Setting up an online meeting with a prospect or customer can sometimes be awkward; especially if you have not done it many times before. Unlike a face-to-face meeting where two parties meet in a common setting, bad internet or audio connection at one end, barking dogs can all make an online conference difficult. This video perfectly summarizes what a lot of people face go through a conference call.
All the issues that people face in an online business meeting stems from the lack of adherence to a few basic do’s and don’ts. The unfortunate thing though is that just one or two people in a call can ruin the experience for everyone in the call. So before you go ahead with the next online meeting with a customer, share this article with everyone in your team so that your company would make the best impression on your customer.
Do’s
Check Your Internet & AV Settings : If you have been setting up a lot of meetings with customers online, you would have realized by now that a lot of time often gets wasted in firefighting the audio/video issues of all the participants. Before the call, email all the participants to test their audio and video quality lest time is wasted in fixing it while the customer is watching.
Stick To The Agenda : Set an agenda and stick to it. Online meetings with customers can turn into a troubleshooting session for all their issues. This is tricky because the participants may not always be the appropriate person to handle those particular issues. Ultimately, it’s a waste of time for everyone involved, customers included.
Share Numbered Documents Beforehand : Online meetings often require participants to review documents together. A sound advice would be to number these documents instead of just naming them by their subject. It is always easier to ask your customer to refer to ‘Document 12’ instead of ‘Payment Schedule’.
Don’ts
Feel Shy & Under-confident : It is common for perfectly normal people to feel camera-shy when thrust under the camera. This is especially true when it is a live webinar for your new customer. According to Jarek Wasielewski, an education expert at ClickMeeting, one of the main reasons why people feel nervous is “our expectation of how we look to others.” It could often be alarming when we see how we look on the camera. The solution, he says, is to just be yourself and realize that you are not the only one.
Check In From A Noisy Setting : Are you located in a noisy neighborhood? It may be a hassle but it is advisable to drive in to your workplace or any other quieter alternative for the call. Barking dogs and noisy kids are a distraction and bring down the seriousness of the call quite immensely. And checking in from such a location is never a good idea especially when you are talking to a customer.
Contribute To Chaos : There are a lot of opportunities for a conference call, especially one that is audio-only, to go downhill during a discussion. With multiple people interjecting one another, such calls often end up with everybody saying things at the same time. You can fix this by tagging a participant at the end of your audio-time. This encourages this participant to make their point and this could go round in a loop so that everybody makes their point without leading to chaos.
Online meetings with customers can be intimidating. But by following the proper etiquette and encouraging your other participants (including your customers) to adhere to them, one could ensure a fruitful online meeting,. What has your experience been with online meetings? Share it with us in the comments below.
