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Maintaining Face Time in a Remote World

calendar_today May 24, 2023

By Jeremy Diem, Managing Director, Advisor Relations
PPB Capital Partners

In early 2020, the thought of maintaining relationships with your clients through a computer was closer to a novelty than was the norm. I don’t have to tell you what happened next that made Zoom, Teams and Google Meet part of our nomenclature.

No matter the medium, how you keep in touch with clients will always be the heartbeat of your relationships. In a post-pandemic world, there are some best practices to stay connected when a handshake isn’t always possible.

Consistent Communication

Communication can be an advantage in a remote environment. It’s readily available via laptops, tablets or smartphones. Video calls have become so commonplace that it’s almost assumed that most meetings are virtual.

Setting the stage of frequency and what will be included in your communications is a proactive way to start your remote relationship off on the right foot. Be sure to also discuss if any members of their support staff should be receiving communications.

Establishing expectations up front can help build an element of trust and ease any concerns that may be created by distance.

Key Takeaways:

• Establish expectations to earn trust
• Availability can be the most important “ability”
• Regular meetings with the wealth advisor and other staff

Driven by Deadlines

Consistent communication will establish deadlines for regular communication, but on a project-by-project basis, it can be beneficial to add a second layer of communications that speak specifically to the deadlines of those projects.

Talk through timelines with your client, include milestones that you plan to meet and for the client to deliver items you may need. Breaking down projects, proposals or launches into smaller, more manageable tasks is a way for all parties involved to stay engaged in projects.

Key Takeaways:

• Develop clear deadlines on a project-by-project basis
• Communicate specifically about deadlines
• Small tasks can make big projects manageable

Technologically Speaking

Going along with consistent communication is establishing the preferred technology to use. Three years ago, this wasn’t even a necessary conversation. Not only is it a conversation that’s needed, but it’s also an important one.

Having worked with your most important relationships for a while, you probably already know the best way to communicate, and you’re probably comfortable reaching out to them in a multitude of ways. Your newer relationships will benefit from a detailed conversation that establishes how they prefer to communicate.

The preponderance of virtual meetings has nearly become the standard way to connect with clients. The three main platforms to use are Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. At PPB, we have had success with Microsoft Teams has our primary platform. We are able to use video, share our screens with clients and use a virtual background to add an extra element of branding to meetings. Use these features to improve connectivity with all your clients. It’s a personal touch that they will surely appreciate.

Key Takeaways:

• Talk through preferred communication platforms
• Use video features to make meetings more personal and improve connectivity
• Don’t assume one format is right for all clients

The More You Know

As a wealth advisor, you’re obligated to know your clients to make proper recommendations and to uphold your fiduciary duty. When you’re managing a relationship remotely this becomes even more important.

Diving deeper into your relationship with clients could be a time well spent. Do their kids play sports? Dance? How about any pets? Do they have a birthday or a wedding anniversary coming up? Everyone has a hobby or something on which they spend spare time and enjoy. What are your clients’ hobbies?

This is the type of information that shows you are dedicated to the relationship for the long haul. It’s human nature for people to enjoy talking about themselves. As you’re meeting with your clients, starting a conversation with a check-in on their kids, how their baseball team has done this season or when their dance recital is taking place is a great ice breaker and a show of sincere interest to them as people. Not just clients.

Key Takeaways:

• Go beyond the Know Your Customer requirements
• Show your dedication to the relationship
• Create small talk or use as ice breakers for meetings

Ways to remain engaged with your clients while working remotely are boundless, and these are just four with which I’ve found success. Find a strategy that works for you and implement it in your daily routine.