contract about texting. If it works for you to text clients, you can set the expectation that clients are welcome to communicate via text during regular work hours (from 9am-5pm or whatever works for you). You can also set the expectation that you prefer email communication over texting.
Do you allow clients to text you?
This is a really fine line. An aspect of my business that I LOVE is that my clients are also friends, or they become like friends during the planning process. That being said, I want to treat them like a friend and be available when they need me!
However, in my personal life I try to put my phone away, or at least stop looking at it after dinner. This allows me to spend more quality time with my family and less in front of screens. Sometimes I’ll get a text from a client and just wait to respond until the next day, or send something like “I’ll get back with you on this in the morning!” Because I don’t want to be a “slave” to my clients, friends, business or anyone. Sometimes I just have to decide when to say when and take a deep breath. However, I am afraid of hurting clients’ feelings or letting them down in some way if I don’t text or call back right away.
Thanks for sharing your experience Rachel. I love having my clients as friends too but I had to draw the line with texting. It sounds like you know what works for you and when to draw the line between personal time and work time. I appreciate you taking time to comment!
Thank you for your post! I do allow my clients to text me. Sometime it’s easlier for them, since most of them work full-time jobs and are contacting me while they are at work. If it works for them it works for me. So far, it is all under control, but if texting start getting out of control and if I start receiving late night texts, then I will have to think about changing my texting guidelines. Thanks
Thank you for your comment Elaine!
I just love how you posted this article about texting back and forth with clients. I have so many clients who would prefer texting. However, the website you gave us will really help. Also, I have been thinking of adding my texting guidelines to my contracts. Thanks again for another awesome article to help us out 🙂
Thank you for the comment Lauren! I really appreciate your opinion and am glad this was helpful for you.
Thank you so much for this post. I am being overly accommodating to a current client and the texting is getting out of control. At any given moment, there are questions and now that the wedding is within 30 days, there are often attempts to try to debate the events that will take place. This one bride has made me revisit and add disclaimers to my contract, so that moving forward, I can offer my clients, the best possible version of me!
Thank you again. The chart provided is an excellent tool if a client insists or regularly uses text messaging versus email or a phone call.
Thank you for the comment Dana. We have also added clauses to our contract after encountering clients with unrealistic expectations.