With the slowing of the economy architecture and design firms are going to need to put in place new workflow strategies. These strategies will involve every aspect of your business, how you work in your space, and your clients’ business. This will ensure that your firm and your client firms are ready when the economy recovers, which could happen sooner than you think. Here are some great workflow strategies to put in place right away.
Use Your Network to Your Advantage
The architecture industry relies more heavily on repeat customers than many other industries. For this reason, networking needs to be a part of any successful workflow strategy. A good way to start the process is to make a list of your past clients and rank them by priority. Then, you can start reaching out to past clients to stir up new work opportunities.
Make Your Communications Personal
As you connect with both your current and former clients, make your communication personal. For example, instead of sending clients an email, call them on the phone or through video chat. This way you can have a real conversation with them. This is a much more effective way to get their attention and have them listen to your pitch. Emails are easy to scroll past. You also don’t want to make it sound like you are just calling all of the clients you have had in the past. You want to approach your best clients as respected members of the community. Show them that you value them and are invested in their success.
Become Experts on the Current Environment
Architects and designers are problem solvers. With all the changes the world is going through, the unique way designers solve problems will be an important part of moving forward. We have witnessed that short-term changes to guidelines and protocols this year because of the coronavirus. COVID-19 will likely cause long-term changes as well, as companies look to address new concerns and anxieties about public health. It is an excellent idea to learn as much as you can about the virus as it relates to architecture and design. Your clients have their own concerns so they want to know you can help them address these issues. You want to familiarize yourself with prevention tactics, safety precautions, hygiene solutions, reopening guidelines, etc. Stay on top of everything important to your firm.
Prepare Long-Term Strategies for Your Clients
Your clients need to know that you have their back. Present yourself as a confidant and an advisor and let them know you understand how stressed they must feel right now. To solidify your position as an advisor, prepare long-term strategies that address issues such as building codes and density. Clients want long-range plans that will help them withstand pandemics that could occur in the future.
Architecture and design have experienced an unprecedented amount of changes this year. More than ever, firms need to begin to implement workflow strategies so they can start to make up for the losses they may have experienced during the quarantine.
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