I hope you’re all excited for the upcoming Holiday Season and are taking some much needed time off 🙂
I’m reaching out today because I have a few important policy changes and updates to bring to your attention that will effect how Phantom Freelance conducts business as we move forward into the New Year.
The following changes will take effect from January 1st, 2023Â onward;
- Operating Hours have changed. Unless otherwise stated, my normal business hours for 2023 will be Monday to Thursday from 9am – 5pm PT. Unless scheduled ahead of time, all requests that come in on a Friday will either be done on Monday or charged at the 2x rate ($200 CAD/USD) if you need it done same day.
The Reason … I tend to work a lot of OT hours to accomodate last minute and emergency requests as I like to be as helpful to my clients as I can be. This led to a lot of burnout in 2020/2021 and didn’t leave me at my best to serve you. In 2022 I experimented with not scheduling projects on Fridays and only working should something important or time sensitive come in. This worked very well and led to a more productive year. That’s why moving forward I am making this a new policy.Â
- In line with the above change in operating hours, I have also created a Vacation Calendar (which can be found here). This calendar will display larger blocks of time that I will be out of the office and will hopefully aid in planning around project deadlines or last minute requests.
The Reason … a client pointed out to me that my scattered vacation time as of late was hard to plan around (which was valuable feedback that I took seriously). As I pride myself on being as transparent as possible, I’ve created this calendar that I intend to keep as updated as possible so there are no surprises while I’m away. A link to this calendar can also be found on the Contact page of my website, in my email signature, and at the following URLs; /vacation-calendar; /vacation; /ooo.
- Block Hours Contracts are being discontinued. If you currently have an open Block Hours Contract it will be honoured until the expiry date, after which time you will not be able to renew or create a new one.
The Reason … These contracts were originally created to reduce billing for small increments and award a discount for paying upfront. With the majority of clients now on monthly contracts whose discounts are greater than what the Block Hours Contract offered, many others on end-of-month billing, and some clients forgetting to use their Block Hours entirely, I’ve decided to simplify and stick with monthly billing for everyone moving forward. For larger projects, an upfront deposit and / or a specific project contract may still be required. Â
- Most newer clients will already be aware but for those of you who are not, moving forward there will be no difference in my hourly rate for Canadian or International clients. All Canadian clients will pay in CAD and all International clients will pay in USD (regardless of your local currency). The standard rate will be $100 (CAD/USD) per hour. Monthly Support & Maintenance Plan costs will be the only prices that are not affected. Any additional hours spent over and above what’s included in those contracts will be subject to the standard hourly rate – minus your discount of course.
The Reason …Â This decision was made based on business advice from a trusted CEO earlier this year. This brings equity to my rates for all clients and has helped me keep up with the rising costs of inflation and interest rates in 2022.
- Accepted Payment Types for 2023 will include; Cheque, eTransfer / Direct Deposit (Canadian clients only) or Wire Transfer. Zelle and PayPal are being removed as accepted payment types moving forward.
The Reason … Zelle is rarely used and requires me to keep a specific bank account open in the states that has been increasingly expensive and a royal pain to deal with over the years. I will be closing down the account in 2023 and will therefore not be able to accept this type of payment moving forward. PayPal has always been a pain point for me and I’ve only accepted it under extreme circumstances. Moving forward there will be no more exceptions.
If you have any questions or concerns about the above changes or would like to request an updated contract for your services, please feel free to contact me at any time.
Official Email Statement sent out to clients on December 1st, 2022 @ 9AM PST
https://mailchi.mp/ce7146eff214/policy-updates-for-11456138