Client communication norms
Goal
Clients need a reliable way to reach you about scheduling and logistics—booking, cancelling, and rescheduling sessions, and handling glitches (e.g. joining online). They may also contact admin as a backup when they need help you cannot provide from Jane or when they cannot reach you in time.
Response times (client messages)
Target: Please attempt to get back to clients on the same working day when they write about logistics or scheduling (email or text, per your setup).
Sooner when warranted: If the situation calls for it (e.g. problem with a session today, access or safety-adjacent logistics, or another time-sensitive issue), respond as soon as you reasonably can—same working day is the baseline, not the ceiling.
For full clinic-wide wording on response times (including admin referrals), see also: Response time expectations.
Allowed channels
- Email (required)
- Text (optional, associate choice)
Clients may contact you by email and may also text (if you provide a text option), especially if there are glitches meeting for session.
Keep these channels usable for scheduling: clients should be able to reach you for booking, cancelling, and rescheduling. If you use auto-replies or boundaries scripts, they should still make clear how to do those things with you—and that admin can help as a backup when needed.
Response times (referrals from admin)
New referrals are highly time-sensitive. Delays are one of the strongest predictors that a prospective client never books or chooses elsewhere. Associates who accept and respond right away (same working day, or within hours when you are on duty) generally do better at converting referrals and building caseload.
Retention, not only marketing: Fast, reliable replies also matter at the beginning of therapy, when the client is new and the relationship is being created. Slow or intermittent contact in the first weeks can weaken trust and attendance before the therapeutic alliance is established—use the same discipline you apply to admin referrals for early client messages about scheduling and logistics (see Response times (client messages) above).
Warm vs cold (practical targets)
- Cold referral: Respond as quickly as you can—treat as urgent while you are working. Same-day response materially improves whether the client books.
- Warm referral: Respond the same working day whenever you are able; 24 hours is the outer expectation if same-day is genuinely not possible.
If you choose to allow admin to text you, you are more likely to receive cold referrals (because quick response is often needed).
This will greatly improve your chances of success in filling your caseload.
Responding to existing clients
Use the same working day target in Response times (client messages) for client-initiated messages about logistics and scheduling. For messages that are not logistics-heavy (e.g. longer process content), still acknowledge within a reasonable window and follow Communication boundaries for what belongs in session vs email.
Boundaries (discouraging calls/texts while staying reachable)
You are allowed to discourage clients from calling or texting you, as long as clients still have a clear way to get ahold of you.
Related:
Examples:
- Provide email only (and do not provide a phone number)
- Provide a text-only option (and discourage phone calls)
- Set expectations in your voicemail/auto-reply (e.g., “Email is the best way to reach me”)
If you change your preferred contact method, ensure:
- clients still have a reliable way to reach you, and
- admin is aware of your preferences.
Urgent client concerns
For urgent client concerns, contact Katherine.