One of the first things we decided would be valuable for me to do when I began working with Flatsourcing was to schedule regular calls with all of our clients. While that might seem antithetical to our focus on using web based collaboration tools, in reality it provides another vehicle to “flatten the world”.

These calls have a number of benefits for both Flatsourcing and our clients, and the primary purpose of the calls is to build a running dialogue so that we know how we are performing for our clients and they feel comfortable being completely honest with us. Regardless of how effectively we can work with our clients remotely, there is something inherently useful in having a routine call that allows everyone to identify potential issues before they become actual issues.

The primary benefits of these calls are:

• Giving the client an opportunity to be honest about our performance whether positive or negative.
• Allowing the client to share broader business goals with us so that we can keep the big picture in focus.
• Knowing what works and what doesn’t so that we can refine how we work with each client.

There are other ancillary benefits to these calls as well, including:

• Building a more personal relationship with our clients as individuals.
• Being able to plan for the future by understanding ever changing business environment in which we all work.
• Letting our clients know about our business and the factors that affect how we can help them.

All in all, having a monthly call with each clients strengthens our business and personal relationships in a way that allows for greater long term success. As with many of the processes we have put in place over the years, the goal is to build a relationship on a foundation of constant and honest communication.

As always, if you have a project that you think we can help you with or a team you need to grow, drop us a line and let us work with you to see if Flatsourcing can help you reach your business goals.