You’re trying to figure out how to politely ask for a meeting or confirm a plan with your client, your colleague, or your boss.
But is the phrase does that work for you appropriate for a professional email?
In this article, we’ll discuss the correctness of this phrase.
In addition, we’ll show you 9 professional alternative phrases that you can use to keep your work emails fresh.
9 Alternative Ways to Say “Does That Work for You”
Below, you’ll find 9 other ways to say does that work for you professionally:
- Does that sound acceptable?
- Please let me know if this works for you
- Are you happy with that?
- Does that suit you?
- Are you available at that time?
- What do you think?
- Is that all right with you?
- Does that suffice?
- Does that sound good to you?
1. Does That Sound Acceptable?
If you’re wondering how to say does that work for you formally, a good option is does that sound acceptable?
You can use this alternative when you are confirming a potential plan with your boss or supervisor.
This phrase allows you to seek clear confirmation while maintaining a formal and professional register.
Therefore, it’s perfect for an email to a superior.
Have a look at how we’ve used this phrase in an email example:
Dear Ms. Monaghan,
I could arrange for the client to meet us on 5th Avenue tomorrow.
Does that sound acceptable?
Regards,
Evangeline O’Quinn
2. Please Let Me Know if This Works for You
Please let me know if this works for you is a more polite alternative that you can use when you are trying to arrange a meeting or consultation with a client.
The main benefit of this phrase is that it prompts a response from the client so that there is no uncertainty regarding whether or not your meeting is taking place.
In addition, it maintains a suitably professional tone, which will make a good impression on the other person.
Thus, let’s see a sample email that includes this alternative:
Dear Mr. Kelley,
I can fit you in for a consultation on Tuesday.
Please let me know if this works for you.
Kind regards,
Zuleikha Ravin
3. Are You Happy With That?
The phrase are you happy with that comes across as a touch more friendly and casual than the other alternatives on our list.
Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend using this phrase in an email to a superior or client if you work in a formal setting.
However, if you have a friendly relationship with your colleagues, you can use less formal phrasing in your inter-office correspondence.
For instance:
Hi Claude,
I’ve found a possible meeting place on East Street.
Are you happy with that?
All the best,
Hila
4. Does That Suit You?
Another professional way to say does that work for you is does that suit you?
This phrase works well if you are speaking to a coworker you don’t know particularly well or a fellow professional from another organization.
Essentially, this phrase allows you to double-check the other person’s availability.
In addition, it has a tentative and polite tone, which is ideal if you want to create a pleasant rapport with the receiver.
Consider the email sample below:
Dear Terry,
I can arrange a short meeting between our respective clients next week.
Does that suit you?
Regards,
Michelle
5. Are You Available at That Time?
If you’re arranging a meeting with a client, it’s good to check their availability and be flexible to their schedule.
Therefore, you can use the phrase are you available at that time to either confirm or reconsider a time that would suit all the parties involved.
This phrase is polite and tonally neutral. This makes it a safe option whether you are speaking to a new or long-term client.
For example:
Dear Miss Siyatvinda,
We have a free meeting room at 3 pm on Friday.
Are you available at that time?
Kind regards,
Weronika Bochat
6. What Do You Think?
You can use the phrase what do you think when you are asking your boss for their opinion on any matter.
This alternative is a great way to ask for feedback or confirmation from your employer. In particular, it shows that you respect and value their thoughts.
In short, you can use this phrase to confirm the time or date of a meeting or to receive constructive criticism on a project or task you have been working on.
See the email example below:
Dear Isabella,
Our investors have said they are prepared to meet at any of these times.
What do you think?
Regards,
Piotr
7. Is That All Right With You?
Another way to say does that work for you is is that all right with you? In fact, these phrases are direct synonyms.
This is a casual but polite phrase that you can use when confirming a plan with a colleague.
Essentially, you can use this phrase to make sure that a potential plan would suit the other person’s schedule.
Therefore, it shows that you are thoughtful and respectful of the other person’s time.
In addition, this phrase is quite tentative, making it a good option even if you and the receiving coworker aren’t particularly close.
To see this phrase in action, have a look at the following email sample:
Dear Jemaine,
I have arranged a meeting in the front office today.
Is that all right with you?
Regards,
Shayna
8. Does That Suffice?
Does that suffice is a good, formal alternative that you can use in an email exchange with your boss.
Essentially, you can use this phrase to ask whether your proposed plan is adequate.
As this alternative uses rather formal phrasing, it works well if you work in a formal industry and want to maintain a serious tone in your emails to your superior.
For example, you could use this phrase if you work as an assistant to a CEO or a member of a government department, for instance.
Check out the example below:
Dear Mr. Tudyk,
I can arrange for a driver to meet you at the airport on the date specified.
Does that suffice?
Regards,
Temuera Cravalho
9. Does That Sound Good to You?
The phrase does that sound good to you is rather friendly.
Therefore, it may not suit a corporate or formal environment.
However, if you run your own small business and like to engage with your customers using a light and positive tone, this is a great option to go with.
In short, this phrase is a great way to check that the client is happy with your ideas or plans.
Moreover, it shows that you want to complete their project exactly according to their specifications, which is always a good sign!
To see what we mean, have a look at our final email example:
Dear Mira,
I can have a rough sketch of the design completed by the end of this week, and then we can finalize the design and book you in for April.
Does that sound good to you?
Kind regards,
Jaida
Is It Correct to Say “Does That Work for You”?
It is perfectly correct to say does that work for you when you’re confirming a plan you’ve made with a colleague or client at work.
This phrase is business casual. Therefore, it’s suitable to use it in a professional setting. However, it’s not the best option for a formal email or letter.
Nevertheless, we’ve provided two email samples below to illustrate how you can use this phrase in your professional correspondence:
Dear Ken,
I have booked Room 12 for 2 pm.
Does that work for you?
Regards,
Dominique
You can also rephrase this question with the variation does it work for you, as seen in the example below:
Hi Kate,
Does it work for you if we relocate the sewing area to the downstairs basement?
Best,
Gordon
Next, let’s see a couple of variations of the phrase does that work for you and discuss their correctness:
Variations: Will that work for you, or would that work for you?
- Correct: Will that work for you?
- Correct: Would that work for you?
You can use will that work for you when you are discussing a plan that may come to fruition in the future.
Similarly, you can use would that work for you to discuss a hypothetical plan that hasn’t yet been finalized.
So, we know that the phrase does that work for you is correct and appropriate to use in a professional email.
However, this phrase is rather standardized. Therefore, you can zest up your phrasing and keep your work emails diverse using one or more of the alternative phrases from our list.
