How to start a conversation with clients?

My managers and clients usually ignore important emails from me and later accuse me of not doing my job on time. This harms my position and credibility. What should I do?

• This happens a lot irrespective of a company's size, or even the country. I'm in the software industry, if that matters. I try to keep my emails short, clean and articulate. Nevertheless, very often, for some mysterious reasons, my emails get ignored and as a consequence my manager (or my client - when I'm freelancing) gets back to me accusing in not having done something on time. Our conversation can go like this: - Where is X? Why haven't you finished it yet? - I'm sorry but I sent you an email a week ago saying that it's done. - Really? Hmm... where is it... let me see... Oh right. Then a few minutes later: "But I'm not happy with your performance. Please report to me every day on the work done." Etc etc. - So I start sending hourly reports every day, which again are ignored just like before. This happens so often it's not funny any more. With different managers or clients, in different countries. I'm thinking I am doing something wrong. What could it be?

• Answer:

  Educate them how not to ignore your emails. Lets say you sent an email to your boss asking clarifications about particular requirement.  You didn't get reply in expected time. So you know, now, that your email has been ignored. So you have two options now. Option 1: You wait until your boss comes back accusing you that you have not done anything. I guess this is what happening to you now. Option 2: When you realize your email has been ignored, you follow up with your boss. You goto your boss' office, knock his door, ask him whether he got chance to look into clarifications requested by you through email. He says he will look into it. You wait for another couple of days. He still has not comeback with clarifications. Now you realize again that you have been ignored again. So what do you do now. You follow up again. You go to his office, knock his door, tell him, hey I still haven't got reply for clarifications I asked. Persistent followup is the key and you have to do it in a balanced way. Have a consideration of factors such importance & urgency of matter. Like you, your boss also has lot of tasks to do and in fact he might be more busy than you. When you persistently do this, eventually your boss will start paying attention to your emails and your words. Good luck.