Needing to connect with your customers online during social isolation?
Here’s a quick list of some tools to consider when offering virtual appointments to your customers.
The best advice I have is to recognize some or even all of these may be completely new to you or your team. So allow for some learning curve time on your end and your customers – and if you can offer up “virtual” experiences in a variety of ways (even if it means a phone call that you spend walking them through the website or a printed brochure they may have a copy of at home) you will be ahead of the game. So, don’t limit yourself or them during this tumultuous time.
One suggestion I recently saw was to add a drop-down question to your website contact / registration form to ask which tool they prefer.
Here’s the list: (PS – there are no affiliate links here)
Apple FaceTime: Easy to use, FaceTime is a great option for those with an Apple product, including the iPhone and iPad. Information can be found HERE.
Facebook Messenger: This tool is very common and used across all devices (so it may have the lowest learning curve). All you have to do is start a message with someone in Messenger, and click the video button to start a call. This can also be done in a group chat, similar to Apple FaceTime and WhatsApp. Basic features can be found HERE.
Google Hangouts or Google Duo: If you’re into Google’s suite of tools you have used the Google Hangouts or Duo app before. There are free and paid versions available.
GoTo Meeting: This tool is not the most customer-friendly, but some people may be familiar with it from their experiences at work. GoToMeeting would mainly be used if you’re giving a presentation (think of a homebuying seminar/webinar) with limited back-and-forth ability with your customer. GoToMeeting tutorials can be found HERE.
Skype: Skype has been around for quite a while and most people have heard of it. So, it may be one of the easiest platforms to have a video conference on. Click HERE for Skype FAQs.
Uberconference: This one is used mainly by organizations / companies who do a lot of conference calls. There’s a free platform that allows up to 10 people to participate but requires a PIN, and their widely popular subscription version that means no PIN is required and you can establish a branded URL such as www.uberconference.com/YourCompanyName
WhatsApp: This cross-platform tool can be used on both Android and Apple device and is widely used as well. You can do group chats, send files, images, telephone and video calls through it. Great for follow-up conversations where someone may want to loop their mortgage broker, lawyer or other professionals into a chat environment. FAQs for WhatsApp can be found HERE.
Zoom: This has been rapidly adopted but don’t assume everyone understands it or is comfortable with it. Free accounts are available, with a 40-minute time limit. Zoom tutorials can be found HERE.