Working remotely with international clients offers freedom and new opportunities, but it also has its share of challenges. In this article, you will find 4 practical tips and useful tools to help you organize your workday, improve communication, and avoid confusion with deadlines when working across time zones.
Working with clients in other time zones can be really cool. When it’s a few hours later in your country, you’ll have a “quiet hour” every day before everyone else starts work, which means you can get a lot more done. However, one in thirteen remote workers admit that being in a different time zone is the most difficult part of being a freelancer. Coordinating deadlines, gathering people for meetings, and simply contacting someone can be a daunting task if you and your client have different schedules. In addition, 22% of remote workers find it difficult to “switch off” from work at the end of the working day — this can be even more difficult if your team continues to work for several hours after you have finished.
We’ve compiled our favorite tips and tools for working effectively with international clients—they’ll help you overcome the challenge of time zones.
4 tips for communicating effectively with clients in different time zones
Working with international clients can be challenging, but all problems can be solved. Here are four tips to help you stay productive and connected with international clients without having to work 24/7.
- Set rules related to time zones
First, clarify once and for all who works when. There are several excellent tools, such as Every Time Zone, Dateful Time Zone Converter, and World Time Buddy, that eliminate the need to figure out what time it is in Sydney when it’s 5 p.m. in Prague. In addition, you can set up different time zones on your smartphone. If you work with clients whose team is spread across different countries, it’s a good idea to agree on a single time zone that everyone will adhere to when scheduling work meetings. For example, if you always use UTC when scheduling meetings, everyone will know how to convert the scheduled time to their local time.
- Stay in touch, communicate clearly and concisely
Communication is key to good customer relations, but it becomes even more important when dealing with different time zones. Tools like Slack are essential because they allow you to ask and answer questions even when you’re not online at the same time as the other person. You can review previous messages and threads to remember where the discussion left off. Try syncing your calendars. Google Calendar helps you schedule meetings across different time zones by showing the local time for you and your clients—no need to calculate the time difference. You can use Calendly to show your availability, so your client doesn’t have to spend several days exchanging emails trying to find a time that works for both of you.
- Clarify expectations
Staying in touch is an important part of any freelancer’s job, but you can’t be available all the time. To avoid upsetting clients, it’s best to “check” expectations at the very beginning of the job. Always be open with clients about what time zone you live in and when you can respond to emails and phone calls. Most clients are willing to respect your boundaries and adapt to the specifics of your time zone. However, be prepared to ignore a phone call or politely but firmly say “no.”
One of the main challenges for remote employees working in a different time zone is setting deadlines. You don’t want to miss a deadline because you thought it was tomorrow (when for your client it’s already today). Project management tools like Asana and Trello are a great help. They allow you to set deadlines that include not only the date, but also the time and time zone.
- Organize your day properly
When working with clients in different time zones, you may need to organize your day a little differently. This is especially important if there are only a few working hours when you “overlap” with your client. Try to make the most of this time: reserve it for virtual meetings, wrapping up work, and discussions. If you can be flexible with your time, try to move away from the standard 9-to-5 workday: start working earlier or, conversely, later, closer to lunchtime. For example, if you are in Berlin and your client is in Houston, it may be convenient for you to take a break in the middle of the day and then work from 4 to 8 p.m. (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Houston) to catch your client in the office.
Working in different time zones is part of life for remote employees
Working with international clients can be challenging, but with the right tools and a smart time management strategy, you can overcome the difficulties. You may even enjoy starting and ending your day later. Payment solutions such as Payoneer help remote workers and their international clients by simplifying international payments across time zones. As the Disney song says, “it’s a small world after all.”