We are more mobile today than we ever have been, The challenge is how do we stay available for our clients and not lose our mobility. The answer is simple, leverage Leveraging technologies,tools and services are a great way to keep you moving with minimal costs. So lets look at solutions like Chat, SMS, Virtual assistants, and Webmeetings!
Chat
Chat comes in all shapes and sizes, you have multiple messengers, single Instant messengers(IM), Chat boxes on websites, and tools that will let you chat from smart phone to smart phone. Chat can be a very useful tool to gain you mobility.
- Google Chat(Google Talk)- personally Google Chat is my favorite, especially now that I can create a hangout from it. What I like about Google Chat is I can have it on my phone , tablet, and computer. Makes it a true mobile solution. chat will let you talk with one or multiple people at a time.Also, there are tools out there that will tie into Google chat so you have more options and versatility. you need to have a Google account to use this tool, but if you have an android phone or a Gmail account you have this ability.
- Facebook Messenger– Social tools are going mobile as well, Facebook Messenger is a solid solution for your phone, tablet and computer. The advantage it might have over Google messenger is if you want you can tie it into your SMS system on your phone! Again 900,000 million people have a Facebook account, gives you a pretty good chance that you will be able to communicate with clients. Unless they are friends they will not be able to chat with you
- Google Messenger– is part of its Google plus package, and is another way of creating video hangouts with people. limitation like all IM systems is they have to be on that System. Again, most people you meet have either and android phone or a Gmail account.
- Trillian is a multiple IM system. This tool will give you the ability to add all your IM’s in and communicate from one portal. it is available on desktop, android and ios. Trillian has been around for a long time and is a real strong solution for bringing all your IM accounts into one simple solution.
- Zopim– the limitation of all above solutions, for potential clients, they have to be on one of those systems and be friends with you. Probably not very likely. Zopim, has a solution for this. It will create an chat box on your website were future clients can chat with you and not have to be any of the above solutions. What I like best about this is it lets you pick your favorite Chat channel to associate with. Makes it a great solution and keeps your mobility!
SMS-
Texting is still one of the best ways to keep mobile and successfully communicate with clients. even though your are limited to 150 characters I find it easy to communicate with my clients. I can tell them what I need and they do the same. 150 characters may seem limiting, but all it is doing is making us efficient and to the point in our communication. One caveat using your SMS on your phone would be, be careful with sarcasm and joking, they do not always transcend through the phone very well!
Another way to use SMS is offer coupons if they subscribe to your text number. You have seen these if you text “coupon” to 55555 you will get free coupons weekly(just an example not real). Most people do not think about it and do it almost immediately! great way to collect valuable information about your future clients
Smart phones also have a ton of various SMS Apps out there that have their own little take on SMS. Look in your app store for these Apps. I would look for features like automate text messages, delay send, and archive texts! If none catch your interest that is OK! The base application typically is enough for most people.
Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistants are a great way to for you to keep mobile and not spend high money on a person sitting at a desk you are never at. The roles of Virtual assistants very from being a simple operator to handling basic clerical or accounting functions for your office needs. What is nice about the power in virtual assistants is not only what they can do for you but what it will cost you,some as low as $5/hour. Please note that some of these are an over seas solutions, so you will want to interview your potential assistant to make sure they can meet your communication needs! There are many out there, one that has been recommended to me several times is My Out Desk! check it out!
Webmeetings
Webmeetings are a great way to keep your mobility and still get your message out to the masses. Webmeeting tools like Gotomeeting helps you have timely “conferences” where you can present and interact with your clients a new service, product or solution to them. When using Webmeeting tools you will want to pre plan the presentation and practice a couple times for fluidity in your presentation. Marketing your meeting ahead of time is very important, use tools like twitter, Facebook, Google, email, and word of mouth!. GotoMeeting is a great and it is expensive to use, if you are looking for free solutions check out Anymeeting and Join.Me, they have certain limitations but will meet most of your needs till you get big enough you need GotoMeeting.
If you are looking for true mobility in Webmeeting, there are tools out there that will let you record a Webmeeting and set controls in the presentation so it looks like it is truly live. These tools are pretty sophisticated where you can add planned questions from “Consumers” and you can answer them. From an end user perspective it looks like this is a live presentation and people are asking great question, and you are sitting at a beach somewhere drinking your favorite beverage Now I will not not mention any companies out there, because at this moment, I’m not sure where I stand on this. I have 2 concerns 1) I think are consumers are pretty smart and they can smell BS a mile away, and 2) for me it just feels phony. With that being said, many people like this solution and it is a great tool for your mobility and lead generation solutions!
Overview
Mobility is not a choice it is a requirement. Luckily there are many solutions out there that will not cost you much financially. Do not go out and try them all, pick a couple and tell me what you think!