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We haven't missed any deadlines, but the person is sending an email asking "How are things progressing?" every 4 hours or so. Sometimes though, we're working on another project and in the last 4 hours didn't work on their project at all.

From previous clients, I've learned that saying you've been working on another project only brings irritation on their part. Is there a nice way to them we've got other clients to worry about as well?

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5 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

I've learned that saying you've been working on another project only brings irritation on their part. Is there a nice way to them we've got other clients to worry about as well?

It is just possible that you are not providing the client with any comfort level on your progress, and all customers reasonably want to know how things are going. I recommend scheduling regular status reports, meetings or phone conferences - schedule similar to appointments with the client, so that the client cannot claim that you are not giving them access. Do this at the frequency that works for you. And do not miss those appointments.

Now, the rest of this is assuming that you have done this but the behavior persists.

You just tell them that you cannot continue to accept calls at this frequency, and you tell them what reporting interval that you intend to keep. You may consider dumping the entire project if the client persists.

There are clients around who demand to treat freelancers and contractors like their personal servants or their full time staff. They expect you to "report in" like an employee and they expect employee like hours kept that give them complete access during all normal business hours. And they expect exclusivity like an employer.

The key problem is that they are simply not paying for this type of relationship.

These expectations are absolutely invalid for a contractor and legally isn't even allowed in the US. A contractor who allows the client to control their work schedule and clientele is theoretically at risk for reclassification as an employee. Search for "IRS twenty questions" elsewhere which explains the topic.

Note especially that many clients are simply unaware of the difference between employees and contractors, and will laugh off your push-back.

Most freelancing and consulting experts recommend to identify such clients early and not do business with them at all, and that they are "C" quality level clients that you take on only if you need the business. You can push back but generally the behavior is uncorrectable.

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I wasn't even aware that employee like expectations from a contractor was illegal. At every software development firm I have worked they would certainly lead you to believe (and quite unapologetically) that you have the same expectations as an employee. They tend to view contractors as an expensive temporary servant that they can get rid of risk-free, and that they wish to squeeze every dollars worth of productivity out of. – maple_shaft Nov 17 '11 at 20:53
Please Google for the "20 questions" for more info. My answer is applicable to a stand-alone, external contracting company whose agreement with the client explicitly does not specify that someone from the firm will come in to code for 8 hours a day. What you are saying is how most on-site contractors are actually treated - purely as temps who have to follow the routine followed by all the employees. It's not really illegal, but is crosses a distinct line that the IRS has set for what is considered a contractor. But virtually ALL contracting companies mandate this, even for their 1099s. – user2757 Nov 17 '11 at 22:54
Also, if you yourself are an employee, by IRS rules you are not a contractor -not a vendor- to anyone. You're an employee and you can be controlled as appropriate. This applies specifically if you are an employee of a consulting company that places you with a client. If, however, you are working for the contracting company as a sole proprietor (1099) or through your own corporation, then (by IRS rules) you should not be managed like one of the end client's employees in any way. However, this is mass hypocrisy on the part of "the system" - everyone expects you to be "the temp" regardless. – user2757 Nov 17 '11 at 23:04
So true about the hypocrisy. The software developer employees always make far less than their contractor counterparts and they are many times just as quickly expendable. It sort of invalidates the argument that employee types seem to have that employment is more stable than contracting. Even when accounting for a contractor seeking out their own health insurance, they still tend to make considerably more and with the new health care law, insurance companies won't be able to drop you for pre-existing conditions. So I really don't see any advantage that employees truly have anymore. – maple_shaft Nov 18 '11 at 11:54
up vote 2 down vote

You don't need to tell them anything about other clients. That is commercial information anyway, so not appropriate to share.

However, calling every four hours does seem excessive. Maybe tell them you'll email over a daily progress report instead, as taking the calls is causing too many interruptions. Best idea is to find out why they feel the need to call so often.

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up vote 1 down vote

You could use social engineering to change the client's behaviors. Setup a weekly or bi-daily update schedule where you communicate recent progress to the customer.

You certainly can not have customers emailing you every four hours. I don't believe its your client's business to know how many projects you are working on, how many clients you have, or who you're working for right now, as long as you meeting the specifications of any contracts that you have.

From previous clients, I've learned that saying you've been working on another project only brings irritation on their part. Is there a nice way to them we've got other clients to worry about as well?

Sounds like good advice.

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up vote 1 down vote

Handle it from the other side. This is not about other clients - it is about calling every 4 hours. Would the client call his lawyer every 4 hours? No.

Explain the client yuo gladly invoice him for an hour every time he calls and interrupts the work stream of the people. Meeetings are ok - every 4 hours is a nuisance.

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up vote 0 down vote

Give each client an exact time and date when you will send the next status report. Then if they still call you, I've sometimes said: "I'll be working on that part of the project from 3pm to 5pm today". Both these actions tell them you are organized, actually working on their project, and also subtly tells them they are not paying for 100% of your time.

If, after that, the client is still calling you for a status report it means they want to hurry you up, but they don't feel comfortable telling you directly. Perhaps their client/boss is calling them every hour. Yep, it could be they are just nice. If you think this, try and shuffle things around to move their project along more quickly. Then for the next project offer them two pricing choices: the normal one, and a premium price for an earlier delivery.

If you don't want to be treated like an employee, act like a business!

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