Here we are surviving the COVID times and working from home. Interestingly, the year 2020 has been officially tagged as the ‘work from home’ year. These difficult times have foisted millions of people into their firsts of working from home experience. While that has driven tons of customer success professionals, who were once used to see their clients live have taken to the virtual CS, there is still a lot left unexplored. This blog today will walk you through some of the best ways to learn the subtle art and etiquette of video conferencing or ‘vidiquette’ with your customers. Let us get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Video Conference Call?
• What should and shouldn’t you do at a Video Conference?
  1. Use the same Courtesy as were in an in-person meeting
  2. Set your Settings
  3. Lead with Empathy here
  4. Rule of Mute and Unmute
  5. Crisp, Clear, and Concise
  6. Victory needs Preparation

What is a Video Conference Call?

Video Conferencing is an online meeting that ropes in video feeds from a visual conferencing system with a screen sharing solution that enables group collaborations or meetings. Now that the whole world is working remotely, every business has found its solace with video conferencing – being both seamless and efficient.

What should and shouldn’t you do at a Video Conference?

Though, there are not any severe dos and don’ts, there still are a few etiquettes that when followed make a meeting run smooth and connect with your customers with optimal convenience. Some of these include: 

Use the same Courtesy as were in an in-person meeting

Just because your customers are not in the same room in person that does not mean that you can spare the courtesy right away. This includes paying equal attention to each attendee and actively listening to what they have got to contribute. If you are the host, it is equally important to be resilient and carry the same courtesy. Sometimes, it is the etiquette and body language that can make or break a deal.

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Set your Settings

Although nothing is simpler than placing a video conferencing call, it will not hurt you to double-check your settings. It would not look nice if your audio configurations conk out in the middle of an important meeting. Checking your mic and camera configurations beforehand is also advisable. And just in case you happen to have an external monitor with a built-in camera, you can set that according to your system.

Lead with Empathy here

As per Daphne Lopes, Customer Success Manager, HubSpot, empathy plays a big role, especially in tough times like these. A lot of customers might be having a hard time, keeping up with the virus and adjusting to remote systems too. It could be possible that their vicinity has internet fluctuations, or perhaps they are new to the world of remote meetings. In such cases, leading the video conferences with a dent of empathy would do your customers a world of good. Moreover, you should also do some research and choose the right communication platform for interacting with your customers the right way. Compassion always reflects. Ask them how they are going with the global situation and see if there is any way, where you can help. Understand the background noises too – some could have kids or a pet, and that should be fine too.

Rule of Mute and Unmute

Once you are done talking or times when you do not have to talk, it is appreciable to mute your mic. Even if you stay really quiet, most of the advanced mics will pick up faint sounds like typing, walking steps, tapping noises, etc. And when you have a large meeting with many customers having unmuted mics, this will all add up eventually. This will disrupt and come in the way of a smooth meeting and don’t let that happen.

Crisp, Clear, and Concise

Let’s face it people are jam-packed and they have other priorities to deal with as well. Keep your video conferencing meetings to the point and exact. Practice the 3 C’s: Crisp, Clear, and Concise. This will help your audience as well as you to keep a tab on the watch and get back to your usual affairs. Having a meeting that does not end and keeps the listeners hanging on the other side is not only unproductive but can be really frustrating too, at times.

Victory needs Preparation

There is nothing worse than attending a video conference without having to do your basics done and dusted. Prepare a meeting agenda well in advance and send it out to the attendees, make it a point to stick to the agenda throughout the meeting. This way, your customers too can come prepared to the conference with their set of ideas, suggestions or queries. This will help both you as a host and your attendees to ace up the productivity and efficiency facets but also set the tone right for the meeting.

Parting Thoughts

As they say, the show must go on. Life and business must strive in spite of the tough times. On that note, modern technology has gifted us with several boons that make these spiteful times a little less painful and video conferencing calls are one of them. Now, you can seamlessly attend meetings and meet your beloved ones, all on a virtual note.

WRITTEN BYJoseph Henson

Highly accomplished, motivated, and adaptable sales and operations professional with a track record of successful leadership. Known for an empathetic and consultative approach that consistently exceeds growth and revenue goals.

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