Staying connected with clients in a virtual world

Staying connected in a virtual world requires strong communication and collaboration, especially with many workplaces adopting a work-from-anywhere business model. Being able to discuss and share information with clients helps organisations provide a more efficient level of service and lets them better understand their clients on a personal level. When organisations understand their clients, they can meet their evolving needs and establish long-lasting relationships that generate an increased return on investment.

When businesses fail to prioritise effective communication, it can create misunderstandings, missed opportunities and reduced productivity within teams. From a client’s perspective, the impact of poor communication is far greater. Companies will miss out on repeat business and create confusion among potential clients, damaging their ability to secure new business.

Without the right collaborative tools in place, it’s harder for teams to come together and contribute their expertise for the benefit of the client and, by extension, the organisation. In a digital workplace, sharing information with colleagues and clients isn’t as simple as placing a document on someone’s desk or holding an impromptu meeting in the boardroom.

“Now, it’s all about sharing information via messaging and real-time collaboration tools that empower teams to work on the same project in various time zones. Investing in collaboration solutions can significantly help businesses share, manage, and track files not only with internal teams but also with clients outside the company.”

There are three ways businesses can achieve a seamless relationship with their clients in a digital environment:

1. Eliminate data silos

Due to the dispersed nature of remote workplaces, data is often controlled by one department and isolated from the rest of the organisation. This creates data silos which can affect a company’s ability to efficiently share information and collaborate across departments. It also complicates client interactions and creates unnecessary repetition and uncertainty, especially if the goal is to provide a personalised experience. Companies need to have the correct tools in place to eliminate data silos by connecting systems, data and content across the entire organisation. This will ensure that businesses provide the right information to the right people when they need it.

2. Improve information-sharing processes

When employees and clients collaborate on projects together via a single document, it usually entails back-and-forth emails, which is both insecure and inefficient. It also makes it harder to keep track of the most up-to-date version. Businesses should avoid using email to share files and, instead, adopt a centralised, cloud-based file-sharing system with real-time co-authoring to simplify the collaborative process. Leveraging client-centric solutions that enhance external collaboration will ensure organisations can give clients access to information via a secure public link and invite them to edit documents simultaneously.

3. Demonstrate compliance and implement robust security

Maintaining compliance helps businesses avoid costly human errors and damage to company reputation and client trust. When collaborating with clients, it’s important to ensure documents are shared only with those who have authorised access. Businesses can leverage document control solutions that encrypt network files while transmitted over the network and prevent unauthorised access to information. They can also create a seamless audit trail for the document’s lifecycle for complete transparency and to prevent fraud.

Organisations are increasingly implementing collaboration solutions to simplify external collaboration and give their clients secure access to important information. With efficient information sharing and collaboration, businesses can support remote employees and clients by making files accessible anywhere, anytime, and from any device.

Leveraging collaboration software that is secure, easy to use, and which operates as a seamless extension of an organisation’s brand will help companies maintain strong relationships with their current clients and be better positioned to attract and secure new business.

Image credit: iStock.com/Orbon Alija