“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.