Client answers: How to get them as quickly as possible?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could be honest and send this message to your unresponsive client:

“I’ve asked for these documents five times now. If I don’t have them by tomorrow, I’m coming to your office with a bat!”

Unfortunately, this isn’t how things work in real life. You have to be polite and find a way to collect all the answers without ruining client relationships for good. 

This requires a more balanced approach (and patience), so let’s breeze through practical tips on how to gather answers from your clients timely and efficiently. 

Why do they respond slowly in the first place? 

Understanding the cause of delayed responses can give you a hint on how to address this issue. In general, clients take too much time to answer your information or data collection requests for these reasons:

• They are busy: Clients often juggle multiple priorities, and responding to your request might not be at the top of their list. It’s not personal, it’s just that they’re swamped with other duties and deadlines.

• They don’t understand your request: Some clients don’t respond because they’re not sure what you’re asking for. If your request isn’t clear or seems too complex, they might delay their response, hoping for more clarity or simply putting it off.

• They are overwhelmed: When requests are long and detailed, clients might feel paralyzed by the sheer volume of information. In this case, some of them will postpone their response because they don’t know where to start.

• They are lazy: Let’s face it — clients sometimes procrastinate (don’t we all?). Whether it’s because they find the task tedious or they’re simply not motivated, their lack of urgency can also lead to slow responses.

That being said, the real question is what you can do to prevent communication delays and increase client engagement. Let’s discuss that in the next section.

Clever tips to encourage clients to answer on time

A few clever tricks can help you convince most clients to provide responses on time. These tips are meant to address the causes of communication delays discussed above. 

Note: Screenshots you’ll see below come from the Content Snare library of form templates.

1. Clarify the deadline

Do you often tell your clients to send answers “as soon as possible” or “at their earliest convenience?” If yes, you should change your approach — these phrases leave too much room for interpretation, and your request could easily be lost in the shuffle of your client’s busy day.

A simple way to get a timely response is to set a specific deadline. Here’s an example of what (not) to do:

• Don’t: Can you send over the documents when you get a chance?

• Do: Can you please send the documents by Monday, September 30th, at 3 PM?

This approach does two things — it sets a clear expectation and communicates the urgency of your request without being pushy. When clients know exactly when something is due, it’s easier for them to prioritize and manage their time accordingly.

2. Keep your questions as clear as possible

If your questions are vague or overly complex, clients will delay their reply because they aren’t sure what you’re asking for. In other words, clear communication is a must when you’re looking for prompt responses. 

Our advice is to avoid using niche jargon or overly technical language unless you’re sure the client is familiar with it. Here’s an example:

• Don’t: Please provide the adjusted quarterly financials as per the revised P&L statement.

• Do: Please send me the updated financial reports for April, May, and June. I’ll need the income and expense totals for each month. 

Another idea is to use a question type that feels intuitive. For instance, a single-choice question is a convenient option if you need a specific answer:

This approach makes it easier for the client to understand the question and give you the right information quickly.

Pro tip: Provide instructions where required

If the task involves multiple steps or specific actions, it’s best to provide brief instructions to guide your client. For instance, you might add something like:

“Please send the reports as an Excel file, and make sure each month has its own tab. If you need any help with this, just give me a call.”

3. Avoid complex information requests 

Clients are more likely to delay their response when faced with long and overwhelming requests. That’s why you should keep your requests simple and manageable instead of asking for everything in one go.

On the other hand, you’ll often have to ask for a large amount of information. In this case, it’s highly recommended to break it down into smaller, logical units:

This helps the client find their way through the request, which means you are more likely to get your answers on time. 

4. Use the right communication channel

The delay in response sometimes isn’t about the content of your request but rather how you’re delivering it. After all, not all clients prefer the same communication method.

Some may be quick to reply to emails, while others might respond faster via a quick text message or an online form. It’s all about meeting your clients where they are, making it as easy as possible for them to get back to you.

Related: 3 modern client communication tools that put email to shame

But if you’re interested in the most efficient way to collect client answers, the choice is easy — you should use a dedicated information gathering platform. 

More on that in the next section. 

5. Use a data gathering tool like Content Snare

If you’re frequently collecting a lot of information from multiple clients, relying solely on email or manual follow-ups is both time-consuming and inefficient. In this case, a specialized data gathering tool can make a huge difference productivity-wise. 

For instance, Content Snare optimizes the process of collecting information and documents from clients, so you can spend more time doing the actual work. Our platform lets you create structured forms that clients can fill out with ease:

Content Snare allows you to:

• Set deadlines
• Add instructions
• Send automated reminders
• Build templates
• Guide respondents through in-form comments
• Track responses

This practically eliminates the back-and-forth from client comms and keeps your projects moving forward without constant manual intervention.

6. Create templates for specific types of clients

Another way to make client communications more efficient is to do your own work beforehand by creating request templates. This is very useful if you’re repeatedly sending the same questions to certain types of clients. 

This is often the case with tax advisors, web designers, real estate agents, and many other professionals who require the same inputs from all clients. Content Snare can help you with this, too, because it features a library of ready-made form templates: 

You can send any template as-is, or edit it to perfectly match the needs of your business. After that, it only takes a few clicks to send the predefined template to any given client.

7. Be honest (if nothing else works)

Some clients will remain silent despite all of your previous attempts to get the info you need. In this case, the best (and last) option is to be honest with your client. 

If delays are starting to impact your work or their deadlines, it’s important to communicate this clearly without sounding accusatory or frustrated. An honest message can often prompt action when gentler nudges haven’t worked. For example, you might say something like this:

“Hi [client name], I wanted to touch base because I’m concerned about meeting our upcoming deadline. I’m still waiting on the answers/documents we discussed, and I really need them by [date] to keep everything on track. Could you please send them asap?”

This kind of direct but polite honesty often spurs clients into action because it shows the real impact of their delays. If even this doesn’t work, perhaps it’s time to consider firing a client.