Running a business involves taking many different factors into consideration. One of the many vital things that you have to consider is how you will meet and engage with customers, which is something that will often be based on the type of business that you run. Effective customer engagement is vital and it is something that can be done in many ways, including face to face contact.
Although we live in a digital era, it is important to remember the importance of personal contact rather than just email, social media, and other forms on online contact. For businesses, it is particularly important to remember the importance of face to face contact with clients and customers. We on the internet for everything from customer reviews to communication but we have to remember the importance of personal contact as well.
Tips when conducting face to face communication
If you intend to meet customers or clients face to face, there are a number of tips to keep in mind that could help. Because we spend so much time online communicating via the Internet, we often panic when it comes to communicating face to face. However, these tips should help:
· Make sure you are prepared: Preparation is key when you are meeting with a customer or client face to face. Of course, if you work in retail or a similar industry it is different, as you are meeting with customers all day long. However, in an office based environment where you only meet customers or clients now and again, you should make sure you are prepared in terms of what you will be saying, your goals, how you want to steer the conversation, and other important areas.
· Greeting them: Another thing you should do is greet your customer appropriately. You should shake their hand but don’t do it hard or over-zealously. Also, refrain from using your opening line to talk about the business. Instead, make sure that you are polite, friendly, welcoming, and try to be relaxed rather than too formal.
· Be on time: If you are meeting a customer and client at their premises rather than your own, make sure that you are on time. Of course, sometimes there are obstructions that cannot be helped so try and aim to be there early rather than risking being late, as this makes a bad impression from the very start.
· Get your appearance right: One thing about communicating online is that you could be sitting in your jeans with a cup of coffee and a pair of flip flops on and nobody would be any the wiser. When you are meeting face to face, appearance is everything and can have a big impact on the direction that your meeting takes.
So, if you are planning to meet with customers or clients on a face to face basis, make sure you take the time to prepare and you should be able to make a success of things even without the internet.
