Client not responding after delivery: follow up with a clear next step.

Check the situation before interpreting the silence.

Look at your last delivery: version, recipient, date and question asked. If feedback was planned for the following week, no answer the next morning is not yet a delay. If you never agreed on a date, start by asking when the client can review the work rather than referring to a deadline you invented.

Choose an action that matches the problem

The table helps you choose a message, not infer someone’s intentions from a status. Sending without an error does not prove the client read the document. A short reply may also mean they are waiting for another person’s input.

In Dealokr, deliverables and revisions can be set out in the signed agreement. Use that framework to recall what you presented and the step expected. If you agreed on a review schedule, connect your request to it instead of introducing new conditions in the follow-up.

First ask whether the client can review the version.

If you do not know whether the material reached the right person, ask for a simple confirmation. Check the file, permissions and link on your side too. The client should not need to request a document again because you assumed it was already accessible.

A first message without an accusation

Personalise the reference and channel before sending. This message checks the opportunity to review; it does not yet ask the client to approve everything. If they confirm receipt but lack time, move to a request for an appropriate response date.

Fix access before asking for feedback

If you discover a closed link or incorrect file, resend the right version clearly. Confirm with the client how that correction affects the review period. Record the issue and its resolution instead of continuing to count from an unusable delivery. State which earlier link or version the new message replaces.

Recall the context and request one useful decision.

Once receipt is confirmed, focus on what is holding up progress. “Any news?” makes the client reconstruct the context. Name the deliverable, version, decision and next step you can prepare. A few lines can be enough when they bring together the information needed to answer.

A reminder connected to the next stage

Refer to an agreed date only if one actually existed. Otherwise, propose a review time for confirmation. Remove questions unrelated to the decision: combining approval, a new service and a request for paperwork in the same message makes an answer harder.

Address an objection when it appears

If the client raises a disagreement, stop following up as though they have said nothing. Ask which point is concerned and compare it with the accepted scope. An objection needs clarification or a substantive answer, rather than another reminder of the response date.

Change channels when it helps explain the blockage.

After an unanswered exchange, a call or short meeting may help more than repeating the same message. Use professional contact details and the arrangements you agreed. Avoid sending the same reminder across every channel at once or adding recipients without knowing who can make the decision.

Prepare a short conversation

Keep three questions: can you access the version, what is preventing a decision and when can you respond? If your contact is away, ask whether there is an authorised replacement or whether you should wait for their return. An available colleague does not automatically become the project’s decision-maker.

In Dealokr, the preview, revision requests and project history help you find the work presented and exchanges so far. You can use those details to prepare a targeted follow-up. This does not mean your follow-up emails are sent automatically or that you receive confirmation the client has read them.

Summarise the call afterwards

Send a factual recap: the version discussed, point to clarify, person responsible for the response and next date proposed. Ask for confirmation where something remains uncertain. The purpose is to keep the call from becoming another hard-to-find verbal update; do not describe your summary as an agreement the client already expressed if they did not.

If they prefer another channel for feedback, confirm where the final answer will be recorded. A shared reference helps both people find the outcome instead of continuing parallel conversations in separate places.

Confirm possible dates and the conditions for proceeding.

Late feedback can affect your availability and dependent stages. Explain the practical effect: one piece of work needs a decision, and the original production slot can no longer be confirmed on the same basis. Suggest options to discuss without treating silence as acceptance of a new schedule.

Choose suitable spacing between follow-ups

If review was agreed for Thursday, you might suggest a conversation on Friday and then confirm the following week’s availability together. That is an organisational example, not a rule requiring a reminder every three days. Adapt the timing to the work, any known absence and the actual urgency.

A message to clarify the schedule

Include only prerequisites that already exist. This template does not authorise a new suspension, additional charge or unilateral change. Any pause needs to be considered under the accepted terms and rules applicable to the situation. Keep the proposed option distinct from a date both parties have confirmed.

Do not give silence effects you have not checked.

Under French law, silence does not generally amount to acceptance, with exceptions connected to legislation, established practices, business relationships or particular circumstances. Passing your requested response date therefore does not, by itself, mean that a version has been approved.

Read the terms before announcing a consequence

Review the accepted review arrangements, prerequisites and schedule. Do not retrospectively add “without a reply tomorrow, everything will be considered approved” to a reminder. If a clause appears to address silence, have its effect checked in the circumstances rather than automatically drawing every possible consequence from it.

Separate the availability you can offer from the project’s obligations. You can explain that a slot needs reconfirmation; a pause, closure or contractual change does not follow simply because a message remains unanswered. Be clear about what you propose and what has actually been agreed.

Keep the useful material

Retain the agreement, version sent, access information, follow-ups and responses. Date confirmed changes. This history helps establish the sequence of events; it guarantees neither the outcome of a dispute nor the legal weight of each document.

If silence comes with a specific conflict, termination request or significant disagreement, address that issue separately and seek appropriate help if needed. A follow-up method cannot, by itself, resolve a contractual difficulty or tell you which legal step fits every case.

Keep a clear next step for the work and handoff.

After each exchange, update a simple record: version waiting for review, answer needed, person concerned and next action. When the client replies, confirm what that response actually enables. If a choice is still missing, request it explicitly rather than producing work on an assumption.

Separate the reply, transfer and final files

For fixed-price work in Dealokr, the client pays 100% upfront through Stripe Connect. Review follows later. You request the transfer under the project’s conditions, then the client gains access to hosted final files after transfer confirmation. Bank arrival is separate: client inactivity does not automatically trigger that movement.

A first milestone transfer does not unlock every file. Check the relevant process and materials. For an external link, access remains controlled by its provider. Keep those permissions consistent with the agreement without promising protection over something the project does not control.

Avoid waiting without another decision planned

Choose a proportionate action: restate the question, agree on a conversation, confirm scheduling or assess a specific difficulty. You can organise the record and prepare your availability without announcing an assumed approval, waiver by the client or end to the project.

When communication resumes, recap the decision and reference version. The project can then continue from a shared point rather than interpretations accumulated while waiting. Make sure the next person acting has the information needed for that stage.