Photo by Infrogmation

Here at Chemistry Communications, we spend much of our work day in this lovely creative zone. Graphics are created, websites get built, and everything flows really well. That is, until the phone starts ringing. Sometimes it’s a new client, inquiring about a project, sometimes it’s an existing client who has an urgent issue, but usually, it’s someone who has “just a quick question.” Now, consider what happens when 10 people have “just a quick question” every day… that adds up to chaos around here, and our work day is over too quick with not much work done.

More often than not, these queries could be sent to us via email. We check emails at certain times of day, when we can put our focus into taking care of each question or concern a client has. At that point, we can take some time to think about what the client needs, and write them a response that takes care of their query.

Here’s why email (or online project management systems) makes for better communication:

1. Our phone number doesn’t end up in the wrong hands Guess how many sales calls I get on my business line? Yup, that’s right, zero, nada, none! That’s because the smarmy sales guy can’t find my number. Woo!

2. Email can be tracked With email, who-said-what is spelled out right there in plain site. No confusion, no trying to remember exactly what shade of green that client wanted, no jotting rushed notes; everything I need to know is there. And the best part? I can forward an email on to my co-worker so he has access to the very same details that I do. No need to try and re-cap a phone call from my (admittedly, very poor) memory.

3.Email is easier to respond to I can respond to an email in two seconds if it’s a quick query. Ask me to return a phone call, however, and I need to find a block of time in my day when it is quiet, and I know I’m going to be at my desk with nothing else to take care of at that moment. If I’m out and about, in meetings, workshops, working in-house for a client or in many other scenarios, it might take a day or two for a call to be returned.

4. Productivity & Time-Management When a phone call interrupts my “creative flow,” I often come back to my work wondering where exactly I was when I left off. It takes a while to get back into the zone when this happens, wasting valuable time in my day. Juggling too many things at once can also mean that nothing gets done.

5. Better & More Accurate Response I’m an introverted personality, so I communicate better in writing then I do when speaking. During phone calls, I sometimes find myself getting cornered into things that I might not have agreed to, had I taken a few minutes to think on them. Email provides this breathing space, where I can really think about what I need to say. I can also use this breathing space to do a little research on an issue, if it’s something I feel needs backing-up, or to check my calendar to make sure an appointment date will work. I’ll also often think of things while I’m writing an email, that don’t have time to pop into my head during a phone call.

6. Phone calls use up billable time While I’m on a phone call, I’m not doing what I’m really here for – working on projects! Several phone calls in a day can easily take up an hour or more of my billable time. I have a clause in my contract/terms of service, which states that phone consultation in addition to the initial project kick-off meeting will be billed hourly. Though I try to be reasonable with clients and haven’t yet pulled this card, if I was put in a situation where one client’s calls were taking up large chunks of my day, I probably would need to start billing for these.

It’s very common for professional service providers of all kinds, to create no-phone-zone while they are working. Imagine what would happen if your doctor paused your physical exam to take a phone call! While many professionals, like Lawyers, Doctors and the like, have a receptionist or nurse who handles these calls for them, email works best for many consultants and communications professionals because we often don’t have a receptionist on staff who can take care of these things. We’re also often very detail-oriented, and detail gets lost in phone conversations where people start chatting & running off on tangents all over the place.

Here’s what we do instead:

1. We request that clients send us email if they have questions.

2. We are currently building a client management area which we will use for exchanging messages with clients to keep everything in one place, easy to use and refer to.

3. If a client needs to talk to us by phone because a query can’t be handled any other way, we ask them to pre-schedule the phone call. That way, we both know we will have a distraction-free slot of time in which to discuss the issue.

It is very likely that these arrangements have lost us a client or two along the way, usually the old-school types who are not very technology-savvy. But in these cases, I have to admit I’m not all that upset about it. Anyone who chooses not to work with us because of this is probably not a great fit for what we do.

Consider how your work day would change if you adopted an email-only policy. In what situations will email not be able to resolve an issue? Let us know in the comments!

photo by Giorgio Montersino

I read this great article by Seth Godin, called Goodbye to the Office, and I have to agree. What is so simply being said, is that there’s little, if any, need for the traditional office environment anymore. The recession of the last few years has prompted a shift to more teleworkers, contractors and self-employed people, who have discovered the freedom and flexibility of remote working, and who don’t have any desire to return to cubicle life.

Forward-thinking companies are already working with this shift, opening themselves up to remote workers and contractors. These companies will be the most successful in the coming age, as they also tend to be more advanced in other ways of thinking and working, which will lead them to progress in leaps and bounds ahead of the companies held back by “tradition.” The corporate world will have to follow-suit as we move into more flexible working styles, and it’s in their best interest to do so. Here’s why…

A corporate office’s main purposes are:

- a place for equipment

- a place for paperwork

- a place where the boss sits to keep an eye on his workers

- a place for meetings

- a place to talk to coworkers

- a place to give structure and purpose to the worker’s day

But all this isn’t relevant to our new workforce.

Why We Don’t Need the Traditional Office:

Results-Based - “Work” is shifting also from time-based evaluation, to results-based evaluation, where it’s not as relevant how much time a worker sits at his desk, as is the product of his work. This just makes sense. Why would an 8 hour day be standard, even required, if so much of that time is spent obsessively checking email, chatting on the phone, checking our friend’s Facebook status, making coffee, taking smoke breaks and all of these other irrelevant time-wasters? What if we work more quickly than our cubicle neighbour? Should we be penalized for our efficiency? If the work we do is what’s important, why is the timeframe we use for it relevant, as long as we continue to produce and meet our deadlines?

Digital Monitoring – If it is really important for our boss to keep track of us, he can use technology to do so, no matter if we are in the cubicle next to his, or half-way across the world. A simple check-in via email or project management system, and checking-off the tasks we complete, can allow our boss to see that we are being productive, without the need for hand-holding all the way through.

Meetings – How important are they, really? Couldn’t most of this information be supplied via email or Project Management System? What about conference calls? If face-to-face collaboration is really necessary, video conferencing is a great tool. I find that much more gets done in a meeting if it is in the digital space. Face-to-Face meetings mean everyone has to get to the meeting, chit-chat, get everything prepared, wait for people who are late, talk for ages about a concept that needs only a sentence or two…and so on. Face-time by its very nature, takes much more time than digital communication does. If the focus is on productivity, why do we have in-person meetings at all?

Tools - The tools of my work consist of a laptop and an internet connection. Sure, it’s handy to have some extras at times, like a notebook and some pens, a graphics tablet and a mobile phone, but I can even fit those in my laptop bag. I don’t need a fancy desk filled with supplies I’ll never use, or a desktop computer, or cabinets full of files I’ll never look up. All of my documents are stored digitally, safe from physical damage and easier to refer to. I communicate via email, Skype and Online Project Management Tools. I don’t need to see someone to collaborate with them.

Why We’re Better Off Without the Traditional Office:

Commuting – Why spend hours in traffic, or on trains or buses trying to get to somewhere that you don’t really want (or need) to be? The cost, energy and wasted time involved in commuting is unnecessary and draining.

Cost – Billions are spent each year maintaining fancy office buildings, IT Systems, Security, Office Supplies, Cleaners, Food & Drink for Workers, Utilities, and all that comes with the traditional office environment. How much of it is really necessary? If each worker in one office block worked from their own homes, would any of these expenses be incurred by the corporation? Not really. Perhaps the company would supply a laptop and a phone for each worker, but that’s about it. Imagine the money that could be saved!

Environment – Consider the environmental cost of the traditional office. All the paper that sits around, the lights that stay on all day and night, older buildings that leak energy and heat, worker vehicles idling in traffic for hours each morning, food that gets wasted, and it goes on!

Productivity – Remote workers can usually choose what times of the day they want to work. In these cases they can work with their natural rhythms. Some people work best in the morning, some in the afternoon, some at night, some at the wee hours of the morning. Why fight with your body to function between 9-5 because it is “supposed to” at this time. Isn’t it better to do more productive work at 3 am if this is what you know works best for you?

Flexibility- The “office” has damaged our work-life balance. So many of us feel like we don’t spend enough time with our families, or doing the activities we enjoy, or caring for ourselves. We spend more time working away, staring at a computer screen than having a real life. Remote working can allow us to re-arrange our working time to suit our lifestyles.

The Distracting Nature of Co-Workers – How many of us have been in a work environment with “that guy” who stops by your cubicle every time he has a question, or an irrellevant anecdote? How much time did you spend trying to politely shoo him from your doorway? Remote working means that we can choose our working environment, be it a home office, a coffee shop, a park, or a beach on the other side of the world. Many of us (myself included), collaborate with one or two coworkers, so, since I don’t need an office of 100+ keyboard-clickers to keep me motivated, I’d rather collaborate remotely with these people when I need to, and avoid the distraction of the others.

Independence- The “office” breeds boredom. Because we HAVE to be there for a set time each day, we instinctively want to get out. Yet, I can work in my home-office for much longer, and I never look at the clock. Why? Because it’s up to me. If I want to stop working, I can. If I want to do something else, somewhere else, I can. If my environment isn’t stimulating me that day, and I need a change of scenery, I can make that happen. I can work from France, or South Africa, or Thailand if I like, because my location is irrelevant, and my work is usually better when I am creatively stimulated by my surroundings.  The tools I need to work all fit in a shoulder bag, and as long as I have those, my office is anywhere I choose.

So, if you are interested in working with me, please be aware of my preference to work remotely, It offers so many benefits and is better for both of us. If you are a company who doesn’t yet allow your employees to work remotely, please consider what it would do for their morale, your costs, the environment, and so much more.