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5 Great Ways to Virtually Interact with Your Clients

Published: June 14, 2020
JH

Jon Holstead
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, almost everyone works from home. Remote working is a precaution to stay safe, but it poses a problem for those of us who still need to make progress on client projects.

Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates. Keep records consistent, review them regularly and give each person a clear responsibility. When evaluating a new tool, work through a realistic example from beginning to end. Use what you learn to decide whether the change will simplify your daily work. Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates.

So, knowing how to maintain existing client relationships virtually is crucial.

Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates. Keep records consistent, review them regularly and give each person a clear responsibility. When evaluating a new tool, work through a realistic example from beginning to end.

Nothing beats in-person interactions with clients, but so much can now be done virtually.

Here are five of the best virtual client interactions for you to try when working with clients remotely – and some suggestions of virtual tools to help make them happen.

Our top picks for September 2026

1. One-On-One Video Calling

Obviously the ideal situation is to meet in person with a client for anything from project proposals to discussing edits. However, that’s not exactly possible in the current climate.

Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates. Keep records consistent, review them regularly and give each person a clear responsibility. When evaluating a new tool, work through a realistic example from beginning to end.

Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates. Keep records consistent, review them regularly and give each person a clear responsibility. When evaluating a new tool, work through a realistic example from beginning to end.

2. Online Invoicing

One of the less glamorous, but necessary, client interactions is asking for payment.

While online invoicing was widespread before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now essential for any business that was previously relying on paper or Word document invoicing.

Luckily, there are many reliable and easy-to-use online invoicing tools on the market for freelancers and small businesses alike. Clearly not all online invoicing software is created equally. It important to choose one that has all the features your business needs.

If you’re looking for something that provides full-service accounting in addition to simply invoicing, Quickbooks is a highly recommended tool. With Quickbooks you can create custom branded invoices and quotes, track payments, view reports on your cash flow, and more.

Another popular tool is Freshbooks. Like Quickbooks, it has full invoicing and payment tracking features. They offer three levels of plans to serve whatever size business you might have.

3. Livestreaming

Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates. Keep records consistent, review them regularly and give each person a clear responsibility. When evaluating a new tool, work through a realistic example from beginning to end.

Live streaming is where you broadcast your device’s camera, typically pointed at your face, to your entire social media following. Your clients can get a notification whenever you “go live” on Facebook, YouTube, or on some other network that supports live streaming.

You can build credibility and rapport with your clients in your live streams by talking about topics related to the work that you do for them. And you can keep your streams engaging by telling relevant stories.

With any luck, your clients will enjoy hearing from you and might even send in messages to your live stream, which you can respond to in real-time.

4. Satisfaction Survey

Economic uncertainty is causing people to hold on to their cash. Clients are less willing to spend money and are looking for ways to reduce spending.

Equally, you need to keep money coming in, so you need to retain your clients.

People subconsciously send money on what they want, rather than on what they need. So, you need to make sure that you are something that your client wants by providing an excellent customer experience.

But how can you know if your clients are happy with your service when you cannot see their facial expressions or social cues?

Create a customer satisfaction survey to send to your clients, using a questionnaire builder like Typeform or SurveyMonkey. Here is an excellent set of examples of customer satisfaction surveys to get you started.

Make improvements to your service based on the feedback that you receive.

5. Referral Program

Your existing clients are reasonably happy with the service that you currently provide them – if they were not, they would be your ex-clients. So, why not incentivize your clients to recommend you to others?

According to the U.S. data and measurement company, Nielson, your potential clients are four times more likely to try your services when referred to you by a friend.

A referral program is a great way to engage with your clients. Your clients will be happy to know that their future work with you will be discounted, and the thought of a reward will keep you on their mind.

Use an online referral tool, like GrowSurf or ReferralCandy, to handle your referrals online. These tools let you see detailed analytics, like which existing client referred each new client to you, and how much discounted service each client is owed.

Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates. Keep records consistent, review them regularly and give each person a clear responsibility. When evaluating a new tool, work through a realistic example from beginning to end. Use what you learn to decide whether the change will simplify your daily work.

Conclusion

Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates. Keep records consistent, review them regularly and give each person a clear responsibility. When evaluating a new tool, work through a realistic example from beginning to end. Use what you learn to decide whether the change will simplify your daily work. Choose a process that suits the size of your team and the way your business operates.

Our top picks for September 2026

Read Next

If you’re trying to get started with accounting or invoicing software quickly, check out our article How to Choose Accounting Software for Your Small Business.

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JH

Jon Holstead
Jon is a serial entrepreneur, having started several successful businesses; these include a content creation agency, a short-term rentals company, and a blog about starting businesses.