Whether you work as a freelance consultant or a manager in a digital agency, people are at the center of what you do. Helping customers solve problems, expand their business, and navigate new territories is part of the service you provide.
This requires clear, consistent and collaborative communication. (After all, you are being paid a lot of money to have access to you.)
Unfortunately, because your customers value their experience and often want more face-to-face time, your business is likely to take a backseat. When you’re busy with back-to-back Zoom calls and catching up on Slack it’s a challenge to grow your business or scale your services.
But it does not have to be like that.
Today I’m going to talk about a deliciously different approach to communicating with customers (that will save both of you time!): asynchronous communication. I’ll dive into the problem you’re addressing, why it’s an effective solution, and how to change your client’s workflow to get the most out of it.
The problem: too many live calls (it’s tiring!)
At first glance, having a calendar full of client meetings seems like a good problem. More calls means a lot of business, and more business means more money in the bank. But a large volume of live calls each week also has some significant downsides. Here are the big three:
- Your mental health plummets
Have you ever heard of encounter fatigue? Spending hours and hours in meetings and calls is not only exhausting; It is exhausting.
zoom fatigue it can wreak havoc on your emotions and significantly impact your mood. As a result:
- His concentration drops.
- Your critical thinking and problem solving skills are affected.
- Your stress levels skyrocket.
And these adverse effects can also ultimately affect communications with your customers; when you feel tired and groggy, clarity can be affected.
- You may not have the patience to explore solutions and provide explanations adequately.
- You can miss essential facts and miss vital details.
- Your memory may suffer.
This can be a huge source of frustration for you and your clients.
- Your physical health deteriorates
As you know, spending too much time in front of your laptop (without proper breaks) is not healthy. But the problem is, how do you make time to take meaningful breaks with so many call commitments? Sitting in one position for too long, such as at your desk while discussing brand strategy with a client over Zoom, can cause a wide range of health problems:
- Back pain
- Muscular fatigue
- sore joints
- Dehydration
- eyestrain
- Headaches
- Weight gain
(To name a few)
Also, when your mental well-being suffers and your brain feels drained, it often reflects on your appearance. If you’re hoping to present a professional facade to your clients and co-workers, the tired face staring back at them through a screen is less than ideal.
- Your business objectives suffer
In addition to the adverse health effects, too many calls can hurt your business in the long run. It’s just not sustainable.
Consider what could happen if you drop the ball or start to underdeliver. If your clients decide to go elsewhere, they will take not only your money, but also a piece of your professional reputation.
Plus, when you run out of hours in the day, it’s impossible to focus on other areas of your business:
- research projects
- Assistance to professional events.
- Expanding your area of expertise
- Create an online course
All your big, bold business goals fall short when you spend your energy working on other people’s projects.
This brings us to the crucial question:
How can you provide clients with consistent, high-quality, on-demand insights and advice without neglecting your health and your business?
The solution: scale client services with asynchronous communication
Soon, asynchronous communication it involves discussions and conversations that do not occur in real time.
Sounds fancy, right?
Asynchronous communications have been around for a surprisingly long time. Our ancestors used cave paintings to communicate with each other and get the attention of anyone passing by. Then people responded in a similar artistic way, almost like old-fashioned graffiti, only with more purpose.
Homing pigeons, foot couriers, telegrams, and postal services followed, with the later addition of more modern messaging tools.
Today, everyday asynchronous communications include:
- SMS MMS
- Messaging platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
- Messaging applications: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Line and Telegram
You almost certainly already use some sort of asynchronous messaging tool.
But which one is best for scaling customer services?
Asynchronous messaging with video
The beauty of asynchronous messaging is that it eliminates the need for everyone to be present online simultaneously.
You’re probably all too familiar with trying to host online meetings involving multiple people spread across different time zones. It’s a nightmare.
Asynchronous video messaging provides the same benefits as in-person or virtual meetings; they’re just not live. And instead of just using text or voice messaging, asynchronous video messaging offers great opportunities to communicate with your customers.
You can still:
- see us and hear us
- Share ideas effectively
- Ask detailed questions
- discuss ideas
- Provide detailed information and explanations.
Complete with all voice inflections, gestures, and visual aids for real-time communications.
Your customers are busy people too. They, too, can benefit from the flexibility that asynchronous solutions provide. Instead of sitting in meetings all day, it allows them to focus on more pressing priorities (like implementing your suggestions and putting your knowledge to good use!).
At ZipMessage, we’ve created the perfect tool for this asynchronous-first communication approach.
postal message allows you to give customers a dedicated conversation thread where they can send and receive messages with you asynchronously.
And you have the option to use video (screen or camera recording), audio or text.
The beauty of ZipMessage is in its simplicity. Sharing a ZipMessage thread is as simple as sending a link to a customer; that client can record or write directly to that web page without installing special software.
It is easy to use and has a clean and professional design.
Main benefits:
- It’s better than email – it’s a quiet, dedicated space just for you and your customer. Any noise.
- It’s better than chat apps like Voxer and Whatsapp, which give you too much access with no control over when (and for how long) customers can continue to message you.
- It’s better than video recording tools like Loom, CloudApp and others – it’s one-way, one-way messages, easy to lose and forget.
ZipMessage is designed for threaded back-and-forth conversations that are easily stored for future reference.
Key features:
- Recording of messages via video, microphone and text for both you and your customers.
- Screen sharing capabilities.
- Threaded conversations are displayed on one page, eliminating the chance of messages getting lost in a non-stop chat app or cluttered inbox.
- It syncs with email, allowing you to keep important communications in one place, no matter where they originate.
- There is no need for customers to install special software.
- Incredibly easy to set up and use.
ZipMessage is easy to use, effective, efficient, pleasant and practical. With several options to suit your communication styles and needs, what more could you ask for?
How to switch your client communication to asynchronous methods
Ok, so we’ve covered the problem, the solution, and the technology. Now, you may be wondering how to switch to more asynchronous communication methods with your clients.
Well, whether you’re onboarding someone new or encouraging a long-term employee to make the switch, these four tips can help make it a breeze:
1. Give customers a real-time preview and tutorial
During a live consultation, send your client your first video message.
This establishes the initial communication thread. While speaking in real time, explain how to use ZipMessage. Then ask them to submit a response.
Walking customers through a new process step by step and conducting a live demo will make them feel confident and comfortable using asynchronous tools. Keep them informed to keep them engaged.
2. Propose an asynchronous option for a part of the process
At the end of a live meeting, suggest using asynchronous messaging for feedback and follow-up outside of longer consulting meetings.
This gives your client a dedicated space to chat with you. Start the conversation and provide your notes and comments from the call. Encourage them to respond if necessary.
It is not necessary for all your meetings to be asynchronous; you can simply change a part of your process to free up that time.
3. Show your work
Before responding to customer messages, jot down key ideas and information to keep your messages to the point, short, uncluttered, and relevant.
Record your screen as you type your notes so your clients can see them. This illustrates how they can create their answers and gives them an example to use. Additionally, notes help demonstrate to a client that you have thought about the issue ahead of time and approach your consulting work with professionalism and dedication.
4. Scale customer requests with video shots
When customers want notes or feedback, videos can often clarify the details more effectively than emails.
Plus, it’s human nature to pay more attention to a recorded message – the temptation to quickly scroll through the words on a screen is all too real for most!
ZipMessage makes it easy to direct customers to a video entry page. From there, they can easily record a message and send you a request.
Asynchronous communication = smarter business
Asynchronous communication with video messages can be a game changer when scaling your client services.
Gives you the power to:
- Focus
- Take back control of your day
- Give customers back their valuable time
- Communicate more effectively
- Offer new services
- Reach high value customers
If you’re looking for an easy way to onboard customers with an asynchronous messaging pipeline, try ZipMessage for free.
Don’t forget to send me your feedback and send me a “ZM” at zipmessage.com/brian. Excited about scaling client services (and reducing meetings) with asynchronous messaging? Sign up for ZipMessage now!
