What do you think about out of office replies?

Dmitry

Howdy friends!
A lot of freelancers use automatic out of office replies when going on vacation or while travelling. I personally never use one because most of the time I try to stay connected anywhere I go. I believe this helps me be more approachable and even if I can't take a project I could personally recommend someone besed on prospective client's needs or at very least ask them if it would be ok if I get back to them later.

Automatic OOO replies kinda grind my gears for some reason. Many of them a very impersonal and do not solve my problem. Some translators simply state the fact that they're away without any option or alternative for the client. I think that's bad customer experience.

What do you guys think? Do you use OOO replies? How do they look like? How do you make them more personal and, more importantly, do your OOO template solves the problem of a client who might need you urgently? Would love to hear your thoughts!

alyonaxl8

I use them, because I can't work on vacation and also don't take my phone anywhere I go. I can spend half a day at the beach and it'll be rude to make people wait for me to check my email only to tell them that I'm unavailable. But you're right, my messages are impersonal and don't solve any problems. Maybe I need to change it so they know I won't see their letter right away but will answer as soon as possible and offer a solution?

eleonorang

alyonaxl8 it'll be rude to make people wait for me to check my email only to tell them that I'm unavailable

I agree with Elena. This is mainly the reason why I use automatic replies too when I'm away. I always inform agencies in advance of my OoO times, but they always forget and still send me jobs. Of course, if the client is facing an emergency they should not be shut out completely, which is why I always write in the reply that I will check my inbox asap.
But I think it is also important to stress that taking some time off does not make us any less professional ? I wouldn't dream of calling the pizzeria / laundry service / any company owner on the cell phone if I know they're closed till day X.
Instead, during my recent holiday I received emails of agencies offering jobs due before I would return, and in one case they even tried again and again even after receiving the reply which clearly stated: "I will be back on XX XX". I think that answering each and every request they have would mean spoiling them ?

Dmitry

alyonaxl8 it'll be rude to make people wait for me to check my email only to tell them that I'm unavailable

Yes, that is less than ideal. I wonder if freelancers should partner up with each other so that your business could become available 24/7 even if you're on vacation.

If there's one thing I've learned about running a small business, you need to figure out a way for it to work even when you're not there. Otherwise it'll always be difficult for us to compete with larger firms on the market.

It's also a very good customer service, imho. What do you guys think? Would this be a better solution for OOO during the vacation times? Just throwing my ideas out there. ?

alyonaxl8

Dmitry How do you see this partnership going? Finding another translator who will answer your emails and take on orders when you're OOO? Would clients be okay with someone they don't know translating their texts? Or do you mean, like, not to tell the client they're communicating with another translator? Which is obviously not a good business practice so you can't mean that, sorry))

I still have this idea of letting my sister take over when I'm away, but don't know what that process should look like. I can give her my email password or redirect my emails to her or just give her email in my OOO message. Either way I will need to ensure that my clients know it's another person answering them and possibly translating for them. Not sure that'll go over well with them. I also don't have any direct clients so maybe it's not worth the effort, agencies are perfectly able to find another translator quickly when I'm not there anyway?

Dmitry

alyonaxl8 How do you see this partnership going? Finding another translator who will answer your emails and take on orders when you're OOO? Would clients be okay with someone they don't know translating their texts? Or do you mean, like, not to tell the client they're communicating with another translator?

I was thinking of partnering up with somebody and making all clients aware that they're now working with a team of experts rather just one tiny person. ? I think they wouldn't mind as long as the quality of the work and customer service doesn't change. Of course, you'll have to send out an email blast introducing your new business partners and sharing his/her short bio and experience. I think it would only make sense to have a partner like this when you specialize in one narrow field and you team up with other translator who has proven track record in the field and has solid online visibility.

alyonaxl8 agencies are perfectly able to find another translator quickly when I'm not there anyway?

Not always. That's why they use job-bidding platforms so often. Because it's much easier to throw a bone and let everyone fight for it, rather than build a meaningful relationship with freelancers. Freelancers tend to be quite inconsistent when it comes to availability and I think this is our biggest weakness.

vertaaltnu

@Dmitry I've written about mine here: https://www.vertaalt.nu/blog/holiday-horrors/
After I chose for a personal version I have experienced many positive reactions and yielded much more understanding from clients and colleagues. It even lightens up their lives. I've heard from PMs who actually smiled by receiving a kind of personal note with some humor ?

March_ts

I don't use office replies, but before I go on holiday I tell my clients that I'm going to be unavailable and provide them with another translator's email. She's a friend and colleague I've worked with before, she has plenty of experience and I've seen her work, so I trust her, and that's what I tell my clients. I just give them the choice, of course, so that they can consider whether they want to work with her or look for another translator. Some of them have worked with her and there hasn't been any problem at all, but I guess this kind of partnership is rather uncommon.
I've done the same with interpreting assignments. Whenever I'm unavailable I recommend other interpreters, that's how the interpreting world works in Madrid.
Anyway, I always tell my clients the dates I'm going to be OOO in advance so that they can foresee their needs and send me work before or after those dates, if they don't want to use another freelancer's services.

eleonorang

March_ts She's a friend and colleague I've worked with before, she has plenty of experience and I've seen her work, so I trust her, and that's what I tell my clients.

Not every translator is so lucky to have a close colleague they know they can trust, but of course, it's smart to use this advantage when you do, just like @Dmitry wrote above.

March_ts I always tell my clients the dates I'm going to be OOO in advance so that they can foresee their needs and send me work before or after those dates

Your clients seem to be well organized! Very often it happened to me to be contacted via email while I was on holiday, to be called because I didn't reply and to receive complaints because I was MIA for some hours... they had forgotten I was away... I assume you can never be too safe!

March_ts

eleonorang Your clients seem to be well organized!

Well, it's easier if you don't have that many clients (although they're enough to keep me quite busy so I'm not complaining! ? )

Dmitry I was thinking of partnering up with somebody and making all clients aware that they're now working with a team of experts rather just one tiny person. ? I think they wouldn't mind as long as the quality of the work and customer service doesn't change.

Exactly, that's what I think too. If you know that your partner is a good translator and can deliver the same quality, then why not ?

alyonaxl8

Dmitry I think it would only make sense to have a partner like this when you specialize in one narrow field and you team up with other translator who has proven track record in the field and has solid online visibility.

Yes, I came to the same conclusion when I really thought about it. The only question is where you find a good translator who works in your fields and is willing to team up ?

Dmitry

alyonaxl8 The only question is where you find a good translator who works in your fields and is willing to team up ?

Well you can meet them while working on a project within an agency (quite often I know exactly who's working with me on a project). Some of your clients might be sending your work to a proofreader or a reviewer so you might try and contact them.

Or you might take a few revision or proofreading jobs and then ask the agency client to give you the contact of those whose work you really liked (which is a good idea because you want to work with someone who's good if not better than you) ?