To not use text to communicate with clients

[Egeria]

I am a personal trainer and work with individuals at their homes or at my own studio. I also run 6 x group exercise classes a week in groups of about 12 each. I teach 25 hours a week and teach about 100 different people a week.

I prefer to communicate with clients via WhatsApp or email. This is because I get no junk messages in my WhatsApp and I can also use WhatsApp Broadcast or emails to send group announcements that are GDPR compliant.

I've got two clients who insist that we communicate by solely text despite me saying I don't check them that regularly because I get so fed up filtering through all the DPD/Evri/O2/EE/banking codes/parking notices that clog it up. I also feel that I am already looking out for messages on enough platforms already.

One client has been particularly pissy with me because I missed a message and got cross because they didn't get a WhatsApp Broadcast because they don't have my contact details stored in their phone.

I have been very clear about my reasons for this and explained how best to contact me.

My clients can get in touch via email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, my website contact page and by calling me. Do I have to be trawling through texts as well?

If you were a client would this annoy you? If you are a PT / fitness / beautician who has a similar set up what do you do?

YABU!! Sounds like you need to be more organised with deleting your text messages.

If someone has your phone number then text should be a standard way of communicating with you.

Erm, it's not their fault you don't know how to use your phone properly?

I don't think you are being unreasonable. Plenty of way to contact you and as long as you make these clear before they start with you then I think that is reasonable.

YANBU, absolutely fine, you have communicated to them multiple methods they can reach you, if they refuse to accept that then its on them. If you had given one option or were being awkward then I would agree but you have given 6 different contact methods that include sending a message so they dont have to call if they dont want to.

Wade through texts?

Maybe you need to be careful what you give your number to if you're getting so many spam texts you can't keep track of 2 people

Going against the obvious grain here, but I agree OP. I have various threads regarding work, and its easier to update the 25/30 people on it all at once, rather than individually. I also like things written down in case verbal instructions/briefs don't get listened to. I'm also of the opinion that if people want something YOU are offering, they should "adhere" to the way YOU do things.

Why do you need to trawl through texts, how many do you get?

It's like a second to report a delivery text as spam, that can't possibly be an issue

But having said that it's entirely up to you how you run your business. If you don't want the custom just tell them

This seems to be making a problem where no problem exists

It's not 2 people it's about 100. It's only two people who have an issue with this. These two people are causing me extra admin and it's annoying me.

If I say contact me however you like then I have difficulty remembering who prefers what platform. So Joe prefers text, Jane prefers email, Pete uses socials, James uses WhatsApp etc. if I need to message one individually I have to try and remember who uses which platform. If I'm in a rush or stuck in traffic then I can't.

Also with text I can't dictate a message to them which I often do on WhatsApp if I'm driving (eg if I'm running late for their session due to traffic) so it's safe.

I also have two numbers on my phone (work and personal) so these both go through my Messenger app as texts. With WhatsApp and email I can have different apps and so it's an easy separation with zero filtering required.

Of course I know how to use my phone. 🤣. It's because companies like Evri that like to send 5 texts per single delivery or the parking app that confirms the booking, reminds you your time is nearly up and then tells you your time is up. It's all that needless crap that makes Messenger and texts just bloody annoying and tiresome.

I know how you feel - texts are much harder to stay on top of.

Yes, this would annoy me. I don’t think I should have to install WhatsApp to receive messages from my PT.

@LaineyCee if you could use email instead wouldn't that be ok?

So you can either meet people at their own map of the world, or you ditch them?

Of course you’re not BU.
It’s your job and it’s perfectly fine to assign some modes of contact to work clients and keep others private.
Your terms are your terms and your clients agree to them. Plus you don’t need the extra admin of checking yet another app for messages.

You can dictate your contact methods

This may result in clients not using your service.

Accomodate them or dont; it's that simple. Do you want to lose the client? If no, then change to suit, if yes then tell them so.

What you can't do is force someone to do something. Set your boundaries, they either accept or leave.

Simple

I don't think you are being unreasonable. All the groups I go to use what's app. It's easier for them.
Also it's your business so you can decide which platform to use to communicate. As it is you give them a choice anyway. That choice just doesn't include text If they don't like what's app they can use email or another personal trainer.

By the way my messages are the same it’s a right pain to scroll through parking confirmations, delivery updates etc to find the one person who still texts me to message them. WhatsApp is so much simpler .

Exactly this. Most businesses control how customers can contact them and it’s rarely text message.

My aunt hates using email - rarely turns on her PC. Also refuses to get a smartphone, but loves to text. She is a bit older. I guess she'd be dropped for missing classes in this circumstance..

She wouldn't be dropped. She could still be a client but it would be on the understanding that's she would miss group messages and my replies to her texts might be more delayed than they might be to other people.

They need to accept this is how you work. YANBU and I get sick of people refusing to conform.

if you belonged to a gym, and the gym used X app, you would need to download it. This is the same thing.

I mean it's up to you but that sounds like a lot of crap by text. I can understand getting a lot of emails but I don't get unmanageable amounts of junk by text to my work or personal phone.

Nobody here is able to fix the problem for you. Maybe you just wanted to moan.

Either ditch the clients or start using texts.