Communicating time off with clients

Have you ever reached out with something that was time sensitive and extremely important, only to get an unexpected ‘out of office’ reply? Now, how do you prevent your own clients from that frustration when you’re out for the holidays, vacation, or travel?

Today I am sharing how you can communicate your time off with clients and establish boundaries to protect your time.

When it’s time to go on a vacation or close up shop for the holidays the one thing you can’t forget to do is notify your clients. After all, whether they come into your shop or expect a weekly call, it’s unprofessional to simply not show up. And, trust me, the last thing you want to be notified of is an upset client at home while you’re enjoying some relaxation.

So let’s dive into how you notify clients and then we’ll discuss boundaries.

If you have a store then be sure to update your website and sites like Yelp and Google Local so anyone searching for your business knows when the store is closed. This is a little easier if you have a staff that can manage in your absence but make sure to always update your hours when there’s a change.

If you have an agency, consulting, coaching, or service-based business then you have a little bit more preparation to do. Starting about a month away from any travel or a longer vacation, you’ll want to notify current clients and let them know how your absence will impact their communication. This might be as simple as “My assistant will answer your emails” or “we need to receive your videos for editing by this date.”

The last thing you want is a last-minute notification that leaves your clients scrambling. It’s also wise to address any rescheduling and that can be as simple as saying “as we’ll miss your call that week you can either add it on to the end of your 3 month package or we can have a longer call the week I return, which do you prefer?”

If you sell online products, programs, have an app, or otherwise only hear from clients when something is wrong then you’ll want to put some measures in place in the form of an email auto responder that addresses that the sender’s concern is being addressed. Having a team member who can troubleshoot problems and handle customer service is necessary.

Creating systems around your time off to notify clients and customers is just one way that you can create boundaries to protect your energy and time. Other ways might include not responding to customer requests after 6pm or allowing a customer service rep to handle the front line both to free up your time and prevent your energy from being drained every time someone complains.

Protecting your time off is not just about enjoying vacation but creating a business that can survive and thrive without your constant attention. If and when things go wrong on the days that you’re off work take it as a sign to work on those systems and team training – not to give up and never leave again.

Communicating boundaries can be tough, and sometimes feels selfish but you must protect yourself in the midst of serving others.

As a bonus here are 2 ways to announce your upcoming time off to clients:

Subject: Thanksgiving holiday

Hello! This is a quick reminder that our offices will be closed for the holidays Nov 26th & 27th returning on Monday, November 30th for regular business hours. We wish you a relaxing weekend and may your favorite football teams be victorious!

Email autoresponder:

Subject: Office closed due to parade

Hello there and thanks for writing today! We are actually closed until Monday, November 30th due to an annual phenomenon called the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade” which we plan to watch all morning. Also, our families have spent an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen and claim to have missed us since summer vacation months and months ago. So we’ll answer your email bright and early on Monday and until then have a great day!