In the life of a consultant and especially in the life of a Kronite, working remotely for many of our clients was already part of our daily life. However, in the last few months, we have all had to face many challenges in this new reality where working remotely was not an exception but an obligation. Among these challenges are problems of connection, speed, security, and also the rate of change to which any given company must adapt.
Our duty as Kronites is not only to efficiently complete our projects but also to support our clients in difficult situations all while having to adjust to the new habits of working from home.
To better support our clients, it is important to continuously build confidence."
1- A listening role
To feel confident, you must first feel like your voice is being heard. It is important to understand the client's problems and needs, especially in a period of great adaptation. Being heard also means being actively available to our clients. Just because our relationships and our work are now done remotely does not mean that we can't do daily follow-ups and communicate on our online platforms. Being available also means encouraging our clients to contact us for any and all questions or concerns.
2- A role as a facilitator
Adapting to different communication systems helps a lot in building trust. As we all know, there is a multitude of communication tools (Teams, Slack, Zoom, etc.). However, it is important to adhere to the tools that clients use and to know what their preferences are with respect to their various methods of doing business. Posing a question such as: "are you more comfortable with or without a camera?" is worth asking to nurture rapport and to help clarify objectives and methods. If they have difficulties with their tools, it is our responsibility to act as facilitators by suggesting diverse angles of approach before and during the implementation process.
Many of our collaborators have strict security procedures to allow for work to be done remotely. It is of quintessential importance to follow them closely.
In our team of Kronos experts, we offer versatility and expertise. Everyone has his or her specialty, and we share it as a team with our clients."
3- We understand what you're going through
As Kronites we will always put ourselves in the shoes of our customers. Often we encourage screen sharing for a direct overview of any given problem. A bug can be related to several sources and it can be difficult to accurately verbalize the details. We advocate genuine peer-to-peer relationships and spontaneous exchanges.
"Putting ourselves in our client's shoes" also means being alert to the organizational changes they are facing, as we are experiencing right now. Changes in Kronos may indeed be required, and we can reassure our clients by offering them our help and availability. Handling these changes proactively is all part of bolstering the work as well as the working relationship.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, schedule changes have impacted the daily lives of many individuals. We think of reduced or staggered working hours, but also of parents who have to work while taking care of their children at home. Our flexibility allows us to align ourselves with this new reality and offer services to our clients according to their availability.
4- Sharing our best insights
As we form a team with those we help, it is our responsibility to offer our best practices.
Working with our clients on a daily basis forges strong interpersonal relationships. Our experience in multiple industries allows us to rapidly diagnose problems and situations. We can, therefore, keep our customers up to date on the latest Kronos updates and implement them specifically so as not to cause delays that could affect system operations.
Excellence, accountability, passion, and positivity as well as respect and integrity are values we all share at IN-RGY. We will continue to help and support our clients in the same way, in-person and remotely.
Any questions, concerns or needs? Contact our Kronos team.
Cristina Iacob
Kronos Consultant