Strategies for a virtual practice and working remotely should ideally involve careful planning and consideration, but the Covid-19 outbreak has forced many advisors to quickly shift to working online so that they can continue to serve clients while the economy is shut down, said consultants on a Wednesday webcast sponsored by TD Ameritrade Institutional.

Ideally, an advisor would be able to consider whether they had adequately prepared their associates, their clients and their businesses for working remotely, said Craig Cintron, senior manager, institutional technology consulting, TD Ameritrade Institutional, during the webcast entitled “Moving Client Engagement Virtual.”

“Rolling out a virtual strategy will effect change on your business, associates and clients,” Cintron said. “By leaning into the right technology and strategy, you can minimize the impact to your business and gain efficiencies along the way.”

The key is to embrace the change, said Cintron, and to adapt to the new environment. Even after the outbreak subsides, clients and associates are likely to be more receptive to virtual meetings and video messaging from advisors.

Better client experience begins with improving the associates’ experience, said Cintron.

“Your client experience is shaped by the environment: If you take care of your associates, they will take care of your clients,” he said. “No one asked for a global health pandemic, or to school their kids while working from home. You might be having that experience, and if you aren’t, you might have clients and associates who are. There is no playbook for doing this.”

But even remotely, business leaders can foster a positive culture among employees. They should seek out new ways to collaborate remotely, said Cintron.

For example, an online virtual watercooler meeting—basically a video chat with no set agenda—can help advisors preserve the collegiality and collaboration that existed in the physical office. Cintron says that his team at TD Ameritrade added a weekly virtual watercooler meeting in addition to their regularly scheduled weekly video meeting.

“As a leader, having virtual office hours and enabling anyone to drop in to your virtual WebEx can help you keep your open-door policy in the office,” said Cintron. “Our team has been virtual for years, but what’s interesting is that we’ve all grown closer over the past five to six weeks.”

Another idea Cintron has embraced is a “virtual happy hour” or cocktail hour once or twice a month, and “wisdom Wednesdays” in which team members share podcasts and other media they have encountered to help enrich one another.

“Show empathy to your associates, check in on them from time to time, and see how they and their families are doing,” said Cintron.

It’s also become extra important for business leaders to make sure their team members have all the necessary resources in place to operate remotely. These include hardware like laptops, desktops and monitors. If an associate is accustomed to a workspace with multiple displays, they may need multiple displays at home, too.

Cintron also recommended that, for quality reasons, teams use separate, peripheral webcams rather than the ones built into laptop and tablet computers.

As for videoconferencing platforms, Cintron said professional, paid offerings are generally superior to the free solutions available online. Some firms that contract with companies like Microsoft for their office software may already have access to a conferencing and meeting platform, which would be an ideal place for advisors to start using tools like Zoom, WebEx or Skype.

Firms should make sure their associates have enough computing power to run all their essential software while videoconferencing at the same time, said Cintron. He added that none of these changes should be deployed without considering cybersecurity.

“A cybersecurity program is an absolute must due to the sensitive data and intellectual property that can be shared via virtual channels,” he said. That includes making sure associates log on from a private home connection rather than a public wireless connection at a business or a hot spot offered by a large cable provider.

Some clients, of course, will have to be coaxed into connecting virtually. Cintron recommended that firms offer education on virtual meetings and interactions as an opportunity to engage with clients.

Todd McMullen, a technology consultant at TD Ameritrade Institutional, said that educating clients to use virtual tools is an excellent opportunity to engage with the next generation in their families.

“It’s a perfect time to be engaging with beneficiaries,” McMullen said. “Initially, I encourage clients to bring other family members onto the call if they aren’t tech savvy. The next thing you know, the family members were staying on the entire call.”

Cintron believes that firms can do more to help replicate their in-person client experience online.

“You may have gone to great lengths to create touches in-office which create a unique client experience: Gourmet coffee, snacks, artwork—how do you replicate that virtually? Why not send something like an edible arrangement or a gift basket?” asked Cintron.

In the time of Covid-19, advisors need to more fully embrace video as their primary method of communicating with clients, McMullen said. Video is usually superior to other forms of digital outreach, like blogs and podcasts, as it allows users to see the full range of physical and facial gestures and cues a speaker is using.

Still, McMullen said that advisors should embrace a multichannel approach to client outreach, incorporating e-mail, the phone, websites, social media and texting. Websites should be mobile device-friendly and use search engine optimization and content to attract traffic.

As far as social media is concerned, advisors should take the pulse of their clients to figure out which platforms are most relevant, said McMullen. Social media content should blend the personal—stories, pictures of family and pets—with professional expertise and information.

Advisors should also take advantage of the compliant texting options now available to them through platforms like RedTail.

Beyond the tech considerations, McMullen said that businesses must think about the home workspaces their associates are using.

“Good lighting is absolutely key,” he said. “If you’re forced to work in a basement, without windows, it’s not always the greatest of lighting. We’re all striving to do well right now, but we’re going to need vitamin D. Maybe consider purchasing a daylight bulb; it can improve mood, productivity and mental awareness. It’s also important to think about being comfortable in your surroundings.”

Since many home workstations have been updated and put into use in an ad hoc manner during the pandemic, associates may be working in unsafe or uncomfortable positions. Their discomfort or distress may even be apparent to clients and other staffers during virtual meetings and video chats. It might be time for advisors to upgrade to more standing desks and other ergonomic workplace enhancements.

McMullen also suggested staggering the meeting schedule—starting meetings at five after the hour instead of at the top of the hour to give associates a buffer to refresh their drinks, grab a snack, or use the restroom between meetings. He also recommended against back-to-back virtual meetings.

Clients and associates both may need lessons on virtual meeting etiquette, said McMullen. Best practices include muting the ringtones on mobile devices, silencing e-mail and social media notifications on computers, and reducing other distractions in the room.