Career / Work · Advice & Questions · Oct 16

A client texts me changes directly. Should I send every request back through the account manager?

Career / Work

The client sent a message to my phone at 3:15: “Tiny change—can you swap the image before this goes out?”

I’m the designer. Our account manager normally collects feedback, and I met the client at an event where we exchanged numbers to find each other outside the venue. Since then, the client has used that chat for design requests.

The first two really were tiny. I made them and told the account manager afterward. Yesterday’s request changed the main image and the headline, and the account manager had already approved a different version with another person on the client’s team.

Nobody is being rude. The client likes getting a quick answer; I like solving a clear problem. But I’m now holding two versions of what “approved” means.

How do I move the conversation back into the work channel without making a helpful client feel brushed off? Should I stop making even small edits until the account manager has seen them?

Discussion

1 community replies

@TheoInTransit

You could answer warmly and move the request in the same message: “I’ve seen this—I'll add it to the project thread so we can confirm which version should go out.” That acknowledges the client without treating a private text as final approval. The immediate issue is the conflicting direction, so I’d get that settled before changing the image.

A client texts me changes directly. Should I send every request back through the account manager?

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