The Most Unconventional Ways Clients Have Submitted Documents

As a professional, there’s no shortage of surprises when it comes to document submissions from clients. While most of us expect certain standards—like a PDF, a Word document, or at least a clear JPEG—there are those moments that leave us shaking our heads in disbelief.

Let me kick things off with a personal experience. One client once decided to send me an invoice in a rather unconventional manner: a photograph of the PDF displayed on their iPad, and to add to the intrigue, this picture was taken with a Samsung phone. Emailing it seemed like the final touch of a truly bewildering experience. Unsurprisingly, we still had to take the time to manually process that invoice, which added an extra layer of chaos to our already busy workflow.

I know I’m not alone in encountering bizarre document submissions. From handwritten notes to scans that appear upside down, or files renamed to “Image(345).jpg,” the creativity (or lack thereof) in the ways clients submit their documents can be truly astonishing.

Today, I’m reaching out to hear your stories. What is the strangest or least practical document you’ve ever received? Maybe it was a picture of a handwritten note held up against a window, or a collection of images stitched together to form something resembling a coherent document.

Your stories not only provide a glimpse into the daily absurdities of our work lives but also help validate the frustrations we face in an industry that could certainly use some improvement.

So, let’s share our experiences and find solace in the fact that we are not alone in navigating the sometimes chaotic waters of client communications! What’s your story?