Should we be available 24/7 is a topic which I have been discussing a lot recently on a couple of listservs I am on.

One problem I know I have created and I am sure others feel the same, is a monster. We have create a monster just by using the technology we use. People now expect 24/7 service and 24/7 response. The very technology we are using to free up more of our time, may be taking more of our time. The very technology we are using to enable us to work from home and work the way we want, may be taking more of our time too.

I know from my own experience, we could not do what we do without the technology we are using. From the hardware we have in the office to the web based applications we take advantage of. Of those web based tools, collaboration tools really stand out. Those are the tools which allow us to work with the virtual assistants and virtual consultants we work with. And, the collaboration tools we use enable us to work with our clients as if they were sitting in our office.

Our cell phones, email and instant messaging tools also allow us to be better connected. But, are they forcing us to be available 24/7? All of the tools we use will do just that unless we take control. From the very beginning of the relationship between you and your clients, you must educate them on how you work. Of course, I don’t mean how you work, but how you make yourself available for the client. Don’t tell them you are available 24/7 unless you mean it. If you tell them you are, they will expect it.

While I love working at home, it does have one of its major drawbacks in the fact we feel we are available 24/7. And we do just that. I know I work late at night and usually have my IM open and my email up and running. And if a client buzzes me on my IM or drops me an email, I tend to answer them right away. Doing so is for the most part a mindset. Do we feel that since we work at home, we have to make ourselves seem available 24/7 to make up for the fact we work at home? I would like to think not. But, in reality that may be the case. Before we can change the perception of how the public sees the home office business owner, we have to change how we perceive it ourselves. We have to feel like we have to be available 24/7 to make up for the fact we work at home.

Why should they expect more from us than they do their doctor or even their plumber. We have a right to have time to ourselves. And it is us who has to change and educate our clients on this very issue.

If I also might make a suggestion. Make it a point to educate your clients from the very beginning. It will make your relationship with that client run smoother and you both will be happier for it.

I will discuss technology and applications in an upcoming post or two.