Can I ask, those of you who have small children at home and don't go to school, how do you manage to liaise with clients? do you keep it purely email based?

I don't think I would be able to take calls with the boys around, children screaming in the background won't be very professional now would it?

just interested how everyone else works around this.

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Kels

www.kellycairns.co.uk

Luckily, my son still takes an afternoon nap so I set up calls for during that time or I'll let them know I am available after 4pm to talk on the phone but that they may hear my child in the background.
I only want to work with clients who understand and appreciate that I'm a mother who chose to stay home with her children. I find it puts my type of client at ease knowing I understand their issues with juggling family and work.

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~Christina|BD Mag|VOSTeam

I would go to another room, especially if my daughter was watching tv or something. I would tell her that she had to be quiet or momma would have to work outside the home! That usually worked.

This is your opportunity to pick and choose what you want to do and how you do it. You still need to be professional, but if you can't take calls at anytime, you have to make that known to your clients. I know I don't want to hear kids screaming in the background, so I wouldn't let my girls do it.

My youngest starts school this year , but I'm also going to be outside the home working during those hours. So, I'll be back to working around the girls schedules again.

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Carolyn
Atlantic Virtual Assistant

Since both my husband and I work from home, if one of us is on the phone, the other can monitor our four-year old. However, even when only one of us is around, we've taught her to be quiet while we're on the phone. Only once have I ever had a situation where she started crying and I had to apologize to a client who was very understanding.

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Sue L Canfield
AwesomeAssistant.info
My Blog

My daughter is 20 months old and still has an afternoon nap so phone calls are scheduled then. She also attends nursery for 2 days a week which I use to attend meetings and networking events.

Another thing I do is set up regular times to talk to clients each week or fortnight and I schedule these times around my daughter!

Create a schedule that suits you and your needs then tell your clients when you are available to talk.

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Emma Walker
CKPA Office Solutions

Originally Posted by ChristinaVOS

Luckily, my son still takes an afternoon nap so I set up calls for during that time or I'll let them know I am available after 4pm to talk on the phone but that they may hear my child in the background. I only want to work with clients who understand and appreciate that I'm a mother who chose to stay home with her children. I find it puts my type of client at ease knowing I understand their issues with juggling family and work.

I agree 100% and have the same policy, my son is only 4 months old so I know it can be tough but it is doable.

:-) Kim

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Kim Beckers
Online Business Manager

Once I land a new client, my policy will be pretty much the same as Kim and Christina.

I can relate to the three-year old crying in the background during calls and most of the time I will wait until he naps or he is busy with his siblings. Now that all four are home for the summer, it is a bit of a challenge but manageable.

I hope that my clients will understand, that one of the main reasons I am working from home is because of the flexibility it allows me as a mom and wife and that the work that I have been hired to handle will be completed in the time allotted.
sy(Sheila)