Poll: What percentage of the job requests you receive are "urgent"?
De persoon die dit onderwerp heeft geplaatst: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
MEDEWERKER SITE
May 1, 2020

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What percentage of the job requests you receive are "urgent"?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 20:35
Lid 2007
Engels naar Portugees
+ ...
1-10% May 1, 2020

I’m not fond of rush jobs and my long-standing customers know that. Even so I can’t say no to some of them…

Aline Amorim
Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Angus Stewart
Angus Stewart  Identity Verified
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Local time: 20:35
Lid 2011
Frans naar Engels
+ ...
10-25% May 1, 2020

A fair proportion of the projects I take on are urgent jobs. I even have one client who marks every email they send as urgent requiring a response "ASAP today" even when sent outside of business hours or at the weekend.

juristrad
 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 21:35
Lid 2012
Engels naar Maltees
+ ...
1-10% or less May 1, 2020

I had an agency that frequently sent projects that were mainly urgent but this agency has not sent any since the outbreak of Coronavirus. Mind you, I used to like the texts sent. Other agencies that send frequent work occasionally send something that is urgent so I try to accommodate them as much as possible and if possible but still these instances are few and far between. One has to understand the other side too.

 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Lid 2011
Zweeds naar Engels
+ ...
Define urgent May 1, 2020

Most of my work needs to be done ASAP, but they tell me in advance that it’s coming and I set the deadline. Does that count?

Dan Lucas
expressisverbis
 
Thomas Pfann
Thomas Pfann  Identity Verified
Verenigd Koninkrijk
Local time: 20:35
Lid 2006
Engels naar Duits
+ ...
Define urgent May 1, 2020

I understood this question to be about "urgent" requests as opposed to urgent requests.

I have a couple of clients who often describe non-urgent jobs as "urgent". I don't know why – and no, it is not because they need them done urgently. A classic example: "120 words needed urgently by next Thursday".

"Urgent" and "asap" have long become completely meaningless. If something is needed by certain date or time then there might be some urgency (depending on how much it is
... See more
I understood this question to be about "urgent" requests as opposed to urgent requests.

I have a couple of clients who often describe non-urgent jobs as "urgent". I don't know why – and no, it is not because they need them done urgently. A classic example: "120 words needed urgently by next Thursday".

"Urgent" and "asap" have long become completely meaningless. If something is needed by certain date or time then there might be some urgency (depending on how much it is and how long the deadline is away). If something is merely described as "urgent" or "needed asap" then it probably isn't urgent and can wait until I have a moment.
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Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Gibril Koroma
Liena Vijupe
 
Aline Amorim
Aline Amorim  Identity Verified
Brazilië
Local time: 16:35
Engels naar Portugees
+ ...
1-10% May 2, 2020

Teresa Borges wrote:

I’m not fond of rush jobs and my long-standing customers know that. Even so I can’t say no to some of them…



Me too.


Josephine Cassar
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazilië
Local time: 16:35
Lid 2014
Engels naar Portugees
+ ...
Two types of "Urgent" May 2, 2020

There are actually two types of "Urgent" in terms of jobs:
1. The "Urgent" claimed by clients who love to use the term, and use it all the time, so when it's really urgent, you'll never know for sure. Also, clients that say the job is "Urgent" as a means to impel you to focus on their job and make sure you prioritize it, but the term is not actually due. In both cases, it's easy to negotiate a fesible deadline.
2. The "Urgent" that is really urgent and happens sporadically. These are
... See more
There are actually two types of "Urgent" in terms of jobs:
1. The "Urgent" claimed by clients who love to use the term, and use it all the time, so when it's really urgent, you'll never know for sure. Also, clients that say the job is "Urgent" as a means to impel you to focus on their job and make sure you prioritize it, but the term is not actually due. In both cases, it's easy to negotiate a fesible deadline.
2. The "Urgent" that is really urgent and happens sporadically. These are rare cases (10%) when you actually have to work late or in the weekends, but you can also negotiate an urgency rate.
Both cases are perfectly "dealable with", and I never refused a job or delivered it late in these cases, provided the deadline is doable.
However, in such cases that the client expects you to translate 10K words in a day, it's a "thank you, but no thank you" case.
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Muriel Vasconcellos
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
Verenigde Staten
Local time: 12:35
Lid 2003
Spaans naar Engels
+ ...
1%-10% May 3, 2020

I rarely accept urgent deadlines, only as an occasional favor to a regular client.

 
Jan Truper
Jan Truper  Identity Verified
Duitsland
Local time: 21:35
Lid 2016
Engels naar Duits
Urgent = Rush Rate May 4, 2020

That's what springs into my mind immediately.

The percentage of such jobs offered to me varies greatly, so I can't really answer the question.
But I strive to have a steady work flow with deadlines long enough to be able to pick a few rush cherries along the way (ideally, about 30 %).


 


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Poll: What percentage of the job requests you receive are "urgent"?






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