We live in an era of constant connectivity, instant messaging, and smart phones, and it seems as though this has caused us to lose sight of some simple concepts, such as patience, respect for the time of others and good manners.
Too many times people call outside of normal working hours for an “emergency” and begin the conversation with “sorry to call on your day off or after hours but”, we have also experienced the situation where a person sends an email at 3 a.m. and at 8 a.m. they are following up with a call because they did not receive a response. Further, I am sure many of us can relate to the call you receive during a meeting and the person begins their message by saying they called the office and heard that you were attending a meeting.
All of the above instances are not only frustrating for the person on the receiving end, but also bad manners and in poor taste on the part of the client. While there is nothing wrong with expecting, and further demanding timely responses to queries, or requiring that service providers provide you with a high standard of service, there is a problem when you expect that this will occur instantly. For example, information technology professionals complain that their clients seem unaware of appropriate call times, that is, if their system crashes at 2 a.m., they place the call at 2 a.m. with no consideration given to the inappropriate time.
What can this wave of poor etiquette be attributed to? Instant gratification, of course! We now live in a world of transactions and interactions which occur in moments. We shop online and get instant notifications of our shipments, 24 hour call centres cater to our queries at any hour of the day, and email responses are issued almost as quickly as the email is received. Therefore, the expectations have been made and the consumer has now come to believe that these are norms regardless of the organisation.
One needs to be aware of the organisation in question, the nature of the relationship with the individual, as well as the magnitude of the query/issue. Calling the paediatrician at 12 a.m. because your child has fallen and you suspect his or her arm is broken may be acceptable.
However, calling your attorney at that time regarding a contractual clause is not. There is no black and white in these scenarios, but more so shades of gray, which cause each circumstance to be unique and turn on the facts to determine whether it is appropriate or inappropriate.
That being stated, how then can we get back to the point where we respect the personal time of others, but still expect and receive timely service? Here are a few tips on how to strike that balance between the two extremes:
Refrain from calling people outside of working hours unless you have established that type of relationship. There are some people who prefer to deal with certain matters outside of normal working hours. In a situation such as this, however, do not make it a habit. A person may make an exception on one occasion only, and therefore it’s always best to follow their lead.
Sending an email at an unorthodox hour is acceptable once you are not expecting a response immediately. It is also important to be aware that the email sent at 3 a.m. may not be answered first thing in the morning either, and that is okay. People may be in the email queue before you. A good rule of thumb for follow-up when the individual has not given you a timeline is two hours. If the matter was urgent, then a call is more appropriate as a first point of contact.
Establish clear timelines for projects from the beginning as no one likes to be micro managed or receive calls every hour. By doing so, both parties will have outlined their expectations and will know realistically what they can expect.
Place yourself in the other person’s shoes, would you like to receive a work-related call while on holiday, in the gym or on while at home sick? The answer to this question is most likely no, and therefore, resist the urge to call, text or email. Do unto others!
You must ask yourself, after I receive the response, can I action it now, or do I have to wait until tomorrow? If the answer is wait, then your query could also have waited.
We have a long way to go to return to days of old, when persons were not constantly accessible and patience was key. However, it is important to remain professional and in keeping with acceptable standards of etiquette. No crisis is so important that you must trample on a person’s personal time and damage key relationships. Even in those situations where a person has failed to complete a task or respond to a query, it is essential to maintain high levels of professionalism at all times.
Let us stop expecting instant gratification and get back to mutual respect and recognition of boundaries and personal space.