As people around the globe adjusted to living and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most notable changes became increased reliance on videoconferencing technology for various types of communication, from training to interviews.
For some, technology has been a curse, yet for others it’s been not only a blessing but also a competitive advantage. Let’s look at ways smart firms are leveraging communications technology successfully.
- Virtual training. Some A/E/C marketers see this as a great time to provide online training for technical staff related to business development, relationship management, and project management.
Russell Sanford, FSMPS, CPSM, chief marketing officer of Kleinschmidt Associates in Lexington, SC, found that the pivot toward virtual business development training has been a good one. In 2020, his firm had plans to conduct half-day seller-doer training in five different offices throughout the United States, but travel restrictions were instituted just after the first session.
“Our team quickly regrouped and developed a shorter, more practical conversation skills workshop to provide our technical staff with relationship development hacks while on the phone with their clients,” says Sanford.
His organization launched Microsoft Teams and used this video platform to ensure they had engagement from the attendees. The firm was able to have all 45 staff members attend, which was a huge success. He notes, “These sessions also spurred ideas for additional, practical training topics from the technical staff. Now, instead of traveling throughout the country conducting in-person training this year, I’m building a training library that will save tons of time and energy in the future!”
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Article, written by Sarah Wortman, CPSM, first appeared in the Marketer journal.
