With advancements in technology, it has become possible for businesses to work with expert business consultants based in another city or even another country. This allows businesses to gain access to best of skills and prowess they need for expansion.
If you are a small business thriving to tap into your fullest potentials to achieve growth and success, chances are you know the important of experts and especially independent ones. Although this setting is cost affective and allows you to get the benefits of expertise, many small business owners struggle with establishing right level of communication.
Working remotely with business consultants, it has its own set of struggles. One of the most common struggles faced by small businesses while working with independent is lack of proper communication. When you are working with a freelance business consultant, communication is the key. Here are some tips to strengthen your communication and improve the efficiency of the remote team.
Communicating regularly
If you think that hiring an independent business consultant is the end of it all, think again. Your work has not ended but just begun. Although you are working as a freelance consultant, he or she is a part of your business. Thus, you need to maintain the same level of communication with them as you do with your full time employees.
Phone Calls, messages, video calls or meeting in person are some good ways to make business consultants feel that they are a part of your organisation. If they are working with on a short project or do not sit with you within the same office premises, you can still encourage them to communicate freely with you. You must make small yet effective efforts strengthen communication with your business consultant. You should ask about the progess of the project to build a helathy professional connection.
Connecting on a Deeper Level
A hire is a hire, even though he or she works independently. And just like any employee in your company, they might need your motivation to go ahead. When professionals work in same physical space, it is easy to know them at a personal level like interests and hobbies. But it can be difficult to do so when someone is working remotely.
Through message, calls or any other mode of communication except emails, wishing them on holidays and taking a healthy interest in their professional life and work struggles helpto build trust. They will feel a part of the organisation and work more dedicatedly. Simple chats beyond the work related matter help in bridging the communication gap.
Bring All Elements Together
In case your business needs different independent consultants and your employees to work together as a team, you need to make efforts to bring your team together to improve efficiency. For that, you need to streamline your communication. With video call meetings regularly, you can build trust and reliability within the team.
With a little effort, you can overcome all the challenges in the path of having effective communication with the independent business consultant. Good communication will make independent consultant work setting a win-win situation.