We did something kind of big at Hookd last November, we went completely virtual! That’s right, we took a bold move and vacated our office in downtown Eau Claire in favor of working remotely from here on out. I say “remotely” versus working at home because a lot of the time we aren’t at home. Oftentimes, we’re out meeting with clients, immersing ourselves in their work environment so we can learn more about them, and doing things like directing video shoots.
There are some great perks to working remotely for our team as well, but at the end of the day, we actually feel we’re able to serve our clients better! In fact, until we told our clients, they had no idea we were working remotely. That’s likely because we were very intentional and diligent in our approach. I won’t lie, it took some massaging at first, but we quickly settled on an approach that highlighted our priorities. Here are the five things that we implemented that have allowed us to be successful in a remote environment.
Solid, predictable, communication lines
We begin every week with a Monday morning Zoom meeting and we purposely begin that meeting by talking about our weekends. Yes, we make time for coffee talk! Then, we review our week, get updates from production and sales, and take care of any other inter-staff communication so we can divide and conquer.
As the week ensues, we hold briefings with key players via pre-scheduled production and sales calls.
The production team also starts each day with a quick call to review what’s on the day’s docket.
Of course there are client meetings and random phone calls in between, but keeping the lines of communication open has been vital.
Accountability
From the beginning, we all made a very cognizant commitment to always answer the phone. Something so simple, yet so necessary, makes a world of difference.
We also make it a point to express our preferred methods of communication. Granted, this is easier with a small team, but it helps us communicate in the best way possible.
We also make sure that our shared calendars are always current. That way, we can all set up client and staff meetings quickly and efficiently without hassle.
Strong processes
From an initial client meeting to a client results presentation, everyone on our team knows what comes next. They also know their role in what comes next. We document it, we tweak it as often as necessary, and we refer to it so we always know where we stand and are able to keep things running smoothly.
Make it personal
We prioritize time to forge meaningful relationships with each other and our clients. Little things like switching that sales meeting to a coffee date and making time to still meet in person as a team have a lot of value! And when we have to meet online, we appear on camera with each other as much as possible. Just seeing each other’s faces provides a level of connection and investment that makes a difference.
Don’t forget the fun!
It’s great to take care of business, but sometimes it’s important to take time out for fun and games. It builds rapport and offers us an opportunity to grow as a team. So yeah, that team boat ride on the lake is absolutely a priority!
In the end, we have the structure and the motivation to do great things. The most telling part is that great things are happening; we’re getting superior results for our clients! If you’re interested in a superior online marketing experience, we’re just a click or a call away and we’d love to meet you.