Do We Recommend Slack For Client Communication?
I swear I can hear that slack notification sound in my sleep.
Slack helps run our businesses much smoother in 2021, and for a great reason. Slack is seriously a game-changer, specifically for agencies, but there are some dos and don'ts to the platform that you should have in mind when using it for your agency.
We work in Slack all day, every day, so we know a thing or two about it. Not only do we use it internally at DOT & Co., all of our agency clients use it, too. Back and forth between slack channels, Asana, Gmail, zoom, all day long. Do you feel us?
Here Are Our Best Tips For Running Your Agency On Slack:
Note: these tips are using the Free slack option, as this is more than enough if you're using it for internal purposes. When you're adding multiple vendors and businesses to your Slack account and don't want them seeing all of your channels, then I'd recommend upgrading to paid Slack.
Notifications for Optimal Productivity
Slack can quickly become the biggest distraction in your day. Here's how to change that asap:
Turn off the sound and the bounce of that little Slack icon for most of the day. If you want to be productive, sit down and get your tasks done and don't let others interrupt that.
A neat little trick is that you can set yourself to 'away' so it looks like you are not available. Boom, fewer distractions automatically (promise).
You can set your Slack status to whatever you want, e.g. I am on the phone for 30 mins – this way people know not to disturb you. I do this all of the time when I'm podcasting, in a number of client-meetings or out to coffee with a friend. This way, your team has transparency into why you're not answering their 10 slack messages. Don't feel guilty adding a status— you are setting the precedent for your team.
I always turn off notifications when I am going into a meeting – that way I am not distracted and the client I am meeting with has my full attention.
I Feel Things Get Missed In Slack— Is It Me?
Waking up in the middle of the night, thinking you missed an important message from someone? That's a total Slack syndrome. Here are our best practices.
You can star important items, so you don’t have to go searching for them later on. This allows you to go through that list and see if any of them have been resolved or if you are waiting on information from a client.
Slack allows you to Pin important information to the channel so it’s always available when you need it. E.g. The client’s business address.
Set reminders so you don’t miss deadlines, important dates, etc
You can link up Slack to Asana which allows you to copy conversations and post into Asana as well as create tasks in Asana via Slack. Nothing falls through the cracks this way!
Should I Have My Clients In Slack?
I've done it— I wouldn't recommend it.
I highly recommend not adding clients to Slack. Slack is really great for internal communication but can really be frustrating for client communication.
Clients expect instant answers from you and for you to always be available which in reality is not always possible.
Email is usually the best. It may sound old-school, but clients should not have access to you all day. They should know from the beginning that you'll send them Daily Pulses as you're onboarding them, you'll keep them looped in, and any questions they have they can fire away to you via email. You are responsible for setting these expectations with clients, but if you want to be productive and scale-up, your clients shouldn't be able to chat with you all day.
Overall, Slack is an amazing tool for your agency. I'd argue it's required in 2021. The second would be Asana, or another project management tool to keep tasks on track and streamlined. If you haven't grabbed our client onboarding checklist yet, grab it here and upload it right into your Asana/PM tool.
Curious about what we do for agencies? Check us out, or email us to start the conversation.
Until next time,
Taylor
P.S.— looking to outsource your client management? We've got you. Find us here.