Financial Services Virtual Meetings: A Guide for Accountants and Advisors

As an accountant or financial advisor, communicating and interacting with clients is vital as you work toward their goals. Much of that interaction has been in person, as you discuss strategies or work out tax returns. For now, those in-person meetings aren’t possible, but you can still stay connected while working remotely. Financial services virtual meetings can be just as productive as those held face to face. Here’s your guide on how to do it.

Financial Services Have Special Needs When Going Virtual

When you are discussing something as critical and as sensitive a finances or other sets of personal data, you need to stay compliant with regulations. This means ensuring that all software and platforms you use are fully aligned with the relevant laws. You and all your participants need to know that the meeting, and all data, is safe and secure. Fortunately, these safe and secure virtual meetings are possible without having to jump through too many technical hoops.

Beyond the security of the video conferencing platform, you also need to safeguard how you share files. Ideally, you should be using cloud services that encrypt all data, whether that data is in transit or at rest.

Going Virtual: How to Have Productive Remote Meetings with Clients

You don’t have to be a technical expert to have a seamless financial services virtual meeting. You just need the right technology and tools as well as a new approach. You may find it surprising that your clients are more focused and engaged on video chat. Also, most people already use these solutions regularly in business and their personal lives, so it’s not something they need to learn about from scratch.

Here’s a quick list of things you can do to have a fruitful client meeting.

• Send clients points of discussion: Prior to in-person meetings, you probably sent your clients a few things to review. That shouldn’t change as you go virtual. Your points of discussion could include specific questions or challenges you need to talk about on the call. If they are prepared, and you are too, the meeting should be a success.
• Learn how to use your virtual meeting platform: These platforms are typically intuitive and user-friendly. However, if you’re not accustomed to them, then you should probably play around with different settings and options. Make sure you know the basics: how to share your screen and annotate, record the meeting, and use the chat feature.
• Prepare your environment: With most professionals working remotely, interruptions from kids or pets should be expected. However, you can still do your best to avoid this by closing doors and taking other, similar steps. You’re discussing finances, and some of your clients may be concerned right now. Ideally, you want to have a webcam, a noise-canceling headset, good lighting, and a simple backdrop that’s not distracting. Check out how to look your best on video.
• Test everything: Before your meeting, do a test of all your technology to make sure everything is working. Position the webcam at eye level. You may also want to practice screen sharing. Remember, it’s best to share just the application rather than your entire screen, as other confidential information may be visible.
• Keep clients engaged and in the conversation: Your time with clients shouldn’t just be spent presenting and talking. It needs to be a two-way conversation. As you go through your talking points, pause often for questions. You are doing more than just talking numbers; you’re building relationships. Holding a healthy dialogue will allow you to get more accomplished during the meeting.
• Use secure file sharing: Paperwork is still a necessity in financial services, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be virtual as well. By leveraging a secure file-sharing solution, you can push documents to your clients for their e-signature, without concerns of security compromise.
• Send a follow-up post-meeting: After the conclusion of your meeting, make sure everyone is on the same page by sending a follow-up. You can include a link to the recorded meeting, as well as summary notes and action items. Set a follow-up meeting to continue the conversation, if necessary.

Host Successful Financial Services Virtual Meetings with Intermedia Unite

Intermedia Unite has all the features and functionality you need to engage with clients virtually. It’s secure, safe, reliable, and easy to use.