Unit Verse

International Affairs

• by Angela Conlon 3 years ago
• 1 Comment

Even though we’re based in Texas, Unit has had the opportunity to work with clients all over the world, which has posed some unique challenges for us regarding time-management. Depending on the distance, the differences in time can greatly affect workflow and deadlines. For instance, working with a client in Tokyo, who is fourteen hours ahead of us, would mean that our phone meetings would have to happen after 6pm our time, unless the client is a very earlier riser. And, if we both work a “normal” 5-day business week, the time difference only allows for four days to be in contact. Our Monday evening is their Tuesday morning; our Thursday evening is their Friday morning?so a day is lost for one on opposite ends of the week. This tends to become more of an issue during the review/revision stage, especially if there is a group approval involved. If we review comps on our Monday and we schedule a meeting for feedback as early as our Tuesday, a whole day of work could theoretically be lost by having to wait the entire day to get direction for revisions. And, since the meetings are in the evening, actual work on the project would not take place until the next day on Wednesday. While email can work to remedy this in certain situations and at certain points in the project, there will always be the need for clarification and/or discussion over the phone.

Becoming aware of these time considerations can help to accurately bid and schedule projects, plan the workday and manage cash flow. Without a doubt, diligently scheduling meetings and setting realistic deadlines is especially important to make sure the project runs smoothly when working with international clients.