Small Law Firms, Technology

Texting, Emailing, And Talking: Which Is Best When Communicating With Clients?

It depends, in part, on your client.

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Today, we have a wide variety of ways to communicate with others without actually meeting them in person. The common methods of communications are talking over the phone, emails, and text messages. Recently, video calls and group messaging have also gained in popularity. Once in a while, I see a discussion on whether there is a proper and efficient way to communicate with clients using these formats.

Before discussing this, it might help to give a refresher on how email and text messaging works and how they are used traditionally.

Email is generally considered the most professional way to communicate for a number of reasons. First, since it came out first, more people use it. Second, it is the preferred format for long messages and large files. And finally, it is easier to send information to people, even if they use a different email server. A Gmail user can send an email to a Hotmail user.

Text messaging is another popular alternative. It’s been around for a long time (anyone remember AOL Messenger and ICQ?) but its use has expanded since the invention of the smartphone. Generally, text messages are sent through the users’ phones by using the texting service on the phone’s cellular system or through a separate third-party app. People tend to send shorter messages and photos through text messaging because it is hard to write an essay on a smartphone. While most people send text messages through their phone, some apps can be installed onto a computer so you can send text messages through your computer.

The one major drawback to text messaging is that usually both parties have to have the same program installed to chat with each other. This can result in you installing several messaging apps, especially if you communicate with people overseas.

And finally, there is the old-school method of chatting: Talking over the phone. Some people are talking less and texting more because it allows people to talk at a slower pace. But on the other hand, listening to someone’s voice can allow you to detect and analyze emotions that can’t quite be captured by using emojis.

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So is there an efficient way to use the phone, texting, or emails? It’s hard to say since you will have to adapt to your clients’ email and texting habits as well. But here are a few things to think about.

First, if you and the person on the other end are constantly exchanging emails or text messages discussing some mundane topic, it might be more efficient to talk over the phone instead. The practical problem with constant texting is that it could be harder to find specific information from a previous text message as you will have to sift through older messages, food pics and Squid Game meme photos.

I’ve also heard anecdotal stories of clients texting people at odd hours since they believe that they have greater access to their attorney.

Second, if you anticipate that the conversation will not be a good one, or if you have to report bad news, it may be better to talk instead of texting. The main reason for this is because if the person on the other end is angry, you might have a better shot at defusing the situation by talking to them. Also, angry people are more likely to write things that they will regret later. In some cases, much later.

And, obviously, if one person is driving, talk instead of texting. And when someone is driving, make sure to convey information that is easy to understand as the person needs to focus on the road. In other words, don’t ask the driver to solve complex mathematical equations because the only number he needs to focus on is the speed limit. Also, I’d avoid giving bad news over the phone, especially if the driver is susceptible to committing road rage.

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Third, if you are sending files, it might be better to use email. Some messaging apps allow file transfers but the files can only be opened on a smartphone. Make sure that you are able to download the file to your phone and if needed, transfer the file to a desktop or laptop computer.

You should be familiar with emailing, text messaging, and talking to the client as these are the main methods of communication today. But you will also need to adapt to your clients’ needs and limitations. Some people don’t use email that often and others do not use text messaging at all. Others don’t like to talk for some reason and are better at writing things down. If you master the use of existing communication technology, while exercising wise discretion when deciding what to write or say, you can work faster and smarter while avoiding potentially awkward situations which can jeopardize the client relationship.

Steven Chung is a tax attorney in Los Angeles, California. He helps people with basic tax planning and resolve tax disputes. He is also sympathetic to people with large student loans. He can be reached via email at sachimalbe@excite.com. Or you can connect with him on Twitter (@stevenchung) and connect with him on LinkedIn.

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