Small Business Advice

Don't mode shift your communications.

What's 'mode shifting?'  That's when someone contacts you via one method, and you reply via a different method.  For instance, if I leave you a voice mail message, you should call me back.  Don't shift the mode to e-mail.  Or, God forbid, a text.  Mode shifting is an unprofessional - as well as infuriating - violation of expectations.
   There is one acceptable way to mode-shift, and that is by mutual agreement.  We've all had elevator conversations that have the potential to turn into real work.  It's perfectly acceptable to say to the other person 'how about I e-mail you with all the details?'  If that person agrees, you're good to go with changing communication modes from speaking to e-mails.  Both sides know what to expect.

I would also say, generally speaking, voice mails and e-mails are the professional way to go for any agreements, as they leave a record of what the parties discussed.  Avoid texting, it's far too informal to conduct business with.
    Let me give you a real-world example of why you shouldn't try to conduct business via text.  I know a property manager who communicates via text almost exclusively.  In one instance he texted a property owner for details of how long to extend a lease to a tenant.  The owner came back with '6 mths.'  The property manager executed a lease extension for six months, starting the first of the next month.  As is proper and normal.  The owner assumed six months including the month she sent the text, which was only five months.  So when she wanted to move back in to her house, the tenant still had 31 days to go on the lease.  The owner had to make other living arrangements for a month, the property manager was out money, and there was headache and hassle for everyone but the tenant, who had a legal document giving him the right to stay for a month longer than the owner intended.  All that could have been avoided if the property manager and owner had actually talked, or even sent verification e-mails outlining what the terms of the extension were.  The take away?  Texting is for kids and lovers, not for business.