Working With Clients in Different Time Zones As A Freelancer Part 1 of 4.

Taking note of different time zones can be quite confusing. However with proper communication and the right tools, time zone differences can easily become a non-issue.The good news is that there are numerous tools that can help you with time conversions and proper scheduling, and you should take advantage of them. I use World Clock a default tool that is in almost every other phone. Try it out, as it is very effective.

How you handle meetings and manage different time zones can mean more business if you are flexible in your approach.

Now here is how I effectively managed my recent project with a client that is living in a different time zone from mine, and my 2 simple tips for you the reader. Because of this effective strategy of mine, my client even paid me a bonus, ooh yes he did 😃.

Client: HILO Canada www.hilocanada.com

Client Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

My Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Time Zone Difference: Johannesburg South Africa is 7 hours ahead of Montreal, Canada.

Job Description Part 1 completed: Hilo Smart Mirror Explainer Video “Motion Graphics” / Hilo logo animation

Job Description Part 2 in progress: Company Video Profile and Testimonial Videos Commissioned By: Zakaria Elorfi CEO at Hilo Canada

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakariaelorfi/

Software Used: Adobe After Effects CC2020 (www.adobe.com) with Red Giant Plugins (https://www.redgiant.com/products/red-giant-complete).

It was a real pleasure working with Hilo a fast-growing IT company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Headed by Zakaria Elorfi.

The business concept and the products offered by Hilo are great! Although Zakaria and I worked together with a time zone difference of 7 hours ( Johannesburg South Africa is 7 hours ahead of Montreal, Canada) Zakaria was always very flexible to work with.

I clearly communicated my schedule to Zakaria and also asked for his.

There are times when your client will have closed his office by the time you wake up because of the different time zone. That can make work difficult, but if you communicate your schedule openly, it will get much easier. Communicate the exact times at which you are in front of your computer, when exactly you would be available for a video, etc.

I don’t leave no room for interpretation when talking about time.

“I’ll send you the completed work, end of the day” is definitely a no-go sentence when I am working with international clients. Because I want to be completely clear in order to avoid confusion. Instead I communicated with Zakaria in his own time – e.g. “I need customer photos at 10 AM your time”. It is generally a good idea to make sure there is absolutely no way to be misunderstood when talking about different time zones.

It was truly a pleasure working with Zakaria who like me is very good with communication – knows what he wants, very flexible, appreciates the freelancer’s expertise, open for suggestions and development, very smart guy.

In this new month of March I am starting to work on their Company Video Profile as well as Customer Testimonial Videos.

You can view part 1 of the completed project here.

Part 2 of “Working With Clients in Different Time Zones As a Freelancer” coming soon.

AFTERTHOUGHT - The above are just my few tips for managing your work with clients in different time zones effectively. Do you know any others? I’ll be more than happy to discuss your experience in working remotely with your clients in the comment section below!