I agree with you 2,000% Alix! A couple of our clients do that to us on a daily basis.  Hate it.   We cannot work efficiently if they are constantly calling us after we have already provided their daily ETA.  It just doesn't make any sense. 

Same with our researchers, we will not call them for ETA if they already provided them; which they can easily just post on our website or reply to the order's email.   Communication is crucial, especially when a deadline will not be met.  I'm all about being proactive, not reactive, with our clients.  

But pestering our researchers while they are in the field is the very last thing we want to do.We loathe stopping what we are doing to do that. It puts us behind as well.  I have to remind my staff that the clients that call everyday for status, regardless that we provided their daily ETAs hours prior to their call; they are getting paid minimum wage to just call for status.  Probably some high school kid or free intern.  lol. 

Regardless, people need to stop wasting time and money on the status calls when they already have the answer in front of them.  Leave the researchers alone to do their work without any interruptions.  We want quality work from our researchers. Not someone that had to stop and start the search a thousand times because of interruptions.    However, I don't think anyone wants to test their E&O because of unnecessary phone calls.  But then again, I rarely get calls on my orders because I am proactive. 

And researchers, please, please, please provide ETAs upon receipt of your orders so you will not get that call/email.  We don't want to bother you.  But we do have to provide daily ETAs for our clients.  (Also why a daily outstanding report is sent out.) So if there are any updates on your ETA, that needs to be provided as soon as possible. 

Also, if you do not provide an ETA or have a history of not making the deadline on our orders (usually for rural areas), we have to contact you. But if you provide the ETA initially, we will not; unless we did not receive an explanation for the extended delay (which is required from our clients).  So please let us know why you are not able to meet the deadline on our orders so we may pass that on to our clients.

Again, being proactive saves time for everyone involved.   And if you run into a delay, please notify your client immediately, not the next day...or after deadline, so they are not caught off-guard and can communicate this information with their client.  We have some great researchers that have impeccable communication and we LOVE working with them as we rarely have to contact them about anything.  But there are some that just don't care and do whatever they want.  They do not take pride in their work.  And when you do ask for ETAs and reasons for delays, they act like it's our fault that we didn't know.  Sorry.  We cannot read minds.  Missed deadlines without warning reflect future work flow from us and our client.  The better the communication, the more work you will receive. ;)

So sorry for meandering from the "unnecessary status calls", Alix!  I guess my mind had something more to share.  lol.  Happy Monday! :)