Reading a Client Request
✓ CompletedEvery task starts with a message from the client: an email, a chat, sometimes a few messages in a row. Most mistakes happen here, before any work begins, because the message was read quickly.
In this lesson you'll practice reading a client request carefully and writing down what it actually asks for. You'll use the same short note in every lesson of this course.
Grace runs Harbor & Hill, a small ceramics shop in Portland, USA. You're her VA. It's October, and this email arrives on Monday:
Trade fair contacts
to ana@harborhill.co · Monday
Hi Ana! Hope your week's off to a good start. We just got back from the spring trade fair and it was so busy. We met a lot of new stockists (stores that sell our pieces), and I'd like to follow up with them before they forget us. Could you put their contacts into our Stockist Tracker sheet? The business cards are scanned in the "Trade Fair Cards" folder in Drive, 23 cards. Add each one as a new row with name, shop, city, email and phone. Some cards have no email; just leave that blank, don't go searching for it. Please don't change the existing rows, Mark uses them for deliveries. Tag the new ones somehow so I can tell they're from the fair. I need it before my call with our distributor on Thursday at 10 AM my time. Thanks!
What Did You Catch?
Look at what you wrote. Tick everything your answer included.
Six Things to Write Down
A Task Card is a short note you make before starting any task. It has six parts:
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Task | Everything you're asked to do |
| Finished result | What will exist when you're done |
| Sources | The files or information you'll work from |
| Deadline | When it's due, in Philippine time |
| Limits | Every "don't", "only" and "must" |
| Open questions | Anything the message doesn't tell you |
Here's Grace's email again, with each part marked:
Hi Ana! Hope your week's off to a good start. [Background]
We just got back from the spring trade fair and it was so busy. [Background]
We met a lot of new stockists (stores that sell our pieces), and I'd like to follow up with them before they forget us. [Background: this is why she wants it]
Could you put their contacts into our Stockist Tracker sheet? [Task]
The business cards are scanned in the "Trade Fair Cards" folder in Drive, 23 cards. [Sources]
Add each one as a new row with name, shop, city, email and phone. [Finished result]
Some cards have no email; just leave that blank, don't go searching for it. [Limit]
Please don't change the existing rows, [Limit] Mark uses them for deliveries. [Background: the reason for the limit]
Tag the new ones somehow so I can tell they're from the fair. [Task, and an Open question: tag them how?]
I need it before my call with our distributor on Thursday at 10 AM my time. [Deadline]
Thanks! [Background]
And here's the Task Card for it:
| Part | Grace's trade-fair contacts |
|---|---|
| Task | Add the 23 trade-fair stockists to the Stockist Tracker as new rows, and tag them as from the fair |
| Finished result | 23 new rows, each with name, shop, city, email (blank if the card has none) and phone, marked as trade-fair contacts. Existing rows unchanged |
| Sources | The 23 scanned cards in the "Trade Fair Cards" folder; the Stockist Tracker sheet |
| Deadline | Thursday 10:00 AM Portland time = Friday 1:00 AM Philippine time. So finish on Thursday evening, your time |
| Limits | Don't change existing rows. Leave missing emails blank. Don't search for missing emails |
| Open questions | How should the new rows be tagged: a new column, a note, a colour? |
A few things to notice:
- "Could you…?" is polite, but it's still the task.
- The limits come near the end, and one comes with a reason attached. The reason helps you understand; the limit is what you follow.
- "Tag them somehow" is part of the task, but it doesn't say how. That goes under Open questions. You'll decide what to do about open questions in Lessons 2 and 3. For now, you only write them down.
Basahin hanggang dulo bago ka magsimula. Madalas nasa huling mga linya ang "don't" at ang deadline.
Do or Background?
Grace sent this chat. For each sentence, choose Do if it asks you to do something (including "don't" and "only"), or Background if it only gives news, a reason, or a greeting.
"Hi Ana, quick one before the weekend."
"Our holiday orders doubled last year, so we're preparing earlier this time."
"Could you make a copy of last year's Holiday Orders sheet and name it Holiday Orders 2026?"
"Last year the sheet got confusing because people typed dates in different ways."
"So in the new one, please use one date format only: YYYY-MM-DD."
"Joy might ask you about it; she's new and still learning our system."
"Don't delete anything from last year's sheet; we still need it for taxes."
"Thanks so much, you've been a big help this month!"
Which Result Matches?
The task tells you what to do. The finished result is what should exist at the end. Choose the result that matches each request.
Grace: "Add the three new suppliers to the Supplier Contacts sheet with name, email and phone. Keep the list in A–Z order by name."
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Phone | |
| 2 | Bayabas Print | hello@bayabasprint.ph | 0917 555 0101 |
| 3 | Luntian Packaging | sales@luntianpackaging.ph | 0917 555 0102 |
| 4 | Sari Boxes | orders@sariboxes.ph | 0917 555 0103 |
| 5 | Tala Paper Co. (new) | hello@talapaper.ph | 0917 555 0106 |
| 6 | Alon Glassworks (new) | hi@alonglass.ph | 0917 555 0104 |
| 7 | Kawayan Crates (new) | sales@kawayancrates.ph | 0917 555 0105 |
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Phone | |
| 2 | Alon Glassworks (new) | hi@alonglass.ph | 0917 555 0104 |
| 3 | Bayabas Print | hello@bayabasprint.ph | 0917 555 0101 |
| 4 | Kawayan Crates (new) | sales@kawayancrates.ph | 0917 555 0105 |
| 5 | Luntian Packaging | sales@luntianpackaging.ph | 0917 555 0102 |
| 6 | Sari Boxes | orders@sariboxes.ph | 0917 555 0103 |
| 7 | Tala Paper Co. (new) | hello@talapaper.ph | 0917 555 0106 |
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Phone | |
| 2 | Alon Glassworks (new) | hi@alonglass.ph | |
| 3 | Bayabas Print | hello@bayabasprint.ph | 0917 555 0101 |
| 4 | Kawayan Crates (new) | sales@kawayancrates.ph | |
| 5 | Luntian Packaging | sales@luntianpackaging.ph | 0917 555 0102 |
| 6 | Sari Boxes | orders@sariboxes.ph | 0917 555 0103 |
| 7 | Tala Paper Co. (new) | hello@talapaper.ph |
Grace: "Save the signed Luntian contract as a PDF in the Contracts folder, named Luntian-Contract-2026."
Deadlines in Your Time
When a client says "my time", convert it before you plan anything. Grace is in Portland. In October, Portland is 15 hours behind the Philippines, so add 15 hours to Grace's time to get yours.
| Client in… | Mid-March to early November | Early November to mid-March |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, Los Angeles (Pacific) | 15 hours behind the Philippines | 16 hours behind |
| New York (Eastern) | 12 hours behind | 13 hours behind |
The difference changes by one hour when US clocks change in March and November. If you're not sure, search for a time-zone converter and check.
Example: Grace's "Thursday 10 AM my time" + 15 hours = Friday 1 AM in the Philippines. You won't want to be working at 1 AM, so plan to finish on Thursday evening.
Some deadlines aren't exact: "EOD", "tonight", "before my call". Write down what you know, and add the missing part to Open questions.
Convert the Deadline
All of these are from Grace in Portland, in October.
Grace: "I need it by Thursday 10 AM my time." When is that in the Philippines?
It's 9 PM on Tuesday in the Philippines when Grace writes: "Can you send it by tomorrow morning?" When is that for you?
Grace: "EOD Friday, please." No time is given. What do you write under Deadline?
Grace: "I need it before my call with the distributor on Monday." What do you write under Deadline?
Your Task Card
Now a new request, with no labels. It's a Friday afternoon in October in Portland. Grace sends three chat messages:
Wholesale price: the lower price for stores that buy many pieces to resell.
Fill in your Task Card. Short notes are fine, in English or Taglish. Your answers are saved in this browser.
In Lessons 2 and 3 you'll decide what to do about your open questions. If one does need to go to Grace, the wording comes from Communication & Professionalism, Lesson 3.
- Before you start, write a Task Card: task, finished result, sources, deadline, limits, open questions.
- Read to the end, including every message in a thread. Limits and deadlines are often last.
- Convert the deadline to Philippine time, and note any part that isn't exact.
TASK CARD Task: Finished result: Sources: Deadline (my time / client's words): Limits: Open questions: