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Poll: Do you send an email confirming receipt of payments to your clients?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Nov 12, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you send an email confirming receipt of payments to your clients?".

This poll was originally submitted by Mario Freitas. View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:29
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Nov 12, 2016

I always send a small email to most of my clients with a thank you. The exceptions are: long-standing customers, those who have automatic systems and large organizations where the structure is so complex that you hardly ever thank the right person. I also let all clients know when I have NOT received payment on time...

P.S. For me it’s just good manners but it’s also my way of making clients understand that they should confirm receipt of translations, invoices, etc.


 
Luiz Barucke
Luiz Barucke  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 02:29
Spanish to Portuguese
+ ...
Always if... Nov 12, 2016

Teresa Borges wrote:

I always send a small email to most of my clients with a thank you. The exceptions are: long-standing customers, those who have automatic systems and large organizations where the structure is so complex that you hardly ever thank the right person. I also let all clients know when I have NOT received payment on time...

P.S. For me it’s just good manners but it’s also my way of making clients understand that they should confirm receipt of translations, invoices, etc.


Exactly


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 05:29
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Other Nov 12, 2016

Teresa Borges wrote:
I always send a small email to most of my clients with a thank you. The exceptions are: long-standing customers, those who have automatic systems and large organizations where the structure is so complex that you hardly ever thank the right person. I also let all clients know when I have NOT received payment on time...

P.S. For me it’s just good manners but it’s also my way of making clients understand that they should confirm receipt of translations, invoices, etc.

Exactly my practice and my reasoning. However, I have another exception: when I forget . It can be a problem with three bank accounts, PayPal and Skrill to check, especially as it's my husband who checks the banks rather than me. Often he tells me about payments when I'm not at my desk, and then confirmation tends to get forgotten until too late.

But I do make a special effort for new clients and any who have made special payments or gone out of their way to do it my way rather than their preferred way. And I always respond to the PayPal messages I get from two of my clients who pay within minutes - 7 is the current record.


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 05:29
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Nov 12, 2016

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Teresa Borges wrote:
I always send a small email to most of my clients with a thank you. The exceptions are: long-standing customers, those who have automatic systems and large organizations where the structure is so complex that you hardly ever thank the right person. I also let all clients know when I have NOT received payment on time...

P.S. For me it’s just good manners but it’s also my way of making clients understand that they should confirm receipt of translations, invoices, etc.

Exactly my practice and my reasoning. However, I have another exception: when I forget . It can be a problem with three bank accounts, PayPal and Skrill to check, especially as it's my husband who checks the banks rather than me. Often he tells me about payments when I'm not at my desk, and then confirmation tends to get forgotten until too late.

But I do make a special effort for new clients and any who have made special payments or gone out of their way to do it my way rather than their preferred way. And I always respond to the PayPal messages I get from two of my clients who pay within minutes - 7 is the current record.


My current record is 5 minutes from an once-a-year customer…


 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 06:29
German to English
+ ...
Only if they ask for it Nov 12, 2016

I work mainly with largish agencies and I don't think they really want the extra work of receiving thank-you emails. I send them thanks with the invoice. I might send an email to other translators who have assigned me work or very infrequent private customers. I am more likely to send an email asking where my darned cash is. I have needed to remind at least four of my usual clients to make payments this year. I can see that one is very near to going bust.

 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:29
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Other Nov 12, 2016

Only when a client pays for the first time, or in case there has been a delay in payments - which seldom ever happens.

 
Linda Miranda
Linda Miranda  Identity Verified
Portugal
French to Portuguese
+ ...
As Teresa said Nov 12, 2016

Teresa Borges wrote:

I always send a small email to most of my clients with a thank you. The exceptions are: long-standing customers, those who have automatic systems and large organizations where the structure is so complex that you hardly ever thank the right person. I also let all clients know when I have NOT received payment on time...

P.S. For me it’s just good manners but it’s also my way of making clients understand that they should confirm receipt of transla
... See more
Teresa Borges wrote:

I always send a small email to most of my clients with a thank you. The exceptions are: long-standing customers, those who have automatic systems and large organizations where the structure is so complex that you hardly ever thank the right person. I also let all clients know when I have NOT received payment on time...

P.S. For me it’s just good manners but it’s also my way of making clients understand that they should confirm receipt of translations, invoices, etc.
Collapse


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 01:29
English to Spanish
+ ...
How about a handwritten card? Nov 12, 2016

I don't send payment confirmations unless the customer so requests it. Otherwise, I'm contributing to email spam.

On the other hand, how about using an old-fashioned handwritten note? And not just for payments? It adds the much-needed human touch to our professional interactions.

That's why I keep a fellow translator, a Russian translator in Texas who practices this without fanfare. Every time I received a check from her for a Spanish translation, I found a handwritten
... See more
I don't send payment confirmations unless the customer so requests it. Otherwise, I'm contributing to email spam.

On the other hand, how about using an old-fashioned handwritten note? And not just for payments? It adds the much-needed human touch to our professional interactions.

That's why I keep a fellow translator, a Russian translator in Texas who practices this without fanfare. Every time I received a check from her for a Spanish translation, I found a handwritten note. Now that's wonderful!
Collapse


 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:29
Member (2006)
German to English
Never Nov 12, 2016

And I cannot imagine why.
Do "normal" employees always thank accounting that they get their wages at the end of the month?


 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:29
Member (2006)
German to English
Check? Nov 12, 2016

Mario Chavez wrote:

I don't send payment confirmations unless the customer so requests it. Otherwise, I'm contributing to email spam.

On the other hand, how about using an old-fashioned handwritten note? And not just for payments? It adds the much-needed human touch to our professional interactions.

That's why I keep a fellow translator, a Russian translator in Texas who practices this without fanfare. Every time I received a check from her for a Spanish translation, I found a handwritten note. Now that's wonderful!


Or cheque?
Do people pay by cheque nowadays?
And if they do, then I recon a hand written note is also a fine thing, but replaying to it with a hand written note is a bit much, isnt it?


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 05:29
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Are you an ""abnormal" employee" then? Nov 12, 2016

Michael Harris wrote:
Do "normal" employees always thank accounting that they get their wages at the end of the month?

I don't know, nor do I care much, what any employee does about their wages.
I don't receive wages.
I don't have an employer.
I am not an employee.
So why on earth would there be any basis for comparison?


 
Luiz Barucke
Luiz Barucke  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 02:29
Spanish to Portuguese
+ ...
I received a check once and I had to cancel it Nov 12, 2016

Michael Harris wrote:

Mario Chavez wrote:

I don't send payment confirmations unless the customer so requests it. Otherwise, I'm contributing to email spam.

On the other hand, how about using an old-fashioned handwritten note? And not just for payments? It adds the much-needed human touch to our professional interactions.

That's why I keep a fellow translator, a Russian translator in Texas who practices this without fanfare. Every time I received a check from her for a Spanish translation, I found a handwritten note. Now that's wonderful!


Or cheque?
Do people pay by cheque nowadays?
And if they do, then I recon a hand written note is also a fine thing, but replaying to it with a hand written note is a bit much, isnt it?


Yes. I received my first payment from my current biggest client by an US check sent by mail to Brazil. After trying different finance institutions, I found virtually impossible to withdraw my payment and I had to ask my client to cancel that check and to start paying me by other methods, such as PayPal or wire transfers (another nightmare in Brazil depending on which bank you have an account with).

Nowadays, I only receive payments using 4 methods:
Local deposit/transfer - from domestic clients only,
Payoneer - the most cheap and practical method from receiver side,
Skrill - also cheap from receiver side, and
PayPal - my last option. Although this is the most practical and used method from payer side, it's extremely expensive and can generate a 10% discount at the end compared to the other 3 methods.

[Editada em 2016-11-12 15:28 GMT]


 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 06:29
Member (2006)
German to English
Have you also Nov 12, 2016

Luiz Barucke wrote:

Michael Harris wrote:

Mario Chavez wrote:

I don't send payment confirmations unless the customer so requests it. Otherwise, I'm contributing to email spam.

On the other hand, how about using an old-fashioned handwritten note? And not just for payments? It adds the much-needed human touch to our professional interactions.

That's why I keep a fellow translator, a Russian translator in Texas who practices this without fanfare. Every time I received a check from her for a Spanish translation, I found a handwritten note. Now that's wonderful!


Or cheque?
Do people pay by cheque nowadays?
And if they do, then I recon a hand written note is also a fine thing, but replaying to it with a hand written note is a bit much, isnt it?


Yes. I received my first payment from my current biggest client by an US check sent by mail to Brazil. After trying different finance institutions, I found virtually impossible to withdraw my payment and I had to ask my client to cancel that check and to start paying me by other methods, such as PayPal or wire transfers (another nightmare in Brazil depending on which bank you have an account with).

Nowadays, I only receive payments using 4 methods:
Local deposit/transfer - from domestic clients only,
Payoneer - the most cheap and practical method from receiver side,
Skrill - also cheap from receiver side, and
PayPal - my last option. Although this is the most practical and used method from payer side, it's extremely expensive and can generate a 10% discount at the end compared to the other 3 methods.

[Editada em 2016-11-12 15:28 GMT]


heard of transferwise?
I am not advertising, but they are the cheapest for international transfers by far


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 06:29
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Never Nov 12, 2016

and I cannot remember anyone ever asked for it either.

One more thing: My personal relations are with the PMs, and most of my clients have separate accounts depts.,
so if everything goes according to plan, including payments, we have already moved on to the next project.

[Edited at 2016-11-12 15:58 GMT]


 
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Poll: Do you send an email confirming receipt of payments to your clients?






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