How to Communicate With Clients During the Coronavirus Pandemic
A design coach suggests encouraging remote meetings and keeping clients regularly apprised of project status
With the coronavirus front and centre in the news, we are living in an unprecedented time of global pandemic. It’s understandable that you and your clients may feel anxious. Now is the time to take proactive steps to ensure your business keeps flowing and your lines of communication stay open.
Encourage your clients to meet remotely
“Social distancing” is a trending term and refers to limiting physical contact with other people and, when you simply must interact with others, keeping a distance between you of at least 1 metre.
Regardless of whether your client wants to meet with you, you may not want to meet with them. Personally, I have been initiating conversations with clients via telephone and email to let them know that because of the current public health crisis – and out of concern for the safety and well-being of everyone – we are encouraging electronic communication methods for as much business as possible.
Fortunately, being able to communicate electronically has already become the norm. Sharing ideabooks on Houzz is the perfect way to kick off a project remotely.
Project drawings can be reviewed using Adobe PDF files and allow clients to add comments and make markups. For reviewing plans, I like to have the client on the phone or use a screen-sharing platform, as many clients do not fully understand how to read a plan. I also suggest having your staff members listen in via conference call or screen sharing so that no detail is missed.
“Social distancing” is a trending term and refers to limiting physical contact with other people and, when you simply must interact with others, keeping a distance between you of at least 1 metre.
Regardless of whether your client wants to meet with you, you may not want to meet with them. Personally, I have been initiating conversations with clients via telephone and email to let them know that because of the current public health crisis – and out of concern for the safety and well-being of everyone – we are encouraging electronic communication methods for as much business as possible.
Fortunately, being able to communicate electronically has already become the norm. Sharing ideabooks on Houzz is the perfect way to kick off a project remotely.
Project drawings can be reviewed using Adobe PDF files and allow clients to add comments and make markups. For reviewing plans, I like to have the client on the phone or use a screen-sharing platform, as many clients do not fully understand how to read a plan. I also suggest having your staff members listen in via conference call or screen sharing so that no detail is missed.
Fabric selections are tricky. If you’re like me, you want to touch and feel when making selections and to encourage your clients to do the same. Often at the beginning of a project, we present a myriad of fabrics to get a better feel for what the client likes. I need to see their reaction to certain fabrics to gauge their interest and emotional response. This is impossible to do without seeing the client’s face.
What we have done successfully in the past – in our case, for remote clients – is to send the clients a fabric selection packet labeled with our own personalised codes and arrange an online meeting to review it. Now is a good time to extend this practice even to local clients – again, for social distancing.
Obviously for things that are best done in person, such as taking measurements on site and making fabric decisions, you’ll have to choose whether to brave the in-person meeting – which, to be blunt, isn’t in the best interest of everyone – or to delay the work. I recognise that this can be a difficult choice involving real sacrifice and financial hardship. But each of us must consider the risks not only to our businesses, but to our very lives and those of other people.
Singapore’s Health Guidance
What we have done successfully in the past – in our case, for remote clients – is to send the clients a fabric selection packet labeled with our own personalised codes and arrange an online meeting to review it. Now is a good time to extend this practice even to local clients – again, for social distancing.
Obviously for things that are best done in person, such as taking measurements on site and making fabric decisions, you’ll have to choose whether to brave the in-person meeting – which, to be blunt, isn’t in the best interest of everyone – or to delay the work. I recognise that this can be a difficult choice involving real sacrifice and financial hardship. But each of us must consider the risks not only to our businesses, but to our very lives and those of other people.
Singapore’s Health Guidance
If you do meet clients in person, communicate that you are taking proper precautions
If you decide to meet with a client, I’d caution you against shaking anyone’s hand and advise making hand-washing part of the appointment. You might begin the meeting by saying, “Let’s start our appointment with hand-washing,” which can help to reassure your clients that you are keeping their health and safety top of mind.
If meeting at your office, you can place beautiful single-use hand towels and a lit candle in the office restroom to make the process more enjoyable. If you’re at their home, wash your hands upon arrival and again before you leave. Many clients feel understandable anxiety at this time, and it’s helpful if you show concern for their health as well.
If you decide to meet with a client, I’d caution you against shaking anyone’s hand and advise making hand-washing part of the appointment. You might begin the meeting by saying, “Let’s start our appointment with hand-washing,” which can help to reassure your clients that you are keeping their health and safety top of mind.
If meeting at your office, you can place beautiful single-use hand towels and a lit candle in the office restroom to make the process more enjoyable. If you’re at their home, wash your hands upon arrival and again before you leave. Many clients feel understandable anxiety at this time, and it’s helpful if you show concern for their health as well.
Communicate with other pros remotely as much as possible
Now is the time to work apart from other people as much as we can. For design pros, it’s great news that the design management software platforms allow multiple users to access the data so that staff can work remotely and concurrently on projects. Programs make it simple to work on drawings remotely and as a team. These platforms show a log of who has worked on each item and when, so you can be sure you are accessing the latest information. If you are working with an architect, consider attaching their drawing to yours as an AutoCAD Xref so that any changes they make and either upload or send to you will update your drawing without affecting your own work.
Project meetings with a general contractor or other subs can be conducted remotely as well in real time with applications like Skype or Zoom. It’s easy to ask them to pan up so you can see a ceiling detail, or pull a tape on an area that needs attention. Send specifications via email and update as any changes are made. Make sure to send revised drawings that correlate with any spec updates.
Stay safe! And remember that we all need social contact during this anxiety-provoking time – keep in touch with your loved ones through FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp and all our other wonderful online communication tools.
Beth Whitlinger has been in the design business for nearly 40 years. When she’s not guiding interior designers through her coaching business, The Interior Design Coach, she’s the principal designer at Beth Whitlinger Interior Design.
Tell us
If you are renovating now or soon, tell us about the effect the outbreak has had on your project.
Now is the time to work apart from other people as much as we can. For design pros, it’s great news that the design management software platforms allow multiple users to access the data so that staff can work remotely and concurrently on projects. Programs make it simple to work on drawings remotely and as a team. These platforms show a log of who has worked on each item and when, so you can be sure you are accessing the latest information. If you are working with an architect, consider attaching their drawing to yours as an AutoCAD Xref so that any changes they make and either upload or send to you will update your drawing without affecting your own work.
Project meetings with a general contractor or other subs can be conducted remotely as well in real time with applications like Skype or Zoom. It’s easy to ask them to pan up so you can see a ceiling detail, or pull a tape on an area that needs attention. Send specifications via email and update as any changes are made. Make sure to send revised drawings that correlate with any spec updates.
Stay safe! And remember that we all need social contact during this anxiety-provoking time – keep in touch with your loved ones through FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp and all our other wonderful online communication tools.
Beth Whitlinger has been in the design business for nearly 40 years. When she’s not guiding interior designers through her coaching business, The Interior Design Coach, she’s the principal designer at Beth Whitlinger Interior Design.
Tell us
If you are renovating now or soon, tell us about the effect the outbreak has had on your project.
One of the most important steps you can take during this time is to show concern for your clients and their health. You might consider sending an email to your clients as well as to the leads in your pipeline letting them know that you’re monitoring the public health situation, and expressing concern for their health and that of their families. Every community right now is facing differing messaging from local public health agencies, so stay up to date with and acknowledge what is happening in your own community. People may have their children at home. People may feel stressed. Keep your message calm and reassuring.
This would also be a good time to let your clients know of any changes you might be making to your normal business procedures, such as encouraging remote meetings. If things are mostly business as usual, tell them about any practices you’re implementing to keep people safe during project installations.