Having good communication with clients is key. Whilst telephone and email remain the most common forms of communication, companies are now discovering faster and more efficient ways of talking to clients. Here are just some of the new ways of communicating – could your company benefit from these?

Virtual receptionists

Whilst technically still a form of telephone communication, outsourcing a virtual reception service means that you don’t have to handle incoming calls yourself. Much like having a secretary but cheaper, a virtual receptionist company can take these calls for you whilst filtering out sales calls and responding to basic enquiries, transferring only the most urgent calls to you. This can be ideal for company owners that are rarely in the office to take calls. It can also reduce interruptions caused by phone calls, allowing companies to get on with their core tasks rather than having to answer the phone every few minutes. By outsourcing a professional company, you’re also guaranteed a professional telephone manner, which could help to warm initial clients to you. Some virtual receptionists are able to handle other tasks aside from taking incoming calls such as managing emails and even providing a virtual address for sending mail to (if you don’t want people to know that you’re operating from a home address, you could outsource a virtual address for clients to send mail to that can then be sent on to you).

Video-communication

Video-communication is becoming increasingly popular in the business world allowing companies and clients to have face-to-face interactions over a long distance. This can reduce the need to hold meetings in person, saving companies and clients time and money spent travelling. Multiple parties can take part in video-conferences rather than having to phone everyone up individually. Having a visual element also makes it possible to give presentations and product demos using this form of communication. You can even use video-communication on the go using your phone. This is a method of communication that realtors are now using to give tours of properties to potential clients based far away. Alternatively, if you’re selling an item second hand and someone far away wants to inspect it’s condition before buying it, you could use your phone to show them product from every angle (useful for clients buying second-hand cars online).

Instant messaging

It’s also possible to use instant messaging as a quick alternative to email. Many email servers come with instant messaging services, although you can set up your own custom instant messaging service. This does require having someone always online who can respond quickly to clients – it’s best used for general enquiries. Many companies are now adding instant messaging chatboxes to their websites to convert website visitors into leads.

SMS

SMS (short messaging service) is a means of communicating via text. This can be an effective way of relaying information to existing clients if you have their mobile number. You could use SMS to send information on promotions or it could simply be a way of providing updates on progress to keep clients in the loop. Texts are more likely to be read than emails as this a channel that we use more for personal communication. That said, some people may find it an invasion of their personal space – it’s worth always having an opt-out feature when it comes to SMS marketing for those that don’t want to receive texts from you.

Progress reporting apps

The most recent and novel way that companies are communicating with clients is through progress reporting software and apps. Rather than having clients constantly ring up or email to find out how their service is progressing, you could simply use an app to display real-time data. This could be used to monitor the location of a delivery service, to provide real time billing figures for energy usage or for showing how a construction/design project is coming along. Real-time reporting can offer a level of transparency, although you do constantly need to be updating the data displayed for it to be effective. There are many app development companies out there that can produce this app for you, designed to your specs. Such form of communication may be better suited to companies with younger client bases that are more likely to use smartphones and apps.