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?

Yes a bit of a moan but I did also ask for other people in similar jobs to tell me what they do.

I don’t do phone calls. I tell clients this. They can email me, WA me, or text. I don’t have time to listen to clients waffling on about irrelevant shit, and I am partially deaf, which makes phone calls more difficult. I am transparent about this disability.

I have one client who persistently rings me and leaves messages. I don’t even bother listening to them now. He’s coming across as a bully who doesn’t like being told by a woman that there’s any kind of boundary. His issue isn’t going to be resolved unless he communicates by agreed methods.

Stick to your guns.

@Sunnydiary interesting, thank you. Both of my clients in this scenario are men. Hadn't thought that could be the reason behind it.

YANBU. I don’t do texts, phone calls, voice notes or voicemails. I’m very clear on this.

Anyone who is unwilling or unable to send me a What’s App (personal life) or an email/Teams message (work life) is going to be very frustrated.

In my experience, the people who object to this tend to be older. Is that the case here?

This is interesting.

Have you gone back and reiterated that X is your preferred mode of communication and that, unfortunately, communication via other means may be subject to delays?

A lot of people are stopping using Facebook owned platforms inc Whatsapp don't might become more common

@ForZanyAquaViewer yes. Several times. Verbally & in writing (in a text! 🤣).

@MargotMoon I totally understand this. Hence the option of email instead.

What’s their justification for ignoring this, then?

People like this are so odd.

I agree with you. There are so many ways to communicate that you're within your rights to allocate which ones you use for work so you don't have to duplicate updates and information.

The people who say it doesn't matter clearly don't run large groups.

I have colleagues who insist on contacting me via Facebook messenger of all things when we have email, MS Teams and a dedicated work WhatsApp group for more time sensitive issues when we're all out and about.

As their manager, I don't want to have to send out the same message three times for the sake of one or two and remember to check one more platform on top of everything else. Pests!

i only communicate on my phone via whatsapp. i've not text anyone for more than 5 years it seems.

YANBU OP

Yeah, I reckon nail on head here.

They could use WhatApp or Email. They just don't want to.

They're not used to being flexible or making accommodations for people they consider should do what they want (i.e. women) and so instead of being helpful they're affronted they are being asked to change anything

I can't say for sure it's sexism of course, but I really wouldn't be surprised.

Well I don't think i know anyone who uses text. WhatsApp or messenger are the 2 main platforms especially if the op is using broadcasting/group messaging platforms.

Just checked my texts, same as what op describes, DPD, authentication codes, etc etc. Last text I had was early 2024.

Nope! Told him very clearly by email, and it’s not the first time I have dealt with him so he knows the score.

He is a very confident middle aged man who likes to talk and talk and talk. He believes he is terribly impressive and is I believe quite furious that I am denying him the opportunity to foist himself upon my time.

Lots of people don't want to use social media at all and more and more people are leaving facebook and instagram. Not everyone has WhatsApp or wants to use it, for whatever reason.
You might find more people want alternative forms of contact in future.

For the WhatsApp broadcast message thing I would send that out as before and then an email. If people can't manage to use one of those then tough shit I'd say. It offers people the opportunity to receive the information via another way than WhatsApp.

I couldn't get worked up about them texting me instead of WhatsApping. I have clients who send messages by text. I read the text and reply. I don't get shit loads of junk texts and I delete banking code texts and so on as soon as I've used them so it's pretty easy to see when a client has messaged.

But if you don't want to do that and they don't want to use one of your preferred message of communication just bin them off because it's only 2 people out of 100 and it sounds like you can't be bothered with the hassle. It doesn't sound like you're short of work or anything!

Purely commercial, if it's a good earner you use whatever communication your client wants to use.

I completely agree with you. I can't believe someone suggested you need to delete your text messages. Who does that? 😭

I don't see why you can't simply tell your clients how you communicate, mentioning that you stick to just one method because you can't keep checking all the possible channels of communication. You might make an exception for someone if for example they had a disability that meant Whatsapp was impractical, but not for personal preference.