In the last post I talked about the importance of communication in business and how finding your own “groove” comes down to exploring the possibilities and ultimately choosing those methods that best suit your team and what you do on a daily basis. For us, it was all about establishing relationships between ourselves and clients the world over. We needed to be able to put trust in place and for those people that we served on a daily basis to know, without a doubt, that we were there for them regardless of the time and regardless of the distance that separated us. Audio conferencing, as we discussed earlier, was a key element in forming that trust and those relationships. It allowed us to pick up the phone and include anyone that we wanted or needed in the conversation. More than just a phone call however, audio conferencing is professionally run and seamless in its operations. More methods for communication that we have used include:
Web Conferencing - This has improved our business dramatically. When you meet in person with clients - and you are currently engaged in a project - you bring to the table (the physical table) the documentation associated with that project at which time all participants can add in their two cents, ask questions, reference particular items, etc. With web conferencing, this can all be done online. Through a phone and web connection, participants can access the same information in real time through a moderator who is in charge for uploading the documents. From there it’s possible to talk about the details of any project and to all be on the same page - literally.
Video Conference - Takes it one step further by allowing us to see each other. This is a virtual meeting room of sorts where participants can log on from their own location.
Popularity: 2% [?]
When you are running a business - while there is so much put down on paper including finances and well-intentioned business plans - there is a lot that is taken on in the style of “winging it” - trying things on for size and seeing how they fit. You can’t know until you know and there are many, many things in the world of business ownership that are subjective; you need to do what works for you and you alone. Audio conferencing - conference calls - was something that I always thought that I would use in business, especially because I was dealing with so many clients around the world and in-person meetings were just not feasible. While I have used conference calls for a great many things, I have to say that I have equally enjoyed web conferencing and video conference as they have taken my business operations to the next level and beyond.
Like I said, you try it all and use what works for you and that’s exactly what we have done. We have used all manner of communications and they have each worked in their own way - helping me to grow and expand my business and certainly showing clients and prospective clients around the world that we are up to the challenge of meeting their needs regardless of our physical distance. For us, the benefits have been immeasurable and it turns out that audio conferencing, web conferencing and video conference fit our business like a glove.
Audio Conferencing - Has given us the ability to jump on the phone with clients regardless of time and distance; giving all involved parties the opportunity to speak, to answer and to ask questions. It may not seem like anything high-tech or exciting, but having this technology at our fingertips has proved to have a huge impact on establishing and maintaining client relationships.
More in the next post…
Popularity: 2% [?]
Taking on a new client is challenging enough but when that new client happens to be across the world, the challenges increase exponentially. We were trying our best to service someone who was literally a day ahead of us in terms of time; it made it difficult to say the least. Then there were the issues. The first thing that we did for them was a project of massive proportions and we were just working out how communications were going to go. We were struggling to stay in communication with everyone and that meant that some things were falling through the cracks. Language was also an issue and we weren’t sure how many things were simply being lost in translation. Web conferencing quickly became the answer for us in getting back on track and gaining momentum with this new and important client.
Web conference allows us to log on with several parties at once and get down to business in a detailed and personal way even across all those miles. Invitations are sent to the parties involved in this particular project after which everyone logs on at the appropriated time. From there, we can discuss the details of what we see on the screen as the moderator (someone from our team) goes through the project page by page. What this has given us is accountability on both ends - in terms of following up on project details, answering concerns and questions literally on the spot and determining what needs to happen next and in what time frame. Web conferencing has given us a leg up in our dealings with this client and will likely be used by our team for communications with all of our clients as it’s an easy, effective and certainly professional way to operate our business well into the future.
Popularity: 5% [?]
There is nothing better in the world than being able to stay in touch with those who are far away. I learned this the honest way when my sister - the person I am closest to in the world - moved to Japan. Between the time difference and the physical logistics of traveling to see her or her traveling to see me, we had a difficult adjustment at first. It was difficult enough to find a time when we were both available to talk and then it was by phone. When we discovered video conference, however, everything changed. It wasn’t the same as having her in the same room as me but it was definitely a lot better than a phone call and seeing her on the screen made everything okay somehow.
I took this experience to work with me when we were discussing how best to communicate with clients that we have in other countries. Our company was struggling with the economy just like every other business; we had to watch our bottom line and frequent international travel was simply not in the budget. That being said, we still needed to be able to effectively communicate with our clients regardless of distance, and a phone call - even conference calls - just didn’t cut it each and every time.
This was when I brought up the possibility of using video conference. It had been different; it had made things better for me on a personal level. Maybe it could have just as much impact on a professional level. My company was certainly open to anything that would allow them to better service our clients without having to come out of pocket for travel and they immediately green lit video conference. To date, video conference has had a huge impact on our business, giving us the freedom to be far away but still closely in touch.
Popularity: 5% [?]
In the last post we talked about our position as a small to medium sized company that was actively servicing our client base in order to maintain long term relationships and reaching out to potential new business. We had our hands full juggling it all especially with a relatively modest team - certainly nothing like the staff that larger companies of our kind have available to them. We needed to be equal parts service and sales and the fact was that we couldn’t do either effectively without the use of modern day communication such as web conferencing and conference calls.
Sure, web conferencing and frequent conference calls allow us to better service our worldwide client base. We certainly can’t have in-person meetings with them on a regular basis - the world of our business moves too fast and it’s not cost-effective for that much travel. Through web conference, however, we are able to share project documents in real time, get instant feedback and remain on the same page with the client’s needs. Conference calls also allow us to stay in touch on a frequent basis; just having voice contact between our team and our clients gives those we work for peace of mind and an understanding that we answer to them even from this far away.
For all these reasons and more, our methods of communication also allow us to bring new clients on board. We are in one part of the world and many of the people that we are pitching are in other parts of the world. They need to be able to trust us; trust our ability to offer exceptional service regardless of our physical distance. Web conferencing allows us to stay in touch and share physical documents and conference calls are our standard weekly operating procedure - giving new clients a scheduled check-in with us. We even use video conference on a frequent basis so that we can physically see each other without having to be in the same room. This is the new face of business and we are using all the technology that we can to make a great impression.
Popularity: 18% [?]
Part of any business - the biggest part for obvious reasons - is bringing on new clients/customers so that the business continues to thrive. The other part, of course, is providing existing clients with appropriate service so that they remain with your business. Success, therefore, comes down to equal parts sales and service. We were like most other small to medium sized businesses in our position; working diligently to stay ahead of the competition in order to attract new business and diligently servicing our existing clients so that we could reduce turnover and maintain long term business relationships. Also like many other companies in our position, we often found ourselves stretched too thin. We needed to be able to service our clients but we also needed to concentrate on bringing in new clients in order to continue to grow the business. The additional challenge was that we were working with people all over the world - appealing to potential clients who were in other countries as well as in other states. This was terrific in terms of growth but it also meant very specific challenges for us in terms of effective communication and essentially trying to be in many different places at the same time. There’s no way that any of what we were trying so hard to accomplish could happen in a world without Internet. Being online allowed us the flexibility to not only talk to - but effectively service - people around the world and web conferencing was a huge part of that.
In fact, through web conferencing and frequent conference calls we have been able to, if not be in the same physical location as our clients at least, give them the next best thing - our undivided attention through one of the modern methods of communication. These services have also allowed us to continue to bring new business on board in addition to actively servicing existing clients. More in the next post…
Popularity: 11% [?]
In the last post we talked about how technology has grown and changed over time - completely replacing the traditional methods of communication with faster more efficient methods that speak to the rise of global business. No longer is physical distance an issue in business; we are able to communicate just as effectively through our advanced technology as we would if we were in the same room together. Those of us who began our careers before the Internet have seen remarkable change over the years and likely have been surprised at how easy and effective it is to communicate with vendors, clients and co-workers across the miles.
As we discussed earlier, conference calls are still the most relied upon method of communication in business. They are not, however, the calls of the past in which multiple people gathered around one speaker phone and the quality was average at best. Today, conference calls are scheduled just as if they were traditional boardroom meetings. Callers are able to patch into the conference call using a pre-assigned number and code; calls can host hundreds calling in from multiple locations and the quality is far beyond anything we could have previously imagined.
Web conferencing, however, has taken conference calls to the next level, allowing participants to share both voice and documents online. This has changed the way we do business - giving us the ability to manage projects and go over paperwork simultaneously no matter where we are in the world.
What has really set us apart technology wise, however, is video conference. Through the advent and continued growth of video conference, meeting in person has almost become obsolete. It’s great if it’s convenient but it’s certainly not a necessity. Through video conference we can see each other as well as hear each other and we can conduct business accordingly.
Popularity: 9% [?]
When most of us started in our careers, technology was a far cry from what it is today. Most of us had meetings with vendors and clients face-to-face in conference rooms or by phone - either person to person or through a crackling speaker where you were forced to hear yourself echo about a room and hope that you were still able to effectively deliver your message. Today, there are so many more options - so many different ways that we are able to communicate with each other without having to worry that the quality of that communication is sacrificed. Even when a face-to-face meeting is not possible, in many ways it has been rendered unnecessary in light of all the technology available to us; the many ways that we can reach out to each other, deliver and receive information, and essentially conduct business no matter what the physical distance between us. Consider the possibilities:
Conference Calls - The tried and true method of group communication, conference calls have replaced the amateur, often low quality calls of the past. Today, you can schedule conference calls through a reputable hosting company. Invited participants then call the conference call line at the scheduled time, input their code and they are connected to the call. Conference calls can host any number of participants and even offer the ability for participants to mute out of the call if needed.
Web Conference - Combining audio conferencing with the power of the Internet, web conference allows participants to speak in a group setting while accessing documents simultaneously. Web conference is one step up from audio conferencing and far more effective than email; all of the participation without the need to physically be in the same room. Web conferencing is especially helpful for those working on projects where there is information to be read and approved.
More in the next post…
Popularity: 9% [?]
In the last post I talked about how I started my business with high hopes and a deep commitment to doing great work. I have never been happier in my life than I have been in this pursuit; it’s been great setting up my business and figuring out what will work for me and my clients. It’s a learning curve for sure but I’m happy to make the journey. Because mine is a virtual business there was no reason to have a traditional office space. Instead, I quite comfortably work out of my home office and, in so doing, have saved myself quite a bit of money that would normally be spent on overhead. This has allowed me to put that money into the business operation itself and pass the savings onto my clients, but has also presented me with some unusual challenges.
Communication, for instance - while always important - is particularly important when it comes to virtual business. Your clients do not come to your physical office space; in many cases you never meet face to face at all. So having dependable methods of communication at the ready goes a long way towards putting your clients’ minds at ease.
For instance, I discovered shortly into opening my business that while email was the most convenient method of communication for me, it was not enough for some of my clients who preferred - if we were not able to actually meet - a more personal phone call. I since changed tactics to include frequent phone calls, as well as email, as my methods of communication.
Video conference is something that I am now also using on a regular basis as it gives my clients a more comfortable feeling of personal service. While they may not be able to meet me in person, we are able to talk through video conference just as we would in a traditional meeting setting. Through video conference, we can see as well as hear each other and just this small personal contact does wonders for building a business relationship.
Popularity: 10% [?]
There has been no bigger thrill in my life than the thrill associated with opening my own business. I have been able to focus my dreams into one goal - to create a successful business that provides a great product and exceptional service; I’m finally in my element and I feel powerful and ready to see my dreams come to fruition. One of the things that I have been committed to from the start is really embracing the online arena. I started my company from my home because - with what I do - I am a firm believer that I don’t have to have a physical office of the traditional kind. Why spend money on the overhead when most of my clients will be in other states and will have no need to actually come to my office? Conversely, I would likely not visit them in their offices. Ours is a business relationship built on the modern convenience of the Internet. Any communication that we have can be done through phone calls, conference calls, emails, and even web conferencing - where we can look at what we’re working on in real time.
However, I have had to make some concessions lately in the way that I communicate. So much of this is trial and error; determining what will work best for myself and my clients - as I encounter something in particular - and making adjustments from there. For instance, I learned early on that while email is convenient and certainly is good to use, many of my clients felt more comfortable receiving phone calls from me. Because our work is done online we don’t have occasion to meet in person; they like the personal service of a phone call and hearing a human voice. So I made the adjustment and I communicate now through a mix of phone calls and email. Even still, some clients were uncomfortable with never having actually seen me and for that reason I chose to starting using video conference.
More in the next post…
Popularity: 13% [?]
