Off the Tracks

A quick follow up to this morning’s post about dealing with client problems in execution and delivery. I received this question: “What about email instead of a call or visit?”

How About Email? NO!

Let me rephrase that so that I can be absolutely, unequivocally clear: No! No! No! No! No! Email is not even in the realm of possibility. Don’t even think about it. Words on a screen don’t produce anything close to the same outcome as a telephone call and your personal presence. It isn’t even close.

Email, under these circumstances, reeks of cowardice, disengagement, and detachment.

After you make the call, after you make the visit, after you work on the issues, and after you over-communicate, email is the proper tool for following up. Use it to capture the issues, the steps that were taken to resolve them, and to codify lessons learned. Use email to make note of the changes that you have made, to over-communicate, and to keep a record of your accomplishments.