Photo by Stewf

Whether you’re in the U.S. dealing with clients in some place like Russia, or in the U.K. dealing with clients in some place like the U.S., you’re going to have to work around scheduling at one point. Time zones can make it hard to reach your client or for your client to reach you at an optimal time. At other times you might run into problems when a foreign holiday arrives (what exactly is Sadé anyway??) that you, or your client, is un-aware of, and one of you isn’t going to be available. We’ll some free online applications and services have done their best for you to get around this problem! Check out the top 5 of these free online services any freelancer should be using:

When Is Good

WhenIsGood.net

Ahh, the universal question, when is good? WhenIsGood.net is a simple online application that claims to be “An easy way to find out when everyone is free for your next meeting or event.” You simply select the times that you, or your client, are available (in the local time zone). This creates an simple and effective way for you and your client to agree on a time for that next phone call or chat.

ScheduleOnce

ScheduleOnce

ScheduleOnce is a similar application as When Is Good?, which also allows you to choose a time in which you and your client can agree on. Whether setting up single meeting times or alternative meeting times, you can also receive emails when changes are made to the schedule!

Google Calendar

Google Calendar

Most of us could probably get by with the few applications google has made so far, and Google Calendar is no different. You can set up days and times and invite others to comment and view that certain calendar. You can also add your clients or friends calendars for an up-to-date view on their availability.

Doodle

Doodle.ch

Doodle.ch is a slightly different take on the When is Good formula. You start out by creating a “poll” and setting up times, participants can vote on which time is best. You can also choose to receive updates via email. If you just cant get the right scheduled time decided upon, Doodle might be your best choice!

Yahoo Finance: Currency

Yahoo Finance Currency Converter

As well as scheduling, you may encounter problems when it comes to your price of your service with the issue of foriegn currency. When your client agrees on $500 and some how your account reflects half that… it may be that there was some confusion on which currency you were talking about. On the other hand, it might not be so bad if your account reflects twice that amount! Either way, to avoid this you should also explain the amount owed in their local currency. There are many tools out there but I choose to use the
Yahoo Finance Currency Converter.