Deepening Client Relationships in a Remote/Hybrid Environment

There is no question about it – how, where, and when we work is shifting due to technology, the pandemic, economies, globalization, client preferences, and more. In this constantly changing world, we can talk about how change is hard and keep doing the same things, risking our talent and client relationships. Or, we can choose to thrive by transforming our mindset, identifying the opportunities the change brings, and embracing new behaviors to capitalize.

Hybrid work continues to empower firms, organizations, and the people they serve. At ConvergenceCoaching®, we often share strategies for leaders to support, attract, and retain talent with hybrid and remote strategies, including findings from our biennial survey: ConvergenceCoaching®  Anytime, Anywhere Work™ Survey. But we still hear the objection: Developing or deepening client relationships is almost impossible when working in a remote or hybrid environment.

Being a leader in an almost 25-year-old 100% remote and hybrid organization, I’m here to say “Yes, you can!” develop deep, meaningful relationships with clients and talent, but it looks slightly different. Here are some strategies to help you develop deep relationships at distance:

• Any relationship, whether it is remote, hybrid, or in-person, can become transactional or distant. Instead, we should strive to create is “stickiness” in all our relationships. With clients, we must also be mindful of who owns building a trusted relationship for us. At ConvergenceCoaching, we team serve and always have two of us – a “first” and a “second” client owner who build relationships within each client and deliver services. Client owners must ask personal and professional rapport questions, listen, remember, and ask questions. Try writing down everything you know about the top 20% of your clients. And then, use Tamera Loerzel’s Two Simple Questions to Ask Your Clients in your next client check-in, meeting, or conversation to dive deeper. And, yes, you should ask these questions at all times, including during peak periods.

• Demonstrate true CARING about your clients by helping them further their goals, mitigate risks, and see you as part of their overall success formula. When you’ve gotten to know them, you’ll know more about what’s important to them, and you can devise strategies and make connections for them that will help further their objectives.

• Technology can feel like we are always working or “on.” But it does not have to be like that if we set and communicate clear guardrails.

Try defining your communication preferences by determining the basics for yourself:

1. 1. I prefer my clients to communicate with me by: Text, email, phone, Zoom, Teams, In-person appointment
   2. In an emergency, a client can reach me by: Text, email with an attention/priority flag, phone, reaching my operations team (be sure to provide their information, too!)
   3. My regular “available” business hours are: Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm CT
   4. Clients can expect a response from me: Within 24 hours, 48 hours
   5. Regular updates regarding changes in laws or regulations that may affect clients will be provided by: email, blog, mail, phone call.

Then, share this with your clients and ask them the same! Document both of your communication preferences for easy reference and share this information with your team, too!  

• As leaders, we may schedule and maintain regular communication with our team members, but how consistent and transparent are we being with our clients? Being consistent and transparent in your communication is key to building trust and managing expectations. And both are needed to develop and deepen your relationships.

Try scheduling or timelining periodic “Progress Reports” and share those dates with your clients. This will help minimize how often a client checks-in with you or asks about their deliverable. Be proactive in addressing hiccups or delays. If something is off track, don’t wait for your client to contact you, reach out to them (using their preferred mode of communication), explain the situation, how it will be or is rectified, and a new timeline.

Bonus points: Delegate this type of communication to a non-CPA team member during your compressed work periods!

• In our everyday lives we use a plethora of mediums to connect and share information. Email, text, phone calls, meetings, social media, podcasts, blogs, websites, the list goes on! Try using a variety of mediums to share information – and repeat your message. When we coach leaders about effective communication with their team, we always share the Law of 7. The Law of 7 suggests that an individual needs to hear something 7 times and in various ways before the message is understood and retained. Your clients are no different and you should err on the side of over-communicating to be sure your valuable messages are heard. Use a variety of communication mediums to share pertinent information with your clients. Try:
  • Creating email blasts to your clients and link to places where your client can get more information.
  • A weekly or monthly blog to share updates on laws or regulations that might affect them.
  • Put one or two short sentences in your email signature line– this works great for upcoming vacations or out of office messages to prepare your clients and team!
  • Use social media to share articles, blogs, or updates.

• Get together in-person when the opportunity strikes, especially for the top 20% of your clients. If you are attending a conference, traveling, or “in the neighborhood” reach out to your clients and schedule something with them in-person. Even a 15-minute coffee break while you were “passing through” demonstrates the client was top of mind and gives you the opportunity to deepen your relationship.

Building strong client relationships in any proximity to your client – nearby or at distance — can be effective and deeply meaningful with the right strategies. If you use these strategies in a remote or hybrid environment your client relationships will expand, grow, and last – but they apply to in-person client service too! I encourage you to pilot one (or more!) of these strategies during this compressed work period to build trust, collaboration, and strengthen your hybrid relationship. Then, let me know how it went, what roadblocks you faced, or other ideas you have that have worked for you, too!

Until next time,

Emily