Running Late for Client Meeting: What Should I do? - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. When you are running late for an important meeting, it can be really stressful. It happens all the time though. The important thing is to be sure you are prepared by having the clients phone number in your phone so that, when these situations come up, you can call them and let them know you are running late. If you are just going to be late a few minutes, cal them, tell them what time you expect to arrive and apologize for running late. However, if you are going to be very late, apologize and ask them if they had like to reschedule the meeting. If they say they would like to continue with the meeting, then make sure you find out how much time is allotted for you to meet and stick within that time. Let your client know you value their time.