Easy Ways to Interact with Clients Virtually

The advent of the novel coronavirus caught many people by surprise. Faced with an epidemic, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in a century, smart businesses adapted their methods to take advantage of the technology available to them. What was already a growing trend towards working from home, quickly accelerated. Today’s technology easily allows for virtual meetings and collaboration from multiple people scattered across the country and the globe.

Of course, having the technology and making effective use of it are two different things. The first thing you’ll need to do is to become as familiar with the technology as you can. You want these virtual interactions to go as smoothly as possible. Nothing interrupts a productive meeting like technical glitches. While they may be unavoidable in some cases, they not only disrupt the flow of your work, but can make you appear unprofessional if they happen too often. The more you know, the better you’ll be able to work around whatever limitations the technology might have.

There are a few other things you might want to consider implementing.

One of those is a hotline. It can be an old-fashioned phone line, or it can be virtual. Basically what you’re doing is setting aside a block of time to answer customer inquiries. Try to make it a set and convenient time, a time when customers know they can quickly reach you.

You can also set up video chats with your customers. Give them the guided tour of your company. Demonstrate products and answer questions in real time. If handled properly, these types of ‘tours’ are certain to generate some goodwill and show your human side. An advantage of doing a virtual tour is that you aren’t limited by size. There are only so many people you can physically take on a tour at one time. With virtual tours you can take as many as you want. 

Interact with your customers. Engage them with contests and giveaways. You can even go so far as to let them participate in your creative process. Let them take part in the formation of a new product line or service and make sure to acknowledge their feedback. It gives customers a sense of ownership of the product and makes them feel part of a collaborative endeavor. And afterwards they’re much more likely to help promote a product they had a hand in designing.

As always treat these virtual interactions with the same care that you would in real life. That means dressing the same way you normally would and making sure that your surroundings are ship-shape. Never forget that you’re in a professional setting, even if you’re actually broadcasting from your basement or garage. 

These virtual interactions may seem strange at first, but you’ll become more proficient with them as you go. Pretty soon virtual may become the new normal. The sooner you get ready for it, the better off you’ll be.