How to Improve Your Customer Experience in a Confidential Setting
Here in the middle of July 2020, you may still find yourself working at a home office part of the time, but your customers’ needs may not be so different than they were four months ago.
Whether you’re accommodating clients’ needs through virtual video meetings or arranging necessary in-person appointments in secure spaces, it can be a challenge to provide a confidential customer experience that feels as secure as a closed-door meeting did last winter.
Rather than focusing on efficiency for efficiency’s sake during this difficult time, here’s how you can ensure that you continue to provide a confidential customer experience, however you choose to connect.
Consider Guest Privacy and Access Online: How Will You Connect?
If you were to receive guests in a secure office space, you’d be sure to let your guests know what to expect from the parking garage to their chair in the meeting room. The same goes for confidential digital meetings.
Don’t set your meetings up in a rush: take time to get the details right and clearly communicate what clients or guests can expect at their digital appointment
Always double-check that your digital calendar event is private and that the details are only visible to those who are invited to the event.
As with webinar preparations, you want guests to feel comfortable asking for details in advance, and it can help to encourage them to reach out with any questions about the logistics.
If the conversation will be confidential in nature, be sure to indicate this in writing as you would with any other confidential matter. It’s a good idea to mark private and confidential events as such in your online calendar invitation.
Choose your meeting software carefully and be sure to indicate how your client or guest can connect well in advance.
Whatever digital meeting software you use, aim for the highest level of password protection available. Zoom meetings, for all the news of security issues in the early days of the pandemic, remains the gold standard for secure video access because of its easy-to-use moderation features.
We strongly recommend opting for password-protected meeting rooms that allow the moderator to prescreen guests to prevent any security issues.
How to Establish a Sense of Security for On-Site Visitors to Your Office
If you do have a secure, professional workspace at your disposal, there are five steps you can take to improve your customer or client experience, in addition to the calendar security measures mentioned above:
Give your client or guest information about any passcode or credentials they’ll need to access the building.
Provide any workspace-specific COVID-19 guidelines in advance, let them know what steps you’re taking, and highlight what steps your guests should take, if any.
Make it clear whether or not this is a shared office space where they might encounter other visitors or tenants.
Include contact information for day-of questions or concerns.
If you’ll be incorporating a virtual meeting room or media presentation, provide all technical specifications in advance.
At Firmspace, our community managers and associates can help receive and orient visitors, and we have day stewards on hand to keep shared spaces clean and safe. If you operate your own independent office space, be sure to cover these bases yourself or get the help of an assistant to ensure you and any guests have a safe, secure meeting.
How In-Person Meetings Improve Your Customer Experience
There’s real value in having a secure meeting space outside your home office. Whether you have kids, pets, or noisy neighbors, some in-person meetings just can’t be taken in your personal space.
Although remote online notarization (RON) has passed in most states since the pandemic arrived in North America, there are some meetings that are still better held in person. And your home office won’t cut it when it’s time to depose a witness or sign documents to close on a major commercial lease.
As a professional fielding sensitive calls, you need a consistent space where you can rely on a certain level of privacy and discretion within the environment.
At Firmspace, members benefit from soundproof walls and meeting rooms where small groups can convene in private. Even before the pandemic, we understood the importance of limiting foot traffic in common areas – our office spaces are designed to limit traffic flow.
Having a headquarters during this time provides your customers with an additional sense of security, as they know your physical office space is secure and that they can count on their information’s security as well.
The Support You Need to Provide a Confidential Customer Experience
While many professionals are able to conduct all the calls and meetings their work requires from a home office, others need a separate space that’s built to be conducive to focused work.
If privacy and confidentiality are high on your list of client concerns, our concierge-level in-person support at the front desk can help facilitate meetings safely and with discretion. If you’re interested in hearing more or seeing one of our office spaces for yourself, book a tour today.
Photo by Dylan Ferreira on Unsplash