For the “people persons” amongst us, this is an incredibly unsettling time professionally. Deprived of
our familiar office environments and cut off from our blood supply of face-to-face customer
meetings we are certainly operating out of our comfort zone. So, what useful advice might we draw
upon that could benefit both our customers and in so doing give ourselves a lift?
Here are some suggestions from conversations I have had recently with customers that you may find
useful.
Begin your working day with a bit of exercise. As much as you used to hate it, you’ll be missing the
boost to your endorphins your commute normally provides.
Remind yourself daily that you are important to your customers by writing it down and spelling out
why.
Commit to not becoming invisible to your clients. This leads nicely into the next suggestion.
Offer to schedule a meeting with your clients via a video conferencing platform. In addition to
helping you both remember what you look like, this will provide an opportunity to read their body
language messages.
Resist the temptation to begin any of these conversations by apologising for making contact. (“I
appreciate you are busy / you must have a lot of more important things going on right now etc…”).
You are important to your clients.
Because they are managing through a major crisis, clients will be unable to plan too far ahead.
Therefore, prior to making contact, focus on how you can provide them with short-term assistance.
Agree one action to deliver arising from the conversation and deliver it on time. This might be as
simple as committing to touch base with them again in two weeks’ time to check whether their ongoing requirements are being met by your organisation.
Having to change the way we interact with clients right now can feel daunting. Remember this will
feel equally unsettling for them, as they interact with their clients. By being there and helping clients
through this difficult period, you will reinforce the mutual trust and strength of the relationship
between you both.
