Blog Post

Engage With Your Customers Without Face-To-Face Meetings

Amber Blevins • Apr 06, 2020

Given the current health crisis, your business is likely facing new challenges if it relies on in-p e rson meetings with clients . With showrooms closed and face-to-face interaction discouraged, it’s hard to conduct business as usual.

But there are ways you can continue to engage with your clients and keep your business moving forward. Think outside the box and consider using some techniques you might’ve dismissed in the past.

Here are some strategies you can use to stay connected with your customers , even when you’re not meeting them face-to-face.

Maintain Some Office Hours

Be sure your customers can still reach you, even if your shop or showroom is closed . While it may not be necessary to keep your normal 8-5 business hours, set a specific time frame in which customers can always reach you by phone , text, or even through Facebook messaging.

Obviously, this is important for customers who are already in the middle of a project or purchase with you . But it’s also a great way to attract new customers, as well.

Make it clear on your website when clients should contact you and how they can do it. And don’t forget, you can adjust your hours of operation and include your updated contact information on your Google My Business listing.

Take Your Process Virtual

If you’re in a service industry such as home remodeling, decorating, or landscaping, handling at least part of your business in a virtual way is easier than you might think.

Instead of visiting a client’s home to discuss a project or create an estimate, consider asking your customers to send you photos or videos of the project area. You can then set up a web conference with the client to review the photos/videos and talk about their ideas. You may find this is enough information to provide an estimate.

If you want to take is a step further, invite your customers to a video call using FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or another video chat service. During the video call, your customer can move around freely, allowing you to see the project area and discuss it in real-time.

Host a Webinar

The shelter in place order that’s in effect in most areas of our country is actually a unique opportunity for business owners – it's giving you a captive audience. Use this time to conduct a webinar addressing the questions and concerns you often hear from clients. Explain a bit about your process, your pricing, and your service guarantees. And open up the webinar for questions from viewers.

This kind of presentation is beneficial in a few ways. You’re demonstrating that your company is open and doing business. You’re giving clients and potential customers an opportunity to switch off Netflix and learn something real about your field of expertise. And, perhaps most importantly, you’re making a human connection with people who will remember your name when they need service.

Be sure to advertise your webinar where you know people will see it – on your website and especially on social media.

Moving Forward With Your Business

There’s no question, business has changed drastically in the past few months. And while there’s still a lot of uncertainty, there are steps you can take to keep your business moving forward . When things get back to normal, you’ll want to be in the best position to hit the ground running.

If you’re flexible and open to trying new ways of conducting your business, you can continue to stay engaged with your clients andpotential customers .

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