One of the main challenges of working remotely is communication, which makes it vital to establish effective ways to connect with colleagues and clients as soon as possible.
In many industries, and especially for finance firms and Independent Financial Advisors, keeping in contact with the outside world is vital but making sure that communications are secure is a priority.
Financial changes mean that many people are searching for safe ways to protect their money, access funds or to assess investments that they already have.
Speaking freely and confidentially is important to an Independent Financial Advisor, so making sure you have the right communications set up at home will really make a difference.
Aside of meetings with clients, it can be harder to check facts and ideas with colleagues. Not being able to run a quick question past a colleague can be frustrating but adopting new methods of working will reaffirm confidence.
If you need support in setting up effective methods of working and communicating from home a virtual PA is well placed to help.
Choosing a video conferencing platform
Staying connected will keep financial industries moving forward while people remain at home.
The first step to running a business from home smoothly is to agree on online meeting software so that you all know who is calling and on what platform.
There are a number of platforms that companies and individuals can use to keep in touch
Many good, dependable video conferencing platforms are free, although their suitability may depend on the length of time you will need to spend in online meetings and how many people will take part.
Some of the main platforms are:
To enhance usability and enable further actions such as document sharing, financial firms may prefer a paid-for package. Many of the free software platforms can be upgraded to a paid-for version and continue to lead the field.
Plan ahead and be organised
With the luxury of having colleagues close at hand to bounce questions off, you will need to start to keep a list to avoid sending repeated email or being on the phone constantly. To make more efficient use of your time it is also important to use your diary effectively.
You may not be leaving the house, but you will still need to make sure you are ready to answer video calls at arranged times. Plan in work deadlines, set times to talk to clients and schedule in necessary tasks.
Importantly, when making a video call make sure that you have all the information you need at hand – and that you have a list of questions ready to maximise the time.
Online etiquette
With time lags and the nuances of social behaviour difficult to spot on a screen make sure you observe a certain etiquette to avoid talking over one another.
- Stick to the agenda
- Wait for others to finish speaking
- Make sure you are dressed appropriately for meetings (yes that means out of your pyjamas!)
- Be aware of your workspace and consider the message that your online backdrop sends…
- Use earphones to help improve the sound and to cut out background noise
Efficiency and professionalism remain just as important when working from home, especially in an industry such as finance.
Consistency and attention to detail are absolutely vital so make sure you keep to a consistent routine where possible and minimise distractions.
Stick to a standard working day so that clients and contacts can get hold of you when they would expect to – schedule in video conferences when you are least likely to be interrupted.
Make sure you remain focused when communicating online by shutting the office door and asking anyone else who is also at home to respect your need to make the call.
Switch off your mobile phone and do not be tempted to tap at bits of work mid chat. This not only sends the message that you are only half-interested but you may genuinely miss something of importance.
Set it down on paper
Talking is a great way to get ideas going and to extract information from people quickly and comprehensively but writing actions down on paper is a good way to make sure they are completed.
When discussing complex ideas, or putting in place an action plan, follow up chats with documents detailing agreements.
This is particularly important when taking details from a client and explaining what your next steps will be in regards to an investment portfolio, for example.
Use documents as a way to double up on agreements that have been made during online chats to be certain that all parties are in agreement.
Virtual online support for the financial industry
If you work in the financial industry or are a qualified Independent Financial Advisor, New Dawn PA can offer specialised support.
New Dawn can manage a wide range of admin tasks as well as help to put new systems in place and offer support in specialised software systems.
With more than 10 years’ experience of working virtually, New Dawn is well placed to help you maintain communications when working remotely.
If you need additional support in running your finance business from home please contact New Dawn PA.
