Voicemails, WhatsApps, and Meeting Clients Where They Are.

The other day, I left my teenage son a voicemail.
I thought I was being polite.
He thought I was committing a crime.

I picked him up from football and barely had time to say hello before he exploded:

“WHO leaves voicemail, Dad?! Nobody. Leaves. Voicemails.”
“Now I have to set up my stupid voicemail, just to listen to your stupid voicemail, just to get rid of your stupid notification!”

Apparently, a voicemail notification on your lockscreen is a fate worse than death. I did not realise I had ruined his phone, his day, and possibly his entire social standing, all in the space of a 10-second message.

In my world, leaving a voicemail is a normal, everyday thing. In his world, it is basically a hate crime.

And that gap, between what feels normal to me and what feels normal to someone else, shows up everywhere.

Especially in business.

One of my ecommerce clients will only ever message me on WhatsApp. New ideas, content edits, urgent changes; all through the green bubble. No emails. No forms. No formalities.

At first, it felt wrong. Emails were for work. WhatsApp was for mates, family, or arguing about who was bringing what to the barbecue. Work lived in the inbox. Life lived in the chat apps.

But here is the thing: I could have insisted on my way. Or I could adapt to theirs.

I chose to adapt.

Now, we have a great rhythm. Work flows quicker. Decisions are faster. They are happier. I am happier.

Because communication is only useful if it actually lands. Not if it feels tidy. Not if it matches your system.
If it works.

The Medium Isn’t Always the Message

You might have heard the old Marshall McLuhan quote:

“The medium is the message.”

And sometimes, that is true. The way you communicate can shape how your message is received. But in real life, when it comes to keeping clients happy and projects moving, the message is the message.

If your client lives on WhatsApp, it does not matter how polished your emails are. If they prefer phone calls, no amount of carefully crafted Slack threads will save you. If they love a quick voice note, sending them PDFs and Asana tickets will not win any prizes.

Adapt to the medium your client lives in, without losing your own working rhythm.

For me, that means:

  • Muting work chats after hours.
  • Moving bigger topics into documents when needed.
  • Having clear expectations about response times.
  • Flexibility does not mean being available 24/7.
    It means being human enough to meet people where they are, and structured enough to deliver what they need.

Get that right, and you do not just have better projects. You build better relationships. The kind that last longer than any trend, tool, or inbox… Even longer than voicemail notifications.