Navigating Communication Tools and Availability as a Freelancer
Juggling communication across multiple clients is a constant struggle for freelancers. Learning new platforms with each engagement and coordinating busy schedules quickly becomes overwhelming. At the same time, managers hiring freelance talent often lack empathy for these challenges. They assume external team members can simply conform to existing ways of working without a hitch.
This misalignment leads to no shortage of headaches including redundant meetings, scheduling mix-ups, and impaired productivity. But it doesn’t have to be this complex! By establishing clear communication norms upfront and codifying availability, freelancers and hiring managers can vastly simplify coordination.
With the right frameworks in place, distributed teams can collaborate seamlessly across companies, time zones, and preferences. Here’s some tangible solutions for reducing friction around critical logistics when working with freelance talent:
Onboarding Freelancers Onto New Communication Tools
As a freelancer brought onto a new client engagement, one of your first tasks is ramping up on whatever suite of apps and platforms comprised that company’s tech stack. Between Slack, Asana, Jira, and countless other SaaS products out there, you likely have to learn the ins and outs of new systems with each new client.
Similarly, managers hiring freelancers often wrongly assume their existing way of doing things translates seamlessly to outside talent. Just because your internal employees have used Zoom for years doesn’t mean every freelancer has the same familiarity.
The result is often friction on both ends - freelancers struggling to adapt quickly enough and managers without empathy for the learning curve.
Here are some best practices to smooth the transition:
For Managers
Build in ample onboarding time for freelancers to get acquainted with internal platforms
Designate ambassadors to provide extra support in getting freelancers up to speed
Offer sandbox/testing environments whenever possible
For Freelancers
Ask clients clarifying questions if ever unsure about a tool’s usage
Proactively seek documentation or tutorials if needing more self-education
Have clients demonstrate workflows rather than just explain them verbally
While freelancers must have flexibility to adapt to new systems frequently, managers also need empathy regarding the ramp up time needed to become productive.
Managing Availability Across Multiple Workstreams
Beyond tools, scheduling and communication norms also often become sticking points in freelancer-client relationships. Learning to align on availability and meeting practices takes conscious effort on both sides.
Freelancers working with multiple clients have the added complexity of managing availability across different organizations and workstreams simultaneously. Time needs to be both protected and flexible in parallel.
Similarly, managers may wrongly assume freelancers can readily jump on calls whenever needed on a moment’s notice. Yet constant impromptu meetings undermine a freelancer’s ability to make meaningful progress or prepare properly for discussions.
Some tips for making this dynamic work:
For Managers:
Before scheduling a meeting, check in with a freelancer on current availability
Build in at least 24-48 hours notice for meeting requests when possible
Establish communication rhythms and be thoughtful when needing exceptions
For Freelancers:
Utilize calendar sharing and visibility settings judiciously so clients see availability
When overbooked, proactively communicate schedule constraints transparently
Model excellent calendar hygiene practices regardless of client behavior
Getting in alignment around availability ultimately comes down to mutual understanding. Freelancers must protect their time and capacity appropriately while also demonstrating flexibility. Simultaneously, managers need awareness around making requests reasonably and respectfully.
With some concerted effort by both parties, having a distributed work arrangement doesn’t need to mean chaos when it comes to organizing talks or collaborating asynchronously. It’s about figuring out new norms and rhythms that work for all.
The Takeaway
Achieving open and effective communication practices takes willingness from both freelancers and managers when collaborating. Freelancers must demonstrate adaptability to new tools and systems while also clearly conveying availability and constraints across their portfolio of clients.
Simultaneously, managers should onboard external team members thoroughly, empathize with inherent challenges, and make reasonable requests around meetings and deliverables. It’s about establishing mutual understanding and balanced expectations.
With some concerted effort upfront to get in rhythm, freelancer-client engagements can thrive thanks to aligned ways of working rather than collapse under the weight of mismatched approaches.
By putting some of the tips outlined here into practice around communication tools and coordinating availability, major pain points can be smoothed out on both ends.
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