How to Build a Customer Relationship from Afar

Building strong client relationships can be challenging in the best of times, let alone during a global pandemic. Our “new normal” blends the boundaries between personal and professional lives now more than ever before, and that’s true for ourselves, our internal teams, and our clients. Where we used to have the luxury of face-to-face interactions, we now rely solely on video conferencing and phone calls to maintain some semblance of ‘normal’.

If you had already have built a strong foundation with your clients before COVID-19 took hold, your concerns are likely more focused on adjusting the way that you work together in order to keep the momentum going on our active work. However, if you’ve just recently started working with a new client, and you’re trying to build a strong relationship, this can be quite challenging. Relationships are about building trust and your methods have just become dramatically limited.

For anyone working directly with clients, your goal is to grow the relationship in a meaningful and valuable way. Not only do you want to see your clients thrive and flourish, you want to deliver sophisticated solutions that address their needs. Whether you’re working in the midst of a global pandemic or building a relationship once we’re back to a new normal, here are some timeless tips that you can begin implementing today:

Schedule Check-ins with Senior Leadership

For large, complex accounts with various workstreams and consistent team members, I suggest pinpointing senior lead(s) and scheduling more personal check-ins on a weekly basis. Senior check-ins should focus on the overall state of the client’s business as well as the performance of your own team. Especially right now as businesses deal with unknowns, staying in touch more frequently is important. You may uncover some additional context coming from other aspects of your client’s daily work life that you weren’t aware of. When you approach the relationship as though you’re a partner, your goal is to relate to your client’s unique situation and come up with solutions that will help address their specific needs.  

Collaborate on the Budget

Part of managing a relationship means proactively addressing the impact of disruption on your budget. I’m not talking about asking for more budget – that’s certainly not appropriate right now unless a client proposes an increase in scope. I mean assessing whether the present budget allocation still meets a client’s needs. A business may need to shift its priorities from one tactic to another in order to account for a change in customer behavior and priorities – for instance adapting the keywords for a paid search strategy or investing more in paid social if one’s customers are spending more time on social (as is happening more often during the pandemic). During a pandemic, your clients’ needs may be shifting dramatically and quickly, so this may become an agenda item that you add to your leadership check-ins.  

Be Mindful of How Your Clients Are Feeling

Your clients are stressed just like you are. But that doesn’t mean each client needs the same level of nurturing. Some clients do want to discuss how “how they are doing.” They want to share that stress and acknowledge it. Others do not. If you’ve been managing your relationships well, you know which ones fall in each camp. But regardless of each person’s style, it is always appropriate to ask, “How are you doing?” Because we are living in extraordinary times. People appreciate being thought of.

And, this should go without saying, but be mindful of your clients’ situations. I don’t know of any clients who are interested in being “sold to” right now, but they are open to hearing ideas that will solve for their needs.

Don’t Forget Your Own Team

If you have people reporting to you, remember that they are stressing as they manage client relationships, too. Check in with them and find out how they are doing. How are their client relationships going? Anyone need help? Be candid. If someone looks like they are struggling, find out what’s going on. They might be managing a client relationship and suddenly finding themselves home-schooling a child whose school was canceled for the rest of the year. Be there for them as best as you can.

Your clients are going to remember who was there for them. They’re going to remember the people who made the pandemic more bearable. Make sure that they remember you favorably.